Last week, towards the end of the letter, I mentioned that we were taking a look at John 1:35-51 in my Bible study group. I focused on the question Jesus asked the two disciples who followed him- “what are you looking for?”
I’ve still been thinking and praying with those verses so I’ve decided to share a bit of what’s on my mind. We’ll take a few verses per week. Hopefully our hearts are stirred and we put in some action following each reflection.
“The next day, John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.”
-John 1:35-37 NIV
The verses we’re considering this week begin with- ‘the next day’. What happened the day before that? From verses 15 to 34 of this same chapter, we see that John bore witness to Christ.
John the Baptist was the last of the prophets and from the time of his conception, he was already very special. The angel visited his father, Zechariah, in Luke 1:13-17. telling him of his unborn son’s mission to go before the Lord and make people ready for the Lord. John lived out that mission excellently.
The days and perhaps months leading up to Jesus’ arrival, John preached about Him endlessly. He was very intentional in letting the people know that He was not the Messiah, He was not the one to redeem Israel but was rather preparing the way for the Messiah. He spoke about Jesus so much that I’m sure his disciples knew as much He knew and were eager to see this person who John always spoke of.
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
-Romans 10:14 NIV
••Immediately John saw Jesus in v.36, he told his disciples to look at the Lamb of God and we read that his disciples heard him say those words and left him to follow Jesus, the one whom they had heard so much of. They wouldn’t have known Jesus if someone had not informed them about Him prior. Are you truly pointing others to Jesus? John pointed many people to Christ- who can you say you have pointed to Christ? Do you even believe that pointing others to Christ is one of your duties as a Christian? The disciples wouldn’t have followed Jesus if they had not heard about Him, if someone had not told them about Him. When John pointed Jesus out, they would have just said, “ohh, that’s nice”. But they didn’t say that because they had been well-informed by John about this Messiah that was to save the Israelites.
••From this chapter, we can also say that John the Baptist was extremely humble. We are all called to imitate him. He could have easily made people think that He was the Messiah but he didn’t. He told them to repent, made it clear that his goal was just to prepare the way for the Lord and took a step back when Jesus came into the picture.
So, Jesus must be the main focus. It is okay if people are attracted to you for one reason or the other but when they come to know you, you must then redirect them to the Lord. When people are attracted to you because of your life of virtue, do you point them to the source of that virtue/holiness?
••John bore witness to Christ by the way that He lived but if we pay attention, He also spoke a whole lot about Christ. What this means is that Christian witness is remarkable but it is not enough. It must be accompanied by proclamation. Are you proclaiming Christ? Are you proclaiming Him to your partner, parents, siblings, extended family, friends, children, enemies, strangers? If someone was to hear that you’re Christian would they be surprised? We have to learn to open our mouths and speak about the One we call our Messiah.
••Lastly, John knew his mission, and he lived it out in an exceptional manner which is why he will never be omitted from the story. Are you aware that you have a mission? Are you aware that you were created with purpose and for a purpose? No matter the circumstances surrounding your birth or what you heard when you were little or even what you heard yesterday, you are not a mistake. You were hemmed from inside out by the One who created the entire cosmos and holds it in existence, the God of beauty, the God who is perfect. If all of God’s works are wonderful, why is that you sometimes behave as if you are the exception? All the days ordained for us were written in God’s book before any one of them came to be.
So, you have a mission and asking God to enlighten your eyes to this mission so you can begin to live it out is probably one of the best decisions you can make today. Remember that we are truly here today and gone tomorrow. And if perhaps He tells you to do something and you think it has already been done by someone, I want to gently remind you that no one is you. Every thing about you is unique. Even if you were to find someone today who bears the exact same name as you, you would discover that there are countless differences between the both of you. Someone said that the graveyard is the richest place on earth and I completely agree. How many people go to the grave without having discovered the reason why they were created? Let’s try to make the graveyard a little poorer.
I pray us all grace because we cannot do any of this in our own strength even if we wanted to. I pray that God will tell you why He created you and if He has told you, I pray you courage to live out your mission.
I’m rooting for you, always.
🕯️Bible verses of the week:
“You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
-Psalms 139:5, 13-14, 16 NIV
🖋️Quote of the week:
My mission in life is not merely to survive,
but to thrive;
and to do so with some passion, some compassion,
some humor, and some style.
-Maya Angelou
In case you missed it, here is last week’s letter:
What are you looking for?
Hiii🥹 I apologize for my sudden absence. I’m still not sure what happened so I can’t give an exact reason for my disappearance.
Mims!
Thank you for this, my girl.🤍
It's funny, but I listened to a sermon yesterday and the Pastor spoke about this exact same thing. He asked how we were proclaiming Christ and told us to ask God how we could contribute to sharing the gospel. He asked the same question you asked here about people being surprised if they found out you were Christian.
Thank you for sharing Mims. I'm reminded to do better. God help me, God help us.♥️🫂
God bless you for asking the right questions ,and reminding us of very important things that concern our existence as believers 💕💕