John 1:31
“.. But the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
John 1:31b
Why would someone as great as Jesus need someone else to prepare for his arrival? What could John do that was greater than Jesus? John did not have any special magic but what he did have was time. Time to prepare the minds of those who would meet Jesus. To give some background, the theology of works was rooted deep in the minds of the people because of the teachers of the Law, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. The people needed a paradigm shift before they could hear what Jesus had to say. John would shout, “He who has ears let him hear” to all those who would listen. John came with a new thinking. One could approach and be close to God simply by repenting and having a desire to to so. As simple as this idea is to us, it was a total shift in theology to the people who had been molded by the current leadership. Those who had ears were those who heard and accepted John’s message. When Jesus began his ministry he preached the same message. We think primarily of Jesus’ time performing miracles and confronting the Pharisees but there was more to that in his message. A revolution with brand new ideas. Once the disciples realized he was the Messiah spoken about in the Old Testament, they sought to make him king, something Jesus did not plan on. Later in, When Jesus’ ministry was in full swing, John had sent messengers to confirm that John’s and Jesus’ teaching was aligned. John had prepared the way and understood that Jesus was the one who would take the sins of the world away yet as Jesus’ popularity grew, John needed assurance that all that he saw was God’s plan. A simple report from Jesus was all that was needed, “The lame walk and the blind see”. In these days, physical disability was thought to be linked to righteousness. If one was blind or lame, they were more sinful than others. For Jesus to say people were being healed was in a way saying he was forgiving sins. A report that satisfied John. This new paradigm shift ended for the people at the courtyard with Peter in attendance where they spoke of their dissent for the things of Jesus and, of course, Peter’s eventual denial.
Luke 11:36 says ““And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.”
Paul says one may plant, another water, another harvest. Yet, we all feel we are not doing enough for the Kingdom unless we are harvesting. Is this what is necessary? Much of the time of the Major and Minor prophets time was spent seeking God, speaking to deaf ears, and being rejected. However, they were planting seeds. Seek God and know his ways. you may not always feel it but you are preparing the way.
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