This Is The One
Scripture: John 1:15-18 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)
15 John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ ” 16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. (John 1:15–18 NLT)
John The Baptist had been preaching his radical “Prepare the Way for the Lord!” message for several months. For the Jewish faithful, this was a message of hope and encouragement. For the nominal Jews, the legalist Jews, and the Jews who had bought into the Roman system for profit, promotion, and security, this was a “Wake up and smell the coffee!” message telling them that the status quo was just about over and they’d better change their thinking so God could change their hearts!
John the Baptist had been saying, “Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.” John had never made it about himself, he had never tried to draw attention to himself, and he had always been crystal clear that he was a voice crying out in preparation for what God was about to do through his Son. It must have been electrifying that day when John pointed through the crowd to a man, his cousin Jesus from Nazareth, and his message of “The Lord is coming!” suddenly changed to, “This is the One I’ve been talking about! This is the Deliverer, the Savior, the One we’ve been waiting these centuries to see! This is your Messiah, O Israel!” Oh, how I love, admire, and respect John the Baptist!
This is the new beginning! This signals the wrapping up of the old and the unveiling of the new. This is the closing of the chapter entitled “The law was given through Moses” and the turning of the page to the chapter called, “God’s unfailing love and faithfulness (Grace and Truth) are now coming to us through Jesus Christ!”
Up to now we’ve learned about God through Moses and the prophets, but we haven’t seen God’s face. Now, as we turn our eyes to The One, Jesus the Christ, we begin to see God’s face and know God’s heart, and it’s wonderful!
Prayer:
Father, Thank you for faithful, humble, John the Baptist and his message of preparation. Thank you for The One, Jesus Christ, who shows us the Face of God!