The Forerunner (John 5: 31-35)

Have you ever been to a concert and they have some lesser known bands warm up the crowd for the feature band. Or how about a play, where the scenes of the play all tie into the dramatic "final act". John the Baptist was the "warm up band" or the "forerunner" so-to-speak... for Jesus. He was nearly the same age as Jesus and born to the aged Elizabeth. John the Baptist's father, Zacharias prophesied about him and said "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest, For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,..." (Luke 1:76). John the Baptist started his public ministry of moral reform and preacher of messianic hope immediately prior to the start of Jesus' public ministry.

Look at John 5:31 to 35 and focus in on verse 32b..."I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true." There is a reference from Jesus about John the Baptist here. Jesus didn't just go it alone in ministry. He had many followers and was endorsed at the start of His earthly ministry by someone who was respected in the culture since birth. (See Luke 1:66) Also see my post from December 30, 2009 called "Reflection of the Light" which gives more depth on John the Baptist.

It was strategic of God to seek such an endorsement from someone who had established a "foothold" or following in the Jewish Community. Here Jesus uses this endorsement by John the Baptist, which shows that even someone respected in the community has agreed that Jesus is the Messiah and is the Son of God.

We can see in these verses that Jesus was backed by influential people in the time. These people attested to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, did miracles and was God's only Son. This causes those following Him to draw closer, those thinking of following Him to start and those rejecting Him are being driven further away.

This all makes me think of my life. Who are my supporters? Who really knows me and what I stand for? Jesus had 12 that were very close to him and others in the community who knew Him and witnessed what He did. As we go through our life with Christ we need to surround ourselves with people who will partner with us on what we stand for, people with similar ideologies, people who will support us when we face the risks offered by our world.

Lord, Help us to remember this key passage in Christ's strong case of who He is!...Amen