John 1:19-23
19 This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He didn’t deny it but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 “What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?” “I am not,” he said. “Are you the Prophet?” “No,” he answered. 22 “Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord—just as Isaiah the prophet said.”
For the Adults:
“Create a life that feels good on the inside
not one that just looks good on the outside.”
-Unknown
The Coronavirus has changed our world like nothing we’ve seen before. So many people working from home and so many people not working at all. We have also seen the amount of time people spending online skyrocket. The absence of time spent together physically has been replaced with spending time together digitally. And so many questions have risen. How can God allow this to happen? When will this all end? Is this going to be the new normal?
People are always looking for answers. Sometimes people just ask questions because they are curious, and many times the question that they ask is really not a question they want an answer for. For those of us who are parents we are all familiar with the questions from our 2 year old’s, “Why? Why? Why? Why?”
John the Baptist was confronted with a series of questions here in our text today. As followers of Jesus we are being questioned more than ever. They will notice your demeanor and how you handle certain situations, and they will want to know how you can be so calm especially during this time of the pandemic. Be prepared.
The way we answer questions will define who we are. John, instead of giving a description of his own character, work, or title, refers them to the words of the Prophet Isaiah. John says, “I am that forerunner of Christ of whom Isaiah speaks, Isaiah 40:3.” (my paraphrase)
A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness;
make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
Isaiah 40:3
With so many questions, “Wear a mask or not? Open the economy or not? Go to church or too soon?” We all have different stances on these questions, and how we answer will tell who we are. I’m not talking about which side we are on, but rather how we gracefully we offer our responses. Too many times we are quick to respond as we want to win an argument. Too many times we are more interested in winning an argument more than we are in winning a person to Christ.
As we continue to charter these unnavigated waters let us prayerfully consider our responses to all the different questions that come our way. Let us ask God to give us the right words so that we can point others to Him.
For the children:
Do our actions point people to Jesus?
What changes can we make in our behavior to point others to Jesus?
Read and meditate:
John 1:19-23
19 This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He didn’t deny it but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 “What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?” “I am not,” he said. “Are you the Prophet?” “No,” he answered. 22 “Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord—just as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Pray:
Lord I know this pandemic has been hard on so many people, and so many people are looking for and asking about Jesus. Let my responses point others to you.
I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ my Savior
Amen.
About the author:
Jose Aguilar Jr. is an Associate Pastor at FBC Weslaco and has served in this capacity for the last 11 years. He and his wife Blanca have served faithfully at FBC Weslaco since 2001. They are the proud grandparents of Lilyana Faythe and Trinidad Esperanza Aguilar.