Growing up, I’d always given the title of the wildest prophet to the fire-calling ones like Elijah. Or Moses who touched the sea with a stick and split it in two. Or Elisha whose dry bones raised a dead man. So it took me by surprise when Jesus said about John The Baptist; “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John.”
If this was LinkedIn and the Messiah wrote such a recommendation on John’s profile, headhunters (not the Herod kind) would have gone crazy over him! Such a validation would make any member in John’s church, follow any akwankyire without asking questions.
Indeed John was no joke, right from the drama when angel Gabriel announced his birth, through to his wilderness years. He definitely must have had a great relationship with God and a good understanding of his mission; to prepare the way for the Messiah.
So Permit Me To Be Confused…
…with John’s confusion about whether Jesus was the expected Messiah. You see, after John’s imprisonment, Jesus went on doing His thing. John’s disciples would visit and tell him about all the amazing things Jesus was doing. Rather than exciting him, it confused him. Jesus’ actions didn’t precisely fit the picture John had painted of ‘The Coming One’ in Luke 3:16-17. So John started questioning Jesus’ identity.
I mean, if all his quiet times, prayer meetings and wilderness encounters were insufficient, what about when he was baptizing Jesus and the heavens opened and a dove descended and a voice bellowed from the heavens? Wasn’t that the ultimate validation? So how come soon after, John started having second thoughts?
Is it because he expected Jesus to visit him in prison and miraculously bail him out? Was he hurt that the Messiah he baptized couldn’t save even the one who prepared the way for him? Did he have a job description for Jesus that wasn’t being adhered to? Was he expecting some violence and fury he wasnt seeing?
It’s Disturbing For Me Because…
… it shows that we could be disappointed in a God we have misunderstood. We feel after so many visions and dreams coming through, so many years of diligent tithe paying and church going, that surely we have God all figured out. So when something goes amiss -even a little- we start questioning if indeed it is the same God we’ve been hanging out with. We send our own type of disciples to go ask Jesus if he indeed is the same yesterday today and forever more. If indeed he loves us and is able to protect us. Does he really own the cattle on a thousand hills?
It’s disturbing for me because it shows that we could be disappointed in a God we have misunderstood.
When John’s disciples relayed his questions, Jesus went about his normal business for a while. You know, healing the sick, restoring sight blah blah blah…and then he made a profound statement.
22 He answered John’s messengers, “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind can see, the lame can walk, those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases are made clean,[a] the deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. 23 How happy are those who have no doubts about me!”
Right there, he clearly stated his mission, correcting any misconception John may have had when painting his Luke 3:16-17 picture. Meaning even the greatest of all the prophets didn’t have full and accurate understanding of who Jesus was and is.
Hmmm…fam it is easy to doubt God. You won’t be the first or the last. Even the greatest among those born of a woman could doubt him…but thank God he’s doubt proof. John’s doubt didn’t keep Jesus from doing what he was sent to do. And doubting God doesn’t mean he’s pissed with you so it’s a break-up. In fact, it was after John did this yawa that Jesus commended him as; the greatest born of a woman’.
And So What?
His love is unconditional. Our quest to know Him must be with humility. Else, we could get ahead of ourselves, feeling we have him so figured out it’s impossible to get things twisted. Rather, let’s yield to his Spirit who knows him better than aaaaaannnnyyyyooonnee. The Holy Spirit is incapable of making mistakes in his knowledge of God. Only then do we stand the best chance of reaaallly knowing Him. Along that journey, we will also discover our real identity in him.
So we cant rely on pastors and prophets entirely to get an accurate understanding of our Father. We need to seek Him by his Spirit. Why?
1 Corinthians 2:11, NIV: “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
Don’t be fooled or manipulated. Don’t punish yourself with guilt and shut yourself from a love that’s greater than your ignorance and folly. Y3 steady. Wae?
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