The Chosen One

Scripture:  John 1:32-34  (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.” (John 1:32–34 NLT)

John’s ministry was all and only faith! He knew he wasn’t the one, but he didn’t know who was The One. He started his ministry with a sorrow for the far-from-God condition of his Jewish people, a deep conviction that he was to prepare the way for The One by preaching a message of repentance, of turning hearts back to God, and by proclaiming that The One was coming very soon. He had been given a sign to watch for, to be fulfilled in some yet-unknown way, that he would one day see the Holy Spirit descend and rest on a man so he would know that this man was The One.

The thing he didn’t know was that his cousin Jesus from Nazareth was The One. He didn’t know that one day Jesus would walk out to where John was standing knee-deep in the Jordan River and say, “John, baptize me!” And that when he protested that he wasn’t worthy to baptize Jesus, Jesus would say, “It has to be this way, John! This is what God requires!” So John, shaking his head, baptized Jesus from Nazareth and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove from heaven and rested on Jesus! And John’s heart thrilled! And he thought, “Of course! How did I not see it? All those times we sat by the fire talking about the Kingdom of God! All those discussions as we walked together on the way to Jerusalem for the festivals! How did I miss it? Thank you, O faithful God, for your mysterious, perfect ways!”

And then John was filled with a fresh new hope, a new sense of expectation! He no longer had to say, “The One is coming! Prepare the way!”  He now began saying, “Look everyone! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! It’s Jesus from Nazareth! I saw the sign fulfilled on him when I baptized him, so I know and testify that he is the Chosen One of God.” “Behold The Lamb of God!”

Prayer:

Father, May we all, we who know of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit on Jesus, and through Jesus, on us, may we all know and testify that this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! The Savior of the world, the Redeemer of our lost souls, and the King of Heaven’s Kingdom! Reign in our hearts today, Lord Jesus!