Who are You?

Luke 3:15-17

“As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

What was there about John’s preaching and baptism that would make a crowd of people have such expectation?  Could it be the garment of camel’s hair and the leather belt around his waist?  Maybe it was his diet of locust and wild honey, or maybe it was that he was traveling into all the regions around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin.

It’s hard, no it is impossible for us humans to understand what is in the heart of one in our own family, much less a crowd, but this we know, for hundreds of years the Jewish people had been looking for a Messiah.  And many had heard of John’s birth and it seemed some were wondering is he the promised one who could come to set up His kingdom on this earth.  One thing is for sure, John was different than any of the teachers of his time, an it is easy to draw this conclusion; maybe he is the one who is going to free us from the Roman rule, maybe he is the Christ.

Now, it does not say anyone asked, John are you the Christ in the gospel of Luke, but look 

at the gospel according to John in chapter 1, beginning in verses 19-23, “And this is the 

testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 

“Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And 

they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” 

And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer 

to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one 

crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”  

I have no doubt Channel One (the deceptive channel) was playing very loud that day in 

John’s head, the voice sounded like his voice and it was telling John, just tell them what 

they want to hear, and you are out of the water, no more ducking people, no more locusts, 

and you can get rid of those camel threads and live like a king, you can be king, just tell 

them you’re the man.  But John had been listening for years in the wilderness to another 

channel we will call Channel Two, and he had grown to trust the still quiet voice on 

Channel Two, it was the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth, and John said rain on what 

I feel, I will do as you have taught me, I will choose Truth and on that day truth reigned.

And Truth said; “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice