(John 1:21)
�And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.�
A couple of years ago the local tax assessor decided it would be a good idea to take pictures of every house in town and post them on the internet. I guess he thought that since so many people were leaving town due to closed businesses that this would make selling those houses easier for those departing. I really don�t know his rational.
But, there were quite a few people in town who were upset that their houses were now on public display. Local prison workers were concerned that having this unwanted publicity might make it easier for a released prisoner to find their homes and extract revenge on the keepers of the jail.
There was also a problem that the assessor had not publicized his plan. There was no notice given, no public discussion, no permission sought to violate the privacy of the citizens of the town. We were just presented with a fiat accompli. Or, to paraphrase Cpt. Pickard of �Star Trek: The Next Generation,� �I made it so.�
When enough of the citizens of the city complained, at least the monied ones, the assessor agreed to stand before the citizenry and �discuss� the issue he had created.
The �discussion� lacked a little in the way of a two-way conversation. The assessor simply produced a little slide show and said, in effect, �I have the right to do this whether or not you want me to do so. Live with it. It is done.�
Isn�t it amazing what one in authority can accomplish if he only decides to utilize his authority?
The people considered John the Baptist to be an authority. They flocked to hear his preaching. They waded into the waters of the Jordan to accept his baptism of repentance. They considered him to be a mighty prophet of God.
The problem with John was that he had not consulted with the religious �professionals� of the day. He did not have their authorization.
This was an important point at this time. The religion of the day was structured from the top, down. There were, to be sure, some gadflys who flitted about on the edges. But, the main custodians of the public faith were those of the Pharisees who came to examine John. He was walking on their sidewalk.
They asked, �Are you the prophet.� �And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias?...�
This very question was a doctrinal disparity about that which the Pharisees believed. These Pharisees did believe in the resurrection. But, to the best of my knowledge, there was no sect within them which taught a doctrine of the restoration of the soul into another body.
But, they had a problem, here, with their understanding of what the Scripture clearly taught. Malachi 4:5 records a prophecy which was very familiar to these men. �Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.�
These men knew from their Scriptures of the old covenant that Elijah had not died; he had been translated into heaven without having passed through the valley of death. They knew that it was entirely possible for Elijah to reappear upon the earth as the forerunner of the coming Messiah. Now, this man - John the Baptist, was preaching that he was that forerunner; the promised Messiah�s coming was at hand.
But, there was a problem in considering John the Baptist as that prophesied forerunner, Elijah. The father of John had been a prominent priest, himself. They well knew the generation and lineage of John. They knew that John could not be Elijah.
So, why did they ask the question?
I believe that they were trying to ascertain just how much authority John would claim for himself and his mission. Would John claim to be Elijah? If he did they could well discredit him among the population.
If John the Baptist had claimed to be Elijah, as promised back in Malachi, he would have been claiming a doctrine of reincarnation, a soul returning to earth in the body of another. Since the Bible does not teach that doctrine, and teaches in the affirmative against that doctrine, they would have been able to discredit his entire message of the coming Messiah.
When read properly, this is seen to be an example of the wiles of Satan trying to derail the ministry of Jesus before that ministry had even begun.
The religious leaders were as those who questioned Jesus on the matter of a woman who had been married to seven brothers, one after the other as they each died in turn. Jesus said to these questioners, �...Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.� (Matthew 22:29)
Jesus, Himself, said of John, �And, if ye will receive it, this is Elias [Elijah], which was for to come.� (Matthew 11:14)
Back in II Kings we see the story of when Elijah was translated into heaven. Elisha, the protege of Elijah was with him when Elijah was taken into heaven.
�And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both assunder, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan. And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.� (II Kings 2:9-15)
It is in this manner which John the Baptist was able to take his mission, in the spirit of that which Elijah took up his mission, which God had ordained him to accomplish.
In not considering to compare Scripture with Scripture the religious questioners had erred. They had departed from Scriptural authority. They had elevated their own conception of what Scripture should have said over that which Scripture had said.
We find that same error today. Religious leaders promote new translations which are based on an eclectic text rather than on the God honored and preserved Traditional Text. Almost without fail these newer versions are based upon a Greek text constructed by theologians who will pick and choose which words they believe God probably meant to use. They will not surrender themselves to the true Word which God has preserved.
This leads to a destination of dubious authority. The translators of the base text for the newer editions are loudly proclaimed to be �from a broad spectrum of religious professionals.� They will come from many denominations and faith traditions. But, they will be united in one area: They all dismiss the possibility that God has preserved His Word to mankind.
Thus, the authority for the Christian is no longer considered to be the Word which God has given to mankind. Our authority is said to rest simply upon the conjectures of men and women who have a demonstrated lack of faith in the veracity of that Word. �It�s just another book. We�re trying to get it to read as close as we can to what it once was.� �It was inspired in the originals manuscripts but we don�t have those anymore so we try to determine what we believe it probably said.�
What kind of base can that be in which to trust our immortal souls! We are told, basically, that we really can�t trust God. But, we can trust the intellect of man.
