I have a question from our leaders about Jesus and John the Baptist. We all know aJesus Christ was coming to Jordan to be baptized by John and then we know also that John the Baptist when heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him: are you the one who was to come or should we expect someone else? My question is: Why John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the one who would come when himself baptized Him?
Gilbert Nduwinana - REAL Burundi
Gilbert, Dr. Taylor here.
John the Baptist asked the question about Jesus being the One because he was facing death. He was in prison and was not seeing the works of Jesus Christ.
The Bible is very good to show us the human side of mankind. John was weary and his faith was weak at that time. Even in this condition Jesus never changed His feelings about John. "Assuredly, I say to u, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
Matthew 11:11
(I also believe John was doubting about his own identity. If Jesus was not the Messiah, the Christ he had worked in vain. As Paul said he was in prison, his 6 month ministry ended so rapidly. The core of John the Baptist question was if Jesus was the Christ:
“Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!” John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.” John 3:25-31, 34)
This Jesus said right after John's disciples left to return to John. The Bible never hides man's weakness and this should be a great encouragement to all of us. We do not have to be perfect! He is perfect and anything we accomplish is because He is in us and works through us. This is the grace of God. If we could only accept this and understand that we are the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ then we would no longer think as sinners, but we would allow our minds to be renewed and begin to think like God. We would begin to see solutions and strategies that would reflect God who created us.
Stop thinking u are a sinner and begin to walk in the righteousness of Christ! Now u understand why Jesus said, ...but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (John).
Gilbert just a few more thoughts that I hope will encourage u.
So often we feel we cannot do anything for God and His Kingdom because we have failed in some way. I am not making any excuse for our failures, our sin. Even though we are righteous in Christ we still have to deal with the weakness of our flesh! This weakness, if confessed before God is not a problem. Jesus conquered sin on the Cross.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9
Sin is not a problem with God. It is man's pride (which is a sin) that is a problem. It is when we think we can do life on our own, in our own strength. Then when we fail, and we will fail because we can not live a righteous life without Christ! Then we have to deal with condemnation that does not come from God, but from our carnal thinking and Satan.
So the Bible gives example after example of people God used who were far from perfect.
We all know what a great man ELIJAH was and yet James writes, "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months."
James 5:17
The Apostles were all simple men, fishermen, tough men but Jesus saw their hearts and they changed the world. Paul the Apostle was a horrible murderer. Cheif of sinners. On and on we can go. Religion has made these men bigger than life. They were great men, but they were no different than you or me. They were just surrendered to Jesus. We must do the same.
Blessings my friend. Don't let the traditions of religion hold u back from becoming all u were created to be!
(PTaylor)
Our perfection is in God.
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 5:44-48 NKJV
The word "perfect" here in Greek means "having reached its end, complete, by extension "perfect", complete in all its parts, full grown, of full age. Jesus said "you shall be prefect as your Father in heaven is perfect" speaks about the perfection of us all together as Paul explains in Ephesians chapter 4, i.e. we can't individually be perfect in ourselves, because we are only perfect in Him. In other words, in the Kingdom and in the Church we are not meant to be individuals by ourselves. Even God is not perfect without us.
“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” John 17:22-23 NKJV
“till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:13, 15-16 NKJV
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