The Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to John the Baptist to ask him “Who are you?”
This is the burning question for John the Baptist “Who are you?”
Why did the Sanhedrin, the Jewish leaders, want to know who John the Baptist was? Let’s look at the questions the delegation asked John.
“Who are you?”
He said, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?”
John said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
John understood his role in the plan of salvation, he was the messenger that Isaiah prophesied about who would prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah.
The Jewish leaders were not satisfied with the answers that the delegation gave them, so they sent some Pharisees to get better answers. They asked John “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
What they really wanted to know was “If you are not the Messiah or a prophet, then by what authority do you baptize people?” John told them: “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
After the end of today’s Gospel, John the Evangelist continues:
“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God,* who takes away the sin of the world.” He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him,* but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
John the Baptist understood his role in salvation even though he did not know him before. That too is our role. We did not know Christ before he was revealed to us, and we each confessed our belief in him.
We, like John the Baptist, must point the world to Jesus. It’s not about us, more importantly, it’s not about ME. It’s about Jesus, the Son of Mary, the Son of God.
The question now turns to us. Who are you? I am not the Christ. Are you a prophet? No. Are you a witness for Jesus? Yes. I can profess Christ with my lips but, does my life reflect it? The world knew that there was something different about John the Baptist. That’s why they came asking “Who are you?”
Does the world know that there is something different about us? Do they want to know why we are different? Does the Spirit live in us?
