Take Another Step

John 1: 29 to 34 " Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! This is of whom I said.....I did not know Him. "

Did John really know Jesus before this event in these verses? There is a presumption that John knew Jesus and grew up together because they were cousins, as I had mentioned a few posts ago. However, this verse mentions that John did not previously know Jesus....or another weaker angle (to me) is that John did not know that Jesus his cousin was the Messiah. From looking at this verse and the previous story that Elizabeth, John's mother, lived a ways away from Nazareth, it is very possible that John did not know Jesus at all. But, it is pretty clear in John 1: 31 that John did not previously know Jesus. Exactly why John didn't know his cousin is not clear.

One thing I always remember about scripture, is that it reveals what we NEED to know, but does not reveal ALL that there there is to know. So we have to be ok when all the facts are not there and all our "whys" are not answered. If I am scratching my head on a story in the Bible, I usually either A) Look deeper into it and ask some friends about their perspective on the issue or B) I table the issue and pray that God reveals what he wants me to know about the issue and I wait on God.

So here is one of my "whys"? Why was John introducing someone who he did not know, as the Messiah...the Son of God. John was clearly in a very close relationship with God. He had deep focus on what God wanted and limited focus or concern about what other people thought about him or what he was doing. So I would suggest that John was just doing what the Lord asked of him. John was in such a close and deep relationship with the Lord Almighty, that he didn't question God on every turn and realized that he needs to trust God, even though he didn't understand or see exactly what God was going to do next. It seems that John knew he was introducing the Messiah and trusted that God would reveal the Messiah, but he just didn't know who it was. John was living a life of faith and trust in God. The Lord presented Jesus in a miraculous way in the ensuing verses.

Looking at my own life and those around me, we often want to know the whole story, and then we will act. Consider this hypothetical conversation. God says.. "Joe I want you to introduce the Messiah, the one everyone has been looking for"....I say "Sure Lord, but I need to meet this guy and interview him, I need to qualify him and then sure I will introduce him. I have a reputation at stake with these people and if you don't deliver, I'll have egg on my face." God says "No! just introduce Him and I will take care of the rest"! So should I do what God says or should I continue to argue? I didn't see John arguing, he just did it. Then what happened? He was blessed with being a part of what God is doing and he took a deeper step in his relationship with God. We should, just as John did, step out in faith and further our relationship with God.

"Dear Jesus, let me have the faith of John! To do your requests of me, even though I may not know what is ahead. Thank you for leading me on this journey, Amen."