They also asked John if he was the prophesied One. �...And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet?...�
It would appear that, at this point at least, there was an appeal to Scripture within the questioning. �That prophet� hearkens back to Deuteronomy 18:15 where Moses told the people that, �The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, unto him ye shall hearken.�
This is one of the early prophecies of the coming Messiah about whom John also spoke.
This may not have been as devious of a question as was the first question. These people would have been overjoyed if John had been the Messiah.
The nation was in bondage as a vassal state in subjection to Rome. Even their local rulers were Roman officials. They were given a very limited power in their own land. John 18:31 points out this fact. When Jesus was being led through the events which would culminate at the cross, the religious leaders - perhaps some of these same men who questioned John - took Jesus to Pilate to be judged. �Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.�
These leaders chaffed under the leash of their Roman masters. There were many attempted revolts - all failed. These men knew that the only hope they had of throwing off the yoke of the Roman Empire lay in the promised Messiah.
They may not have wanted to tolerate John as a rival in their religious fiefdom, but they would certainly welcome him if he were come to establish their rule.
The question was, in reality, an argument for their own superiority.
As highly as these men thought of themselves, they had an angst about their future. They were worried what would happen to their way of life if they did not throw off the oppressors of Rome.
They saw their culture as being led down a path toward inclusiveness. They were in danger of losing their national identity. Greek was becoming more prevalent as a language. Even their coins bore the mark of Caesar.
That�s a struggle not too far removed from that which many of us feel in this day. Our schools forbid any mention of God as they teach Him to be either irrelevant or mythical. Our courts and governmental institutions seem to be at war with Him. Even our markets and stores seem determined to deny any reference to our Lord. All this while the culture of the day, from music to movies, dress to decorum, even our religious institutions, seem to be interested in revamping the values and ideals of our children.
We, too many of us, are running scared. Don�t! God gave us a promise. �Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.� (Proverbs 22:6)
Please note that the verse said, �when he is old.� Many times we will see our children �sow their wild oats� in their youth. Many times God is gracious and we will not see this. But God is a Person of His Word. Train those children; guide those children into the Scripture. Pray over your children. I don�t know how many men I have seen come back to the faith of their fathers, and experience real Biblical salvation, when they were at the back side of the hill of life. They were responding to the prayers of their mothers, fathers, aunts, siblings... They were responding to the call of God.
The world is a powerful influence. But, God is more powerful than the world. Exercise those knees by using them often in prayer to the throne of God! I read the Book; we win in the end!
They asked John if he were the powerful one. He said no. �...And he answered, No.�
Notice what a simple and direct answer John used.
That�s what we need to do as well.
Somewhere, somehow, we have gotten the idea that our witness must be packed neatly with three points, all alliterated, with verses all cross referenced and indexed in the back of our Bibles. No! Our witness needs to be a response to the leading of God.
I was just going through some boxes of things I never use. My son had asked if I had any �night light� bulbs. I was sure I did. I never did find any! But, I did find my old pair of boxing gloves. One of the first things Linda bought for me as a present after we were married was a pair of sixteen ounce sparing gloves.
Back then, when I was much younger and even less intelligent (I know; it seems impossible that I�d ever been less intelligent!), I thought I�d be pretty good at the sport. I even went to a library and studied how to conduct myself in the ring. Then, being at that time in the military, I went to the post gym and tried to get on the post boxing team. Bad move. I knew what I was supposed to do. But, while I was thinking about what I was supposed to do, the other guy was already hitting me.
One person knew what he was doing and just reacted - the other guy. The other person thought he knew what he was supposed to do, after all he had studied, but was not able to perform - me. I switched over to coach a youth basketball team!
Too many Christians are like me in that boxing fiasco. They study until they feel they�ve got all the answers. Then pride enters into the equation! Then they meet the adversary and he refuses to act like we think he should. He just beats us up!
The real soul winner has been out there in the world practicing his craft - like the real boxers - for a long time. He just listens to his Trainer, the Lord, and carries out the Trainer�s plan rather than his own.
We don�t need to know everything. We just need to know that we are saved. The Holy Spirit will guide us in our Scripture reading so that we will learn that which He wants us to know.
The real boxer is out there at the speed bag, the heavy bag, the road work, all those exercises into which his trainer leads him. Then, he goes out and spars.
The Christian doesn�t need much. But, he must spend time, a lot of time, in prayer and reading the Scripture. That is the main portion of our training! Also, we need to listen to our Heavenly Trainer and follow His plan.
Know you are saved. That is foundational. But, be in fellowship with the Lord - that�s prayer and systematic reading of the Scripture. Then, follow the Lord�s leading. He�ll guide you to where He wants you to be.
John gave a Scriptural answer. No; he was not the Messiah. But, he would sure like to show you just Who is that Messiah.
We don�t need to berate people. We are not the master of culture. But, we do need to point and say, �Look Who Jesus is and what He has done.�
That is the saving answer. We need to preach, and teach, doctrine. That is part of the Great Commission. But, we need to win souls for the Kingdom. That much is fundamental.
Jesus Christ died in time so that we might live in eternity.
What about you? Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Why not do so right now?
Jesus really does love you. He, even now, stands ready to accept you. As you are, and where you are, come to Jesus.