I Didn't Know - July 2, 2010

Good Friday morning! Does it seem to you that a definite sign of salvation would be just peachy for us? What if we could all see the Holy Spirit descending like a dove whenever someone was saved? Even better, we could have a sort of ghostly dove sitting on the shoulder of all those already saved! Of course, if you could see your own 'dove' and have that assurance, where is the faith in that?

John the Baptist saw this happen to Jesus in today's verse. Why did John get to see a sign like this? My thought is that John was just reaching his peak in ministry. Perhaps the initial stage fright was over, his voice had become powerful and his delivery had become attention-grabbing. John then saw the sign that it was time for him to step back; his job was done. Just when pride in his own ministry might have been a danger to John, he received a powerful sign to step down. The Bible verses don't say that of course, but I thought that in John's place, any of us might have run into just that kind of problem. Any of us could reach a point where we pridefully say, "Look at my great ministry!" Before that happens, God may step in with a clear sign to take a step back for Jesus.

In the next couple of verses, John has a final announcement to complete his mission.

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." John 1: 33

The first humble admission is one that we also run into throughout our lives, "I didn't know..." Sometimes it is a fact of Scripture that we don't know until we read it in God's word; other times it is a condition of a loved one that we don't know until later. One time it is simply the fact that Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross that is something we don't know; at least until we accept that He did do just that and the Holy Spirit comes to remind us. You might say we willfully don't know that until we step back and let Jesus reign in our life.

John stepped back after his mission was completed. He stepped back in order to let Jesus have the center stage. We step back in order to let Jesus have control of our life. As we do this, the Holy Spirit descends on us too. We don't get to see the sign that John did, but as Jesus told Thomas, "blessed are those who do not see, and yet believe." (John 20:29)

Oops, I borrowed a verse from the end of John there. Of course there is nothing wrong with the verses in John supporting each other as we are to do in this life. God gave a clear and direct message to John in this case, and God is still in the business of directing our steps. The people John spoke to had not heard God's message to John, but John boldly repeated it anyway. Give God the glory, and don't be afraid if you receive a direct message; God wants all of us to spread the good news about His Son, Jesus Christ!

The Independence Day weekend is upon us once more. A couple of my neighbors have already begun their trips for this weekend. Have a long and restful, even playful, weekend in Christ!

Bucky