John 1:19-34 (NIV)

¹⁹ Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰ He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

²¹ They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

²² Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

²⁴ Now the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵ questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶ “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷ He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

²⁸ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

³² Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ³³ And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

Expecting

“I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness” v.23a

“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.”- A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Practices of expectation are ways we prepare our hearts and lives to receive God’s presence. -Tish Warren

²⁰ I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. -Philippians 1:20-21 

Prepare the Way/The Little Way

How do we prepare? 

“Make straight the way for the Lord.’” v.23b

St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s Little Way, first expressed in her writings around 1894–1895 and fully articulated in her 1895 autobiography Story of a Soul, is a simple but profound path to holiness rooted in doing small, ordinary things with great love. Instead of pursuing dramatic spiritual achievements, Thérèse taught that holiness is found in humility—welcoming unnoticed tasks, embracing inconveniences and annoyances, offering patience to difficult people, and trusting God with childlike confidence. She believed that these hidden “trifles” delight Jesus more than celebrated acts of holiness, because they flow from a heart surrendered in love. Through this Little Way, she opened a door for every believer—showing that sanctity is not reserved for the extraordinary, but is available in the daily, quiet faithfulness of life.

What’s New?

“The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” - John 1:29

Passover Lamb: Exodus 12:13

Sacrificial Lamb: Leviticus 4:35

Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53:7

“I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him” -1:32 

In the Old Testament, the Spirit comes on people temporarily for specific tasks. But here the Spirit remains permanent, abiding. This is new-creation language from Genesis: the Spirit hovering over the waters, now hovering over Jesus as the first human of the new creation. (Bible Project) 

“This is about life (Gospel of John)—the life that comes from God and is embodied in the person of Jesus.” – Marianne Meye Thompson