Insights

Rev Gav

Where can we find God?

John 1.6-8, 19-28

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

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.’”

Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Reflect

Introduction

The Temple on its mount in Jerusalem was the house of God where God’s presence was. The temple was built to house the presence of God. It was inconceivable to the Jewish people to think of God being outside the temple. The temple was central to their theology and the community. This is why people made pilgrimages to the temple, why the construction of the temple was important, and so on. In fact many Jewish people today feel bereft that God’s presence is no longer with them because there is no temple. A whole religious system was built around the temple and there were a whole bunch of people employed to keep the system going – priests, temple helpers (called Levites – appointed from the tribe of Levi), religious experts called pharisees, etc.

So, when The Temple crowd heard about something going on outside of the temple – something significant, that was having an impact – the Jewish leaders sent temple priests and temple helpers (Levites) to find out what was going on.

Are you the Messiah they asked?

John replied, “Nope, I’m not the Messiah.”

Are you Elijah then?

Why would they ask of John was Elijah? Elijah was a great prophet from the history of Israel who had performed great miracles. There was an idea that Elijah would come back before the Messiah turned up. This idea comes from another prophet featured in the Bible. The prophet Malachi said “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” So, traditionally, in Judaism, this is taken to mean the return of Elijah will precede the Messiah. This is why they asked the question.

John replied, “Nope, I’m not Elijah.”

Now this is interesting as John didn’t identify himself as Elijah. Incidentally, Jesus, through some of his miracles, e.g. the raising of the widow’s son clearly wanted people to make the connection between himself and Elijah. He wasn’t saying he wasElijah. He just wanted people to make the connection. Jesus also made this connection with Moses too through the miracle of the loaves and fishes. And the transfiguration made links between Jesus and both Elijah and Moses.

But Jesus said two interesting things about Elijah and John (the Baptist). Matthew in his gospel in the Bible records Jesus saying this about John:

And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. (Matthew 11:14)

and this…

The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist. (Matthew 17:10-13)

So it is clear that Elijah and John the Baptist are not the same person. But somehow in Jesus’ eyes John the Baptist was a metaphorical Elijah who was to come before the Messiah came.

Are you The Prophet then?

This is a strange question to ask and a bit more problematic. We are not sure to exactly what Prophet these temple priests and helpers are alluding because they were not sure themselves. Clearly it was not Elijah as they had already asked this question. There was an idea perhaps that a prophet would come that would be associated with the Messiah and no doubt they were referring to the prophet mentioned by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy – one of the books of Moses in the Bible:

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. (Deuteronomy 18:15)

They didn’t know who this ‘prophet’ was going to be and wondered if John might be he. Incidentally, later, in the book of Acts, Peter, an apostle of Jesus identifies this prophet spoken of my Moses as Jesus the Messiah.

For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. (Acts 3:22)

Who are you then?

Right. So let’s just make things clear.

• The Priest, Levites and Pharisees were expecting three possibilities of who John could be: Messiah, Elijah or the Prophet
• In John the Baptist’s eyes he was not the Messiah, Elijah or the Prophet but ‘the one spoken of in Isaiah 40’
• In Jesus’ eyes, John was both the one spoken of in Isaiah 40 and Elijah (some how)
• In the eyes of The New Testament Jesus was Messiah and The Prophet spoken of by Moses

Clear?

So John quotes Isaiah (chapter 40):

“I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

And that is John’s message to the people: “Make straight the way for the Lord.”

At this point the Priests and Levites needed to get some doctrine straight and so they brought in the big guns – the experts in the law. The next question is not brought by a temple priest or a temple helper but the pharisees.

Okay, why then do you baptise if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?

That’s a good theological question. John’s reply is that he baptises with water and we know that this baptism is a baptism of repentance.

Baptism is a ritual that symbolises one’s identification with a certain movement or ideology. John was saying make straight your way or get your hearts right in preparation for the coming of the Lord. And you make your heart right by repenting. Baptism was a powerful symbol of this repentance.

John then goes on to say that there is one among you – in other words – one currently living amongst the Jewish community who was greater. This would have been the bombshell. The Messiah is here among you. And get this. YOU DO NOT KNOW HIM.

Can you imagine? The Temple people – with all their religious systems and finery – are being told that the Messiah has turned up but more than that, that they don’t know him!? Ouch.

Location, Location, Location

Here’s the bit I love about what John the Baptist was doing and it has huge and massive implications for us.

1. Outside the temple

Now, firstly, what John was doing was taking place outside the temple. It was outside the establishment. It is hard to get our heads around this but no wonder the leaders were worried. This is significant in itself.

2. Out of site

There are no wasted words in the gospels and John (the writer) is keen to tell us exactly where all this was happening:

This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Secondly, it happened at BETHANY. Why is this important? Now Bethany was only a mile or two away from Jerusalem and the temple mount yet the temple mount could not be seen from Bethany. Bethany was out of site. This is significant.

3. Out of comfort zone

Thirdly, Bethany means House of the Poor. Bethany was long associated with the poor and the sick. Jesus visited Simon the Leper’s house there and it is thought that Bethany was a leper colony. Lazarus when he was sick was there. It was an UNCLEAN place. There was this rule than nothing UNCLEAN could be seen from the Temple Mount. This is significant.

Do you see the irony and symbolism of John making people clean in a place that was unclean?

Wilderness

Let’s go back to the words of Isaiah. ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness’. Bethany wasn’t exactly the wilderness – BUT it was outside the temple and it was certainly the wilderness in terms of being deemed unclean. It was those in the wilderness to whom the Messiah was going to come.

So what does it mean for us?

God’s heart is for the poor – the lonely, the sick, the marginalised, the broken, the hurting, the bereaved, the destitute.

It is of great significance that God sent his messenger John not into the temple world of priests, Levites and pharisees but instead to the wilderness and The House of the Poor.

God chose to work outside the establishment. (Note: this is a slightly worrying thought for a Church of England vicar who is part of the establishment and is perhaps why I have a personal aversion for status, vestments and ceremony!)

God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God’s heart is still for the poor – the lonely, the sick, the marginalised, the broken, the hurting, the bereaved and the destitute.

If you want to find God and if you want to meet God (and let’s face it we all want to find and meet with God) you will find him where there are the poor – the lonely, the sick, the marginalised, the broken, the hurting, the bereaved, the destitute. Will you find him in church or out there I wonder? The answer is of course that we will find him here if we make the poor our priority too.

But more than that. And this really is the GOOD NEWS. Expect God to meet you too in the wilderness of your own lives – your own poverty – for that is where God can be found. If you are lonely, sick, marginalised, broken, hurting, bereaved or destitute then this is where God will be at work. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor (in spirit) because theirs is the kingdom of God.” Good news indeed.

And how do we get ready to meet this God? It’s simple. Prepare the way of your hearts. Repent. Renew your minds and turn to God.

You must be logged in to like and comment on this content.