A Voice Crying in the Wilderness
The first chapter of the Gospel of John carries a powerful message of revelation and witness. Immediately, the text tells us that Jesus, who was from the beginning, came as the Word—the Eternal Word. This alone is enough to cause us to stop and praise God.
But there’s more.
Since Jesus came into the world and we did not know it, someone had to tell us. John the Baptist was the first person sent to show us the way: The Light shines in the darkness and He became flesh and dwelt among us. John is the voice that cries in the wilderness. But did anyone notice?
Yes, the religious leaders noticed and sent people to ask John questions.
Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” and he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.” (Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.) And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, saying, I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.” These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. John 1:19-27 NKJV.
The First Witness
John is the first of three witnesses that we will encounter in this chapter and continue to see in the next chapter. The second is the disciples, and the third is Jesus Himself’s miraculous signs. For now, let us focus on the first witness, John the Baptist.
John’s reputation was growing, and many people, especially the religious leaders, were eager to know what was happening.
A Voice Crying in the Wilderness
Use your imagination and listen to the conversation:
Religious leaders: Who are you?
John: I’m not the Anointed One, if that is what you’re asking.
Religious Leaders: Your words sound familiar, like a prophet’s. Is that how you would like to be addressed? Are you the Prophet Elijah?
John: No. I am not Elijah.
Religious leaders: Are you the Prophet Moses told us would come?
John: No.
Religious leaders: Then tell us who you are and what you’re about, because everyone is asking us, especially the Pharisees, and we must prepare an answer.
John: ‘Listen! I am a voice calling out of the wilderness. Straighten out the road for the Lord. He’s on His way.
Religious leaders: How can you travel the countryside baptizing people if you are not the Anointed One, or Elijah, or the Prophet?
John: Baptizing with water is what I do; but of the One whom I speak, whom we all await, is standing among you, and you have no idea who He is.
Who is John?
John is not who the religious leaders think he is.
John is the forerunner of Jesus, a moral reformer and the preacher of the Messianic promise. John is also the only man recorded in history to be baptized by the Holy Spirit from the womb.
John’s father, Zachariah, was a priest, and his mother, Elizabeth, was one of the daughters of Aaron. John’s father prophesied over the child at his birth, and what the religious leaders saw was the fulfillment of that prophecy:
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins. Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Day Spring from on High has visited us; to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 3:76-79 NKJV.
The Mission
John lived in the wilderness, grew up there, and from there, God called him to preach until Herod executed him. John’s witness may have been silenced, but the truth endures.
Prepare ye the way for the Lord!
John was aware that God was doing a new thing, and everyone needed to be prepared. His ministry was to call the people to be ready. His baptism was a symbol of repentance—a washing that represented moral regeneration. Once immersed in water, that person was ready to join the community of everyone prepared for the Messiah.
John was called to proclaim this good news for such a time as this.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, with his brother Philip serving as tetrarch of Abilene. During the priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zachariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Luke 3:1-3.
Baptism was not a new concept with the Jews. Any Gentile wanting to join the Jewish community and believe in God would have to be baptized. But John’s baptism was for all Jews and non-Jews alike.
Even the “chosen people of God” must be clean and ready to meet the Lord. Of course, this didn’t sit well with the religious leaders, but the truth is the truth.
Conclusion
Today, we must still be prepared to meet the Lord. The preaching of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit’s witness to hearers’ hearts reveal that they, too, must be prepared to meet the Lord. The choice is a matter of life and death.
The voice crying in the wilderness still echoes in the world today—a perpetual witness.
The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the LORD shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken… The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of God stands forever. Isaiah 40:3-5 & 8 NKJV.
Are you ready?Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. Heb 10:22-23 NIV
