“Behold! The Lamb of [Yahweh] who takes away the sin of the world!” cried John the Baptist, from the banks of Jordan [John 1:29]. It was a defining moment of his ministry. I wonder if John knew his cousin was the promised Messiah before this incident, or was it a sudden revelation? Did John know his own ministry was a fulfilment of Malachi’s prophecy, “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you” [Malachi 3:1; Luke 7:27]? As John raised his cousin from the waters of baptism, he saw the heavens roll back and the dove descend on Yahshua. He heard Yahweh declare, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” [Matthew 3:17].
Afterwards, John’s ministry began to decrease as Yahshua’s increased [John 3:30], and eventually he was arrested and imprisoned. We don’t know how long he’d been incarcerated, what he’d suffered, or how low in spirit he’d become. We do know that one day he sent his disciples to ask Yahshua the despairing question, “Are You the Expected One (the Messiah), or should we look for someone else [who will be the promised One]” [Matthew 11:3, Amplified Bible]? Poor John. How his faith was trembling!
Yahshua didn’t answer the question directly, but said, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard“ [Luke 7:22-23, Christian Standard Bible]. Yahshua was literally fulfilling the messianic prophecies [Isaiah 35:5-6] and trusted John to understand the implicit answer. There were no obvious words of comfort or support for His isolated, suffering cousin, no explanation. There was, however, a footnote: “Blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.” What was in Yahshua’s heart?
Did He realise that if John’s faith could stumble after his powerful, effective ministry and the dramatic events at the river Jordan, it could happen to any of us? Is there a message here? When we find ourselves in ‘prison’ [any dark place], with our faith and courage trembling, let’s take time to remember the work, love, and interventions of Yahshua we have known. In our times of darkness we are being trusted not to be offended by Him! We are learning to accept the unexplained.
Photo by Elisey Vavulin on Unsplash
https://unsplash.com/photos/LCQ06AsMwCM
This Is My Friend!Blessed is the person who places his confidence in Yahweh and does not rely on arrogant people or those who follow lies.
Psalm 40:4, Names of God Bible
No matter what happens to us in this life, the word of [Yahweh] tells us that [Yahweh] is for us, not against us.
Donna Kazenske
The Congregation Of Yahweh
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