Desert

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:

19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” (John 1:19-34, NIV)

REFLECTIONS:

Last year we went to Israel with several people from PRF and a larger group from the Dallas area. It was truly the trip of a lifetime, but I’ll be honest, the heat made me grumpy. It was all I could do to maintain something of a fair attitude (I won’t flatter myself by saying it was good) as we spent day after day in the sweltering heat and desolation of the desert or in the humidity of stone cities abuzz with humanity. Each step of the way we heard insights from our tour guide and others who had spent much of their lives studying minute details and condensing them into meaningful tidbits for us, but did I make notes? Nope. Several years ago I determined that I could not possibly store or re-read all the notes I might take in all the excellent teaching times I have been privileged to attend, and instead I would ask God to imprint on my heart those things that were necessary for me to remember. Today’s passage brought to mind so many things I learned on that trip, and I’d like to share a few of those with you, along with some other things that may become imprinted on your heart.

Desert life is hard, and John the Baptist was a man of the desert. Wild and rugged, he went about his days free of the constraints that civilized life imposed. He had learned to live off the land and knew the rhythms of the desert. He knew which sights and sounds meant safety or danger, and that no destination was as close as it appeared. He was genuine, for falsehood and bravado evaporate quickly in the desert, and he knew the ways of the outcast and the solitary. Jewish leaders heard he had gained a following among Gentiles immersing themselves in repentance, but  when they asked for his credentials, he was quick to say that he was both nameless and faceless: “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

“Straight” doesn’t happen in the desert, but a quick word search shows that in this case “straight” can mean something more like “straightaway” or “immediate.”  Just as water rivulets favor the path of least resistance, the most effective way often meanders. John wound his way around the farthest reaches of the desert, appealing to those on the fringes to repent, quickly and wholly, and be washed anew.

For Jews, the concept of baptism was familiar. It was traditional to wash and groom thoroughly in ceremonial pools before going to the temple. So important was the preparation that there were attendants at the pools, “baptizers,” watching to see that not a hair went unsoaked, that the entirety of the person was submerged. Imagine the affront to the Jewish sense of superiority when they were called to repent from sins they were so proud of avoiding. Identify with Gentiles? But according to John, repentance smoothed the path for the entrance of the King.

John the Baptist had no reputation to uphold, he simply paved the way for the “real big deal.” Oftentimes teachers in those days would elevate themselves over their students by requiring the students to remove the teacher’s sandals… a nasty, dirty job that left one man bowing at the feet of another. John, in contrast, elevated Jesus, calling Him one “the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” And Jesus, the One who bore the favor of the Father, with the visible Spirit resting upon Him, did not keep the blessing to Himself, but came to “baptize with the Holy Spirit.” John’s baptism was for the past, but Jesus’ was for the future. John called for a clean slate, and Jesus turned it into a canvas for unlimited goodness.

One final observation and then a few questions: It only occurred to me today that the Spirit hung out with Jesus from this scene on throughout His human life, and when Jesus left earth, the Spirit was left to aid us. How cool is it that the Spirit that was in agreement as Jesus healed the sick, forgave sins, gave sight to the blind, extended kindness to the unloved, and endured unbelievable suffering is the Spirit that can help us do the same, and more, today? The Holy Spirit is meant for us earthy folk, and we shortchange ourselves when we live a lesser life. There is nothing to compare to the genuine goodness of the life submitted to the Holy Spirit. You no longer have to strive to be good, kind, gentle and loving; those things are your nature. Every moment can become a holy moment, every day a gift.

• Have you ever felt like you’re in the desert? Often God can best get our attention there.
• Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit? Have you willingly soaked yourself, every wild hair, in the goodness of the Spirit?
• Have you ever had your pride wounded only to find that in the absence of pride the King is free to move?
• Are you content to be anonymous? Could you be just a voice pointing to the “real big deal?”
• What things of the Spirit have been written on your heart? Do you practice to keep them fresh?

WHO AM I?

I am Leigh Anne Bland and I have a very quiet house this week. The three “big kids” and their various friends who wander in and out are all in California this week at YWAM (Youth With A Mission) Infusion Youth Camp. I’m homesick for YWAM this week! This is not an infomercial, but YWAM makes the things of the Spirit practical and natural, and some of the most goodhearted people I know have come from there. Here’s a picture that Lisa Kirby’s nephew Brannon, a YWAMmer took on a recent adventure.