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In Hope

What Do I Know?

Thursday January 24, 2013


John the Baptist was an important person and great crowds gathered every day to hear him speak.  John baptized people in the Jordan River when they made a decision to turn away from their sins and turn to God.  He was very successful in the work that he did.  He had many followers, many people who loved him and who wondered if he might be the Messiah, the most longed-for deliverer for who they had been waiting for thousands of years.

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah.  (Luke 3:15 NIV)

The crowds judged on what they saw and felt.  John knew the truth.  John knew that Jesus was the true Messiah who humbled himself to come to earth to help us see the great love God has for us.  John explained his position to the people by saying that he was not worthy to untie the straps of the sandals of the one (Jesus) who was coming.  While that might not mean much to you and me, it meant a lot to those gathered to hear John.  In their culture, untying someone else’s shoes and helping them prepare to bathe was not an honour to perform.  It was the dirty work of the lowest servant in the house – in fact, usually done by a slave – someone with no freedom whatsoever.  It was the lowest job.  John tells the people around him that it would be an honour for him to do this lowest of low jobs for the King of Kings he knew to be Jesus.

How well do you and I know Jesus and our place in relationship to him?  Are we merely looking for him to act on behalf of us or are we humbly giving ourselves in loving service to Him?  Do we know just how important Jesus really is?  Are we giving Him the honour and place he rightly deserves?  We can learn a lot from John.

16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”  (John 3:16-17)

Audio for What Do I Know?

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