Read John 1:19-28. Circle the words or phrases that stand out to you.
19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[a] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[b]
24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 “I baptize with[c] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Digging Deeper
The Pharisees representative asked John the Baptist a series of question beginning with “Who are you?” John could have said, “I am John, the son of a priest named Zachariah.” He didn’t identify his heritage, but rather he states his purpose. “I am the voice of the one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.” Those representatives couldn’t believe their ears. This man claims that he is the forerunner of the Messiah. Is he delusional or is he speaking the truth? They weren’t expecting that answer from him! They asked, “Who are you?” but his answer is this, “What am I doing here?”
Do we have the boldness to ask visitors, “What brings you to our church today?” or to church members, “How are you doing spiritual this week?” Asking general questions are fine, but I believe that the people that we meet are asking, “Does anyone care enough to ask how I am doing spiritually?” Don’t you wish that someone is willingly to give more than a minute of general greetings? I know that I do.
If we want to make a difference in people’s lives, let’s risk asking more than general questions of “Who are you?” Let’s avoid the generic answer of I am fine to “How are you doing?” Let’s ask questions that shows that we truly care for him/her. Would you be willing to write down one or two questions that shows that you truly care for them? How about this starter, “I am glad to see you today. If I may ask, “How are you doing spiritually this week? Is there anything that I can pray for you now or later on in the week?” Let’s ask questions that allows a person to open their hearts to us even as we open our hearts to that person.
Kingston Tong