Answers, Short and Cryptic, Given While You Wait

This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."   They asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."   Then they said to him, "Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"   He said, "I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,' as Isaiah the prophet said." 24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.   They asked him, and said to him, "Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"   John answered them saying, "I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.   "It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie."   These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:19-28 NASB)

In the story of Jesus there are people who…are just plain frustrating.  Actually Jesus is one of them.  In this first chapter of John, I meet another.  John the Baptist sort of reminds me of Baptist preachers I have known.  Having been one once, I have met more than my fair share.  In this passage he seems to be having fun frustrating his inquisitors.  He answers their questions, but he doesn’t seem willing to give them answers that will satisfy their purpose.  When asked who he is, he quotes Isaiah 40:3, a verse referring to the return of the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem; a verse on redemption and the road home.  Still, it is a stretch right here.

The only real problems about this passage have to do with some details about the wording of the back and forth questions, and where it took place.  The frustrating nature, short answers, and cryptic quote are all attested very early on.  The passage remains one of those elements John has included for one of those audiences long gone with issues long forgotten.  Today, no one really views John the Baptist as the Messiah or as having been the forerunner of someone who is yet to be revealed.  In the Apostle’s day, that was still an issue, and enough of one that he includes these elements right up front.  But there is still something I find here.

My best view of my Master in this passage comes in the cryptic quote.  John’s view of himself comes from his calling, and so it comes from my Master.  It’s an odd view, and one that illuminates for me a character of my Master, the assignments He makes, and how I should respond within His assignment to me.  The passage John quotes is from Isaiah 40.  So I will start with that element.  Then I will pick apart John’s answers, especially the last one.

Isaiah 40 is the segue chapter between the prophecies referring to events during Hezekiah’s reign and those referring to the period of the Exile of Judah in Babylon.  It is in the second section of Isaiah that are found the Servant Songs that eventually refer very clearly to the coming Messiah and less and less to the nation itself.  It is in this section that the return of the Exiles becomes the focus, and encouragement for those in captivity.  It begins with the “Highway of Yahweh through the desert”.  It introduces this “Highway” by quoting a voice calling out in the wilderness.  The voice uses a simple Hebrew poetic line with two parallel feet. 

The Baptizer only quotes the intro and the first foot.  The second foot, “Make smooth in the desert a highway of our God” is left unquoted.  The piece unquoted is the part specific to the return of the exiles.  The first, by itself, can be interpreted more widely.  It just seems out of context to use it this way.  Yet in this verse in Isaiah, who the voice in the desert might be isn’t clear either.  Is it a third party observer of the return?  Is it the prophet writing?  Is it the returning exiles?  It just seems out of place somehow in the chapter.  So, why is it there?  Well, my Master seems to have applied it to His servant John.

The Inspiring One has applied this verse to the “forerunner” of His Son.  He rejected the title of “Elijah” yet he filled that role.  He rejected the title of “The Prophet” yet he is certainly like one of the prophets.  His reference for himself comes from a passage that is an odd one considering the people of Israel are not in captivity or exile.  And considering their current historical setting, those words could be inflammatory.  It could be interpreted to refer to the Roman occupation, and a coming overthrow, an event that doesn’t happen.  Does John see himself as the forerunner of a successful rebellion against Rome?  Again, it doesn’t seem so.

I get the impression from John’s responses that he really isn’t completely clear on his role either.  From passages after this one, I discover that he has been waiting for someone and some event.  Even he isn’t sure who is coming, nor what he will do.  He’s not the Messiah, he’s not the Prophet, he’s not Elijah, but instead he’s a voice preceding the redemption by God of His people.  I can imagine being John, having clarity right up to the point where I know something important is coming, but not being given the vision of what that important thing will be.  Perhaps John is simply passing on his frustration to his inquisitors.  With all John does know he is keenly aware that there is a lot he doesn’t know.

How willing am I to be obedient in a “fog”?  How willing am I to follow the will of my Master knowing it’s not the end but the beginning or middle, with only so much vision, with the sense that I am not getting the complete picture, and therefore with the knowledge that I won’t be there for the finale.  I would have to accept that this path He has put me on is not about me, but instead about Him, His purposes, and His plan.  I so want to be in there, mixing it up, and showing off really.  He so wants me in the background, supporting, and obedient.  I’m not even as peculiar a character as John, so I blend better than he did.  I can easily be lost in the set dressing.  And that is how it should be.  The center stage is now set for the Word becoming flesh.  The stage is set for Someone else.  Come Lord Jesus, live Your purpose through me.