And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (John 1: 25)
This is the question asked to John the Baptist by Levites and priests sent by the Pharisees, precisely to ask this question. As we all know pharisees dedicated their life to learn and keep Jewish laws. They have a list, and quite confident with it as well. They asked, “are you Christ, Elijah, the Prophet?” John answered very clearly, no, no, and no! that’s that, the Pharisees can’t tolerate any other ways this can be done. Their head is full of knowledge regarding the Messiah and the incidents surrounding His appearance, knowledge that is dry and full. There is no place for flexibility in their premade list, even it meant God’s sovereignty and omniscience in doing so. They had a list, and that’s all it can be.
My friends, how sad at times, we fall into this trap as well. We have a preconceived notations and lists, and we totally miss the miracle that is staring at our eyes saying, “I am the voice crying out in the wilderness?” We ask, “are you……………...? why then……… if not? In many incidences.
So, may I implore you today, look at the miracle that is starting at you. See the beauty that God is creating in your own wilderness. May your miracle be wearing animal skin, eating locust, strangest as it could be, you look deep into its eyes and hear its message. That might be the very place God begins the beautiful work of your salvation to come. Yet again I say, look deep, leave behind your pathetic list. There is no particular fashion God must work. Don’t you see, we are talking about the God who created black holes, and gas pillars in the middle of vast nothingness. Our Savior lacks nothing short of perfect creativity. Look and enjoy, don’t restrict Him to your imaginary box. Even a big enough box is still a box, that will never contain God. He doesn’t fit our descriptions, He is incomprehensible.
I present three major pointers from this portion,
If you have a list of how God must work in this situation, unfortunately you might miss the miracle in front of your eyes,
It is nothing less of absolute arrogance to say, “we know exactly how God works,”
It’s a sad truth, at times people filled with a great head knowledge of His Word, might failed to search more truth from the same Word.
But the saddest part of it all, we dare ask another minister, why then ……. If not? And pitifully joint hands with those Pharisees. Before you scream out, “But there are exceptions!” please be patient and let me finish this series completely and we can discuss it all.
For today, leave behind your list and look for the beautiful miracle in a strange package, sitting in front of you, and staring right at you. God indeed works mysteriously, and we call it a miracle.
This is the question asked to John the Baptist by Levites and priests sent by the Pharisees, precisely to ask this question. As we all know pharisees dedicated their life to learn and keep Jewish laws. They have a list, and quite confident with it as well. They asked, “are you Christ, Elijah, the Prophet?” John answered very clearly, no, no, and no! that’s that, the Pharisees can’t tolerate any other ways this can be done. Their head is full of knowledge regarding the Messiah and the incidents surrounding His appearance, knowledge that is dry and full. There is no place for flexibility in their premade list, even it meant God’s sovereignty and omniscience in doing so. They had a list, and that’s all it can be.
My friends, how sad at times, we fall into this trap as well. We have a preconceived notations and lists, and we totally miss the miracle that is staring at our eyes saying, “I am the voice crying out in the wilderness?” We ask, “are you……………...? why then……… if not? In many incidences.
So, may I implore you today, look at the miracle that is starting at you. See the beauty that God is creating in your own wilderness. May your miracle be wearing animal skin, eating locust, strangest as it could be, you look deep into its eyes and hear its message. That might be the very place God begins the beautiful work of your salvation to come. Yet again I say, look deep, leave behind your pathetic list. There is no particular fashion God must work. Don’t you see, we are talking about the God who created black holes, and gas pillars in the middle of vast nothingness. Our Savior lacks nothing short of perfect creativity. Look and enjoy, don’t restrict Him to your imaginary box. Even a big enough box is still a box, that will never contain God. He doesn’t fit our descriptions, He is incomprehensible.
I present three major pointers from this portion,
If you have a list of how God must work in this situation, unfortunately you might miss the miracle in front of your eyes,
It is nothing less of absolute arrogance to say, “we know exactly how God works,”
It’s a sad truth, at times people filled with a great head knowledge of His Word, might failed to search more truth from the same Word.
But the saddest part of it all, we dare ask another minister, why then ……. If not? And pitifully joint hands with those Pharisees. Before you scream out, “But there are exceptions!” please be patient and let me finish this series completely and we can discuss it all.
For today, leave behind your list and look for the beautiful miracle in a strange package, sitting in front of you, and staring right at you. God indeed works mysteriously, and we call it a miracle.
