Welcome to Day 2 in our 40-day journey through the Gospel of John during the season of land.

Yesterday, we looked at the poetic masterpiece that is the first 18 verses of John chapter 1, and we met Jesus Christ.

Today, we meet another fascinating character in John's Gospel, starting in verse 19 and going

through verse 34, and this is John the Baptist. Not to be confused with the author of John's

Gospel, this is John the Baptist. Yesterday, it was the Word of God that becomes human and dwells

among us, this word that has the power to create the universe by God speaking it into existence

through a word like, let there be light. The same power, the full power of this word,

dwells bodily in the person of Jesus Christ, this word becomes flesh and dwells

among us, becomes human and is with us, a timely word for a weary world that's wandering and searching

for new life and meaning and purpose. The good news is that God is searching for us and bringing this new

life to us as a gift. It's important for us in order to

receive this gift to identify Jesus properly and faithfully, like the first 18 verses of John's

gospel, points us to, but it's also important for us in order to experience this new life

to be able to identify ourselves faithfully.

And that's where this story picks up today.

Verse 19 says, this was John's testimony, John the Baptist testimony, when the Jewish

leaders sent priests and temple assistance from Jerusalem to ask John, who are you?

He came right out and said, I am not the Messiah. It's kind of an odd thing to say in

response to a simple question. If somebody asked you, who are you? Would you think to say,

I'm not the Messiah is the first response? It is a bit odd until you realize the context of what's

happening here. Let me try to unpack that for you.

The religious leaders and John the Baptist Day were used to having all the power and

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