(19) And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? (20) And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. John 1:19-20
Explanation
John the Baptist is in view here. He was experiencing significant ministry success and attracting attention from many people during this time. It had been 400 years since God had spoken through a prophet. There was a religious establishment—priests, Levites, and Pharisees—but John was the first person to show up as a prophet, as we see in this passage.
He was asked a question that, if he wasn’t spiritually grounded, could have been tempting. The Jews were looking for a Messiah. Part of what created this expectation was that they had been conquered and were subjugated by Rome. The Jewish people had a heightened awareness and curiosity about all things related to the Messiah. They wanted the Messiah to come so they could stop being dominated and conquered. They longed for the days of having their own king like David.
When someone came along who seemed to have God working in and through him—someone outside the establishment speaking prophetically and speaking truth to power—the regular people were excited about the possibility of him being the Messiah. That was part of John’s ministry success.
In verse 19, we see that priests and Levites were sent by the Jews (later we’ll see the Pharisees were involved too). Their basic question was: “Identify yourself. Who are you? Are you the Messiah?”
If you or I were asked such questions—“Are you thinking about being president? Governor? Do you have ambition for this office or that?”—the fact that you might even be considered could easily get to your heart and head. But John passed this test. John was very clear on who he was and who he was not. He confessed and denied not, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
Application
John had a role, and it was a very important role connected to the Messiah, but he wasn’t the Messiah himself. He was announcing the Messiah and was a sign that the Messiah would come within his lifetime (as we’ll see later in the passage).
The application for us is this: We should be humble about who we are and who we are not when we do ministry and work for the Lord. When God blesses us with results—when people show up and attend something we’re doing, when people convert under our ministry, when people repent and transform under our ministry—we must remember that although we may be used by God, we are not the ones causing what’s happening.
The Holy Spirit, through the Word and through the power of the Lord, is what changes hearts and changes lives. We are a conduit to be used by all those things, but we are not the thing doing the changing or transforming.
It’s very important that we do not take the glory for what God is doing and for what God wants to do. It’s very important that we understand who we are and who we are not.
John gives us a good example here. He says, “I am not the Christ. I am not the Messiah.” While that was obviously true to him in the moment, it wasn’t obviously true to everybody else—they were asking the question.
Response
- When are you tempted to take credit for what God is doing and for who God is?
- Is God using you? How is God using you?