UNCOMMEN: FocusSample

I Am Not The Christ

In the scene, John the Baptist is being challenged on his authority. You can practically hear the animosity from the Jewish leaders when asking, "Who are you?"

You might read those passages and think poor John had to keep saying, "I am not the Christ," "I am not," "No," but John was setting them up. 

It was almost like Jesus was waiting in the queue from John's statement, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord."

Jesus enters the scene, and everyone is told precisely who He is, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" I would have loved to see the faces of the priests and Levites at that moment, but they were probably hightailing it back to those who sent them.

While we may not wear animal skin clothes and eat wild locusts, we are still called to be a voice in the wilderness for Jesus. There will always be people asking "who are you?" and you can always say, "No, I'm not Christ...but He is."

John went on to say not only was he a voice in the wilderness but that he was to "make straight, the way of the Lord." Basically, he was saying, my job is to make Jesus known, to announce the coming savior of the world. 

John didn't strike me as a person who cared what others thought of him. He was on a mission from God, and that's all he cared about. But notice, he didn't point to Jesus with anger in his voice, but rather with a sense of pride and anticipation. Telling people of Jesus without inserting our agenda, tone, or opinion, I believe, is the "making straight" part of what John is talking about in scripture. 
 

Uncommen Questions:

Are you willing to be a voice in today's wilderness to make Jesus known?

Are you ready for the attention you may receive when you become that voice to announce Jesus is coming? 

Uncommen Challenge:

I challenge you to be ready to answer questions from people as you point them to Jesus.

Scripture Reference:
John 1:19-28