This week we will read: John 1:19-51 - Monday, John 2 - Tuesday, John 3 - Wednesday, John 4 - Thursday and John 5 on Friday. We will be reading our way through the Gospel of John all the way through Resurrection Sunday! Also, my daughter Rebekah gave me a present Saturday -- it was a brand new web site for our church! Take a look at www.boonvilleunitedmethodist.com
In the time when John wrote this Gospel there was a controversy surrounding the followers of John the Baptist. Some of John the Baptists followers began to preach that John had been the Messiah. This is fairly understandable when you look at the context of their lives. John the Baptist was a charismatic leader, a desert prophet who was martyred for his faith. Some of this first part of the Gospel of John may have been written to comment on that group. John the Baptists own words are used to put things "back in order" for the reader.
When John the Baptist declared that Jesus is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" in verse 29 it was a striking prophesy for the culture that heard it. For us today it may not have much impact, but these Jewish men and women knew all about lambs taking away sin, and to declare that Jesus was the lamb of God, and he would take away the sins of the world was quite a shocking messianic proclamation! No wonder the disciples of the Baptizer followed Jesus!
Why do you follow after this Jesus of Nazareth?
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8 comments:
The new church website is AWESOME!
Pastor, I have a question (or two) concerning the Pharisees confronting John.
Why were they sent? Because John was so bold and was drawing crowds? Was he a threat to their purses?
Who did they really suspect him to be?
Was this challenge a common practice among Jews in general, or primarily the Pharisees?
Why wouldn't the Sadducees have challenged him also?
What was there intent? To denounce him? To discredit him? To arrest him? To kill him?
OK - I had more than a few, but I am curious about the intent here.
Have an awesome day!
Hi Mark
In the NRSV it says "the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him..." This implies some of the religious leadership - may have been scrbes and pharisees.
I imagine they were concerned about their franchise - they were the power structure in Israel and they made a good living controling and manipulating that world. A loud, untrained, radical desert prophet would have to be investigated and dealt with. In a little while they will deal with Jesus in much the same way. I wonder where our religious institutions do the same today.
Pator Bill, you bring up a very good point; how would our religious institutions react today? How many different reactions do you think that we would get out of our congregation? The answer probably lies in our knowledge of the Word. How wonderfully we are blessed to have the answers right at our fingertips. The Holy Spirit inspired words, especially the phrophecies, prepare us for Christ's second coming. I thank and praise God that I am alive today and did not have to go through the speculations and investigations that the people in that era had to deal with. Stuff like this really makes you want to read and study and study and study.....the Bible. Praise be to God for such a great book, HIS WORD!
Thank you Pastor.
I had noticed in verse 24 that they were Pharisees, so I wondered why it was that sect.
I loved reading your description of John as a "loud, untrained, radical desert prophet."
I have been called the first 3 words before, but what an honor it would be to be called the last 2 like John - so strong in faith and stature, rebelling against any and all who oppose the Word of God.
It is amazing that we still struggle to commit in 2008 after reading about all the great men and women in the bible who faced death for their convictions.
We both know the story of the Lord sending me to you for instruction and guidance on my journey of faith - I wish it had been many years earlier, but God's timing is perfect.
He knew when I would be ready to receive and start a true relationship with His Son.
Your love and guidance has helped secure eternity for my wife and I.
I am "eternally" grateful to you and for you :)
God bless you!
Hey Lynn!
AMEN! I am so glad that we have the Holy Spirit in us in this generation of the journey. i am sometimes jealous of the disciples, or the early saints or the patriarchs - and then it occurs to me that when we get to heaven they are going to look at us and say "WOW - You had the Holy Spirit?"
Cool.
Hey Mark!
All praise glory and honor be to our God and to God alone! The blessing of our friendship and fellowship is not a one way deal - I am wonderfully blessed to be your friend and pastor. And you, my dear friend, are a "loud, untrained, radical desert prophet."
and I say that with ALL love!
Bill
I will go...I will follow where he leads.
I follow Jesus because he has changed my life. We have proof in this amazing book (as well as so many other places) that Jesus of Nazareth lived, died, and rose again for me and for you. That's an incredible promise.
It is really amazing to think about how powerful it was to be the "lamb of God." We sing that song at camp... "I've been redeemed by the blood of the lamb...all my sins are washed away I've been redeemed." What an incredible song, but rarely do I stop while singing it to think about the ramifications this statement must have had for the people back then. Maybe this goes to show that we often take this promise for granted.
God Bless,
Marsh
I find it interesting how the "who do you say that I am" conversation Jesus has eventually with Peter is mirrored here in John's conversation with the priests and Levites. I'd never noticed that before!
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