Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 3: 15 - 20 "WAS JOHN THE EXPECTED MESSIAH?"
Day 41 – Luke 3
Text: Luke 3: 15 – 20
WAS JOHN THE EXPECTED MESSIAH?
As the people flocked to hear John preaching about the kingdom of God, some began to wonder whether he could be the long-expected Messiah. Was he “the Christ or not?”(Luke 3:15).
Luke noted that “the people were in expectation” (Luke 3:15). They were already pre-disposed in their thinking. They had some knowledge of Old Testament Messianic prophecies that foretold the coming of the Messiah. Could this man who had such a powerful ministry be the Messiah?
They had “expectations” but that is really not enough. They were guided more by their feelings than by a good grasp of theology. If they had listened carefully to the preaching of John, they would have recognized that he was only the “voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40:3). He was only a voice in the wilderness and could not have been the Messiah. John himself had declared in no uncertain terms that he was just preparing the way of the Lord. He who was preparing the way cannot be the Messiah Himself.
CLEARING FUZZY THINKING
Let us learn an important lesson here. Let us not think that clear theological thinking belongs only to theologians! We all need to clear fuzzy thinking, especially when it comes to theological thinking!
John did not want his audience to be mistaken about his personal identity. He was NOT the Messiah. Above everything else, he wanted them to know this for a fact! He was just an ordinary person, even though it was his privilege to be called upon to proclaim the good news of the arrival of the Messiah!
John’s moral and theological integrity must be applauded. He refused to take any credit for his work. Many must have been touched and blessed by his preaching ministry, and this was evidenced by the fact that he drew multitudes whenever he preached. He was conscious that he only represented “One mightier than I” (Luke 3:16).
“ONE MIGHTIER THAN I” Luke 3:16
Again and again, in this series of devotionals, we will pause and ask ourselves whether we can see Jesus. How do you see Jesus as you read the Gospel of Luke? The goal of these devotionals is quite clear – it is to present Jesus in all His glory and beauty! What is the picture you are building up in your heart as you read about Jesus?
Here’s John’s testimony concerning the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“I indeed baptize you with water;
But One mightier than I is coming,
Whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly
Clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn;
But the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire” Luke 3:16-17
DO YOU HAVE THE SAME REGARD FOR THE LORD JESUS?
John the Baptiser could not help but compare himself to the Coming One. He saw himself as:-
1. His life was totally inferior to the Person of the Lord Jesus.
2. He was totally unworthy; he did not even consider himself fit to do the meanest work of a slave, to unloose the sandal straps of his master.
3. His ministry could not be compared to that the Lord Jesus would have one day.
On the other hand, John had the highest regard for the Person and Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. The Lord Jesus was intrinsically “mightier”!
2. His greatness may be measured in the way He will minister!
3. By way of comparison, John spoke of the ministry of baptizing. He could only use the symbol of water to help him explain that the sins of the people were forgiven. However, when the Lord Jesus comes, He would do more than offer symbolic cleansing.
4. When the Lord Jesus comes to minister in their midst, He would offer actual cleansing. He would baptize them with the Holy Spirit Himself. John knew the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit in his life. He also had experience the power of the Spirit operating in his life. The work of the Holy Spirit was indeed like fire that cleanses. His work was like a fire that changed his life completely.
TAKING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SERIOUSLY
John emphasized the importance of taking their faith in God seriously. The fuzzy understanding of the people was not good. They must be clear in their understanding as to who Jesus really was. Everything depended on how they understood and related to the Lord Jesus.
He was coming as their Redeemer and Comforter. He was coming to them as One who had the power to give them the Holy Spirit.
However, the people must also know that He came to cleanse the hearts of people, as threshing floors must be cleansed from time to time. He came to separate the wheat from the chaff. The wheat, He will gather into His barn. The chaff will be separated from the wheat, and will be burned with unquenchable fire.
How do we see Jesus? For that matter how would Jesus see us? Would we be wheat that He would gather into His barn? Would we be chaff which will be gathered and then burned? Take time to ponder these questions soberly.