Wednesday 02 January 2013

Background

John the Baptist was creating a public stir though his open-airpreaching and his practice of baptizing people in the river Jordan.Mark's Gospel tells us that "people from the whole Judeancountryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him"(Mark 1:5), so it was natural for the Jewishauthorities to send out a delegation to find out what was goingon.

When probed, John distances himself from any grand titles. Jewsof that time were expecting a variety of figures to appear: theMessiah, a leader who would be anointed with God's Spirit; Elijah,who, it was believed, would return to earth prior to "the day ofthe Lord" (Malachi 4:5); and "the prophet" of whom Mosesspoke (Deuteronomy 18:15-18), and whom some Jewsidentified with the Messiah (as in John6:14). But John denies that he is any of them. He is just "'thevoice of one crying in the wilderness" (v. 23, quoting Isaiah40:3).

The delegation is clearly not satisfied. John's baptizingactivity was unprecedented. The Jews were familiar with repeatedritual washings in the temple. They may also have been familiarwith the practice of baptizing Gentiles (non-Jews) who wanted toembrace the Jewish religion (proselytes). But John was baptizingJews in a once-for-all rite, and the delegation wanted to knowwhy.

John does not answer their question fully. His main concern isto point to someone else who was already standing among them, andwhom they did not yet recognise, the thong of whose sandals Johnsaid he was unworthy to untie. Humility could scarcely have taken alower place. To untie the thong of someone's sandals in thatculture was the work of a slave. John, therefore, in effect, wassaying that that he was unworthy even to be a slave ofJesus. 

To Ponder

• "Among you stands one whom you do not know" (v. 26). Is Jesussomeone you have come to know, or is he still someone who, thoughnear, still remains to be recognised for who he really is?

• If Jesus is someone you have come to know, to what extent is ityour passion, as it was John's, to live for him and seek to makehim known?