Who Are You?

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

          John replied, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the path of the Lord.’ ”

 John 1:22-23

 

“Who are you?” How would you answer that question? I suppose it could depend on your mood, right?  It would also depend on who is asking, which already half answers the question.  I identify myself very often by my relationships.  Otto’s wife, Paul/Joseph/Jeffrey/Laura’s mom  “Grammy” to their children,  Charlene’s friend but Mrs. Davis’ assistant (Charlene is Mrs. Davis) etc.  My identity is very much tied to the people around me.

Here John the Baptist is saying that he is the one making the road ready for Jesus.  John is the precursor. That’s a mid-size word that simply means the one who comes before.  So here John is identifying himself by one important relationship. Oddly in verse 31 he says, “I myself did not know him.”

Let that one sink in for a minute and skip over the fact that John and Jesus are cousins. ( I have thirty-six first cousins and I know every one of them.  So that strikes me as odd.)  John is preparing the way for Jesus. He loves Jesus sight unseen.  The motivation of his life is to prepare people, to call them to readiness for the arrival of Jesus.

How many people do you know that identify themselves as children of God, as believers? When asked they will say they are Christian but do they know Christ?

I identified myself as a wife, mother, grandmother, friend and co-worker and all of those things are true.  First and foremost, however, I am a child of God. It is his mercy that allows me to live. It is his compassion that helps me through hard times, his joy that makes my joy sweeter, his wisdom that guides me and his strength that enables me. On the days that I can readily and easily answer, “Who are you?” by saying,  “I am Tricia, a child of God” I can count on great strength,  infinite mercy and absolute guidance.  On the days that I want to say I am his but hesitate for whatever reason I give the enemy a toehold.

John the Baptist is known for being just a little left of center.  He looked odd. He ate weird things and he said things that seemed even weirder but take a look at his answer. John was a man who knew exactly who he was and exactly why he was here. I don’t know about you, but that makes me a little jealous.