“He (Jesus) has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, but He has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what He has seen and heard, but how few believe what He tells them? Anyone who accepts His testimony can affirm that God is true. For He is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives Him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves His Son and has put everything into His hands. And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” (John 3:31-36 NLT)
These powerful, impactful words from John the Baptist about Jesus resonated with my spirit this morning as I read them, though I’ve read them many times before, but why? John the Baptist is a very unique man. How so? The Bible says of him: “…for he (John the Baptist) will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before His birth.”
And I’m sensing some of you still thinking, “Ho hum! I already knew this.” Yes, of course you do, just like I did, but here’s how the Lord spoke to me this morning regarding these oft read words. These words were given to John just as Jesus’ ministry was beginning, likely not long after John had baptized Jesus. Yes, they were cousins and would have likely had conversations about their ministries even before either of their ministries began.
It’s also very likely John had heard his mom and dad speak of God’s miraculous workings in their own lives and how Elizabeth had had the privilege of a visit from Mary when she was only days pregnant with Jesus. How John “jumped for joy” within his mother’s womb when he heard Mary’s greeting. But the fact of John’s infilling with the Holy Spirit is unique.
While this obviously speaks to the issue of when life is present in the womb following conception, it shouts to me the power of the Holy Spirit to teach us and reveal things to us at every stage of our development. The words John was sharing about Jesus in the verses above may have been revealed to him in a conversation with Jesus, but my sense is they weren’t. My sense is the Holy Spirit revealed these words exalting Jesus to John, and here’s the application – the same way He reveals the truth of Jesus to us!
No one comes to Jesus on the basis of human reasoning or intellect alone. As Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3, new birth is an act of God, a spiritual, not a human transaction, as we’re well aware. But what we too often forget is we don’t simply read and learn the words of the Bible, the words of Scripture fill, empower, equip, and enable us to speak in the authority of God Himself – through the ministry of the Holy Spirit! The same Holy Spirit who filled John long before the Spirit was given to other Jesus followers.
John’s words didn’t originate with Him, they were the very words of God, spoken through John. THAT is the reason they were so impactful and meaningful. And THAT is the reason it’s so necessary and vitally important that we not only READ the words of Holy Scripture, but we must LISTEN intently!
In much the same way as the Holy Spirit spoke these words of life into and through John, He can and will speak words of life into our lives that we in turn can share with others. And don’t lose sight of the fact that though John’s words are familiar to us, they weren’t familiar to anyone else. Yes, he may have shared that Jesus was the Messiah with his disciples, many of whom then followed Jesus, but these weren’t words he would have heard or read anywhere but from God directly, remembering, of course, that Jesus IS God!
That, my friend, is a miracle of the new birth. People who are born of God hear God’s voice! Are you listening?
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 