John’s
response to the latest challenge from the Jewish interrogators is as surprising
as it is revealing. As you recall they asked John “by what authority” do you
baptize? In other words why do you do
what you do?—mainly preach and baptize people in the river.
His
response is surprising in that he once again deflects the attention from their
question. He makes reference to water
baptism. This is pointing out the
obvious! After all, the reason they were
sent is because he is creating such a commotion through his preaching and
baptizing people in the Jordan River. He
simply states what they already know—I baptize people in the river with river
water. It is a simple, yet powerful
description of what he does. It is a
baptism of repentance—a life-changing experience for those who come and enter
the baptismal waters of the Jordan.
But
then he follows it up with a somewhat cryptic preface, “But there is One among
you….” That must have seemed like a
strange and ominous follow-through statement to his questioners. It must have been unsettling to this group,
who had come seeking an audience with him, to see their question inverted back
on them with a reference to someone other than the one they were
questioning. To make matters worse, they
do not even know this person. “So how
does this answer the question?” they must have thought. Little did they know that The One referenced
by John is The Answer! The One he speaks of is The
Authority! He is all I need to know.
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