John’s testimony was that there stood One among the Jews whom they did not know (John 1:26). This One was he who was preferred above John. It was he whose shoe John was unworthy to unloose; that is to say that John was not worthy to unloose that One’s shoes in order to wash his feet (the task for the lowest household servant). This One would come and baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire! His winnowing fork was in his hand… gathering the wheat into his barn, while the chaff he burns with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:11-13).
This is the “build-up” John gave Jesus. Can’t you just imagine everyone looking around the crowd listening to John when into the water steps Jesus—meek and humble of heart, Jesus! Did John preach a wrong message? No, the message was correct; the understanding of the words was wrong. No one, not even John knew who the Messiah was, as I concluded in my previous blog. But, imagine the hype! We just love to build something up as the best, the most… the greatest, the most powerful, the most intriguing, highest and most honorable (whatever)! Isn’t that true? It was true of John, and he fell flat on his face! The difference between John and most modern Christian organizations who do this is that John admitted he was wrong. He really didn’t know Jesus. He misjudged what was said about him etc.
Imagine what the people thought, and what the authorities thought. John gives such a great build-up, according to the traditional thought of his day (true words, remember, only the traditional interpretation was wrong), and onto the scene steps Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter’s son! Who knew?
Don’t misunderstand. Jesus is God in the flesh, as the Gospel writer shows, and everything John said **about** the coming of Jesus was true. Nevertheless, what John and everyone else concluded, concerning those words, showed an expectation of **another** Jesus (Messiah). John even expected that the coming Messiah would take over John’s work, but Jesus refused his request (Matthew 3:13-17). John’s words were true, but could anyone have been more wrong in his expectation of their fulfillment? Jesus was and is so much different than what we expect him to be. It has always been so. How could we miss this?
Paul spoke of some preaching **another** Jesus in 2Corinthians 11:4. There he tells us that someone was preaching another Christ whom Paul had not preached, and the church was listening to him. It was easier for believers to question the real truth about Jesus and listen to someone telling a better story. One has to wonder what the charlatan was preaching, and is it something some of us find worthy of our consideration today.
Where, then, do we look for the real Jesus? How can we know him in the work he is doing among us today? I have no problem seeing him on the mission field with his disciples who bring his name to those who don’t know him. I have no problem seeing him in the ministries of those helping and serving the needy. What I find troublesome is my difficulty in seeing him in all the hype—in the stuff that makes the news, in the things that draws the crowds. I have trouble seeing him there, because the real Jesus avoided the crowds when he could. In fact, often, when many came looking for him and crowed around him, he thinned the crowds out by telling them things they simply did not want to hear. I guess my question would be: “What do I want to hear?” or “Am I seeking to hear what I want to be said?” In other words, am I seeking the real Jesus, or is it the “Jesus” of all the hype I’m really interested in? John’s reply is really illuminating!
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