John 1: 6-8, 19-28
A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”
So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
BACKGROUNDER
Why testify to the light? This passage from the Gospel of John prepares our hearts for Christmas, a time when we need to find light, and to celebrate light. Light is obvious when you see it. But what if the only thing you see is darkness?
Let’s be clear, there is a lot of darkness. The point of the Gospel of John, the narrative of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, only makes sense if you acknowledge the reality of darkness. We wouldn’t need a saviour, unless we were doomed – all of us.
Where is the darkness? It’s easy to see darkness in war, famine, and natural disaster around the world. It’s easy to see darkness in groups whom we identify as evil: people from different religions, people who cause harm in our communities. But there’s a much bigger problem about how to see the darkness in ourselves, and in our groups.
John the Baptist, “came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” Proclaiming the coming of the light, he was like a sign, pointing to, “the one who is coming after me”. No wonder that so many people came to him. Being in the darkness, they were all looking for light.
Two groups question John the Baptist in today’s passage. First, priests and Levities want to know if he is either the Christ, the anointed One of God, or those who would be sent ahead of the Christ, Elijah or the Prophet. He gives a clear, “No”. Then, Pharisees ask why he is baptizing: why is John calling people to repentance and immersing them in the Jordan River as a sign of new life?
John testifies to the light, because he knows that the light has come into the darkness. John knows that Jesus has come into the world; “the word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). John knows that he is not the Christ, and that Jesus is the Christ in an absolutely unforeseen way, He is one with God and, in fact, is God.
Preparing our hearts for Christmas involves followers of Jesus in a mission to the darkness, to people who walk in darkness. We, like John the Baptist, are to testify to the light. Our hearts are not meant just to keep the news to ourselves, the light we know is a light to be shared. “You are the light of the world … No one lights a lamp and keeps it under basket, rather they put it on a stand, where it can give light to the whole house.” (Matthew 5)