GOOD NEWS FROM ST. JOHN
IT is a sad fact that often false views and wrong understandings of God’s truth grow up over a period of time in the church of God, and this causes damage to peoples’ faith, and blindness to real truth. The problem is compounded because such false views are founded on truth, and still have much truth mixed up in them, and it is so hard to separate truth from error. Further those who have been brought up under this corruption of truth are so wedded to their views, that they are blind to where they are in error, and refuse to hear any correction of their views. I believe this syndrome is seen in the passage before us in the attitude of the Jews to John the Baptist, and in John’s answers to them.
In Matthew 11:14 Jesus tells us that John the Baptist was the fulfilment of the prophesy in Malachi 4:5, though Jesus also indicates in Matthew 17:11, and 12 that there is a further fulfilment of this prophecy sometime in the future before Christ’s return to Judge the earth. In other words, John the Baptist was the return of Elijah promised by Malachi.
In spite of this, John the Baptist, in the passage before us, takes care not to associate himself with the idea that he was Elijah returned or the prophets promised. My understanding is that John the Baptist knew the way the Jews of his time understood both the nature of the Messiah when he was to come, and of the return of the Elijah before that event, and realised that the understanding of the Jews was in error, and so he dissociated himself from their views by saying he was neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet.
However John made quite clear who he was in identifying himself with the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3, and so making it clear that he was the forerunner of the Messiah, and at the same time exalting Christ and pointing the Jews to Christ as their Messiah, the Christ who had been promised.
There is a very important lesson we can learn from the way John the Baptist deals with this dilemma. John does not engage in controversy. Nor does John the Baptist seek to try and explain where the Jews had gone wrong in their understanding of the Messiah. Instead he positively proclaimed what was true and positively pointed people to Christ. In verse 23 John plainly tells the Jews he is the forerunner of the Messiah, and in verse 26 clearly refers to Christ as the one they should be looking for.
John reveals real tragedy in verse 26. The Jews were supposed to be the ones who knew about the Messiah and his coming, yet John plainly says ‘you do not know him’. The Christ was already in their midst, but because of the false views that had crept into their understanding they were unable to recognise him.
In verse 26 John does not seem to say very much about Christ, but what he says is enough and very clear. When John distinguishes his baptism by saying it is only with water, he plainly implies that the one already born and living in their midst would baptise in a different and more powerful and wonderful way. He is the one who truly baptises and so fulfils the prophecies concerning the Messiah.
John also testifies clearly how much more exalted and great the Christ is to him. The Jews looked on John as a special prophet, even if they would rather not have had to accept this fact. People were flocking to him and being brought into spiritual blessing by him, and this is why the Jews came to enquire, all be it reluctantly, whether he was the Messiah, or Elijah, or that prophet. John makes plain that he is not the Messiah.
On the other hand John does what all ministers of the Gospel should do - John pointed people to the Messiah, and sought to exalt him, and cause people to place their trust in him. This is the great business of the church at all times. The church in all its ministry must point people to Christ, exalt Christ, and seek to persuade people to place their trust in Christ. As we read these verses let us be determined to follow John the Baptists example in this, and seek to make Christ known in all his redeeming grace.