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The persistence of the Jews

Text: John 1:19-28

THE PERSISTENCE OF THE JEWS

The Jews were clearly not happy with the answers that John gave them. Thus they persisted in plying John with their questions.

“Who are you, that we may give an answer
to those who sent us? What do you say of yourself?”
John 1:22

John finally complied. Did they want to have a clear word from him concerning how he saw himself? Well, John would speak to them, borrowing a word from Isaiah.

“He said, I am,
The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Make straight the way of the Lord.'”
John 1:23

Would these Jews understand the significance behind this word from the Book of Isaiah? Would they be able to discuss with John the significance of this portion of Scripture quoted? This prophetic portion of the Scriptures was most significant! Would these priests and Levites have enough understanding of the Scriptures to enter into a meaningful discussion with John the Baptizer?

Apparently not! John wasn’t surprised when the Priest and Levites did not enter into any kind of discussion concerning what he had just said to them. Instead, they asked another question – one that focused on the work of baptizing that John was doing. The Jews wanted to know why John continued to do what he did.

“Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ,
nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
John 1:25

THE QUESTION CONCERNING “THE CHRIST”

The fact that the Jews raised this question about “the Christ” revealed an important truth. They had some knowledge about “The Messiah”. However, the way they went about questioning John the Baptiser also revealed that their knowledge of Christ was either deficient or erroneous, perhaps both! If John were really the Christ, would the Jews have just sent a delegation to check Him out? Would that be appropriate? What kind of knowledge did they possess concerning the Christ?

If these were enlightened or well-trained Jewish scholars at all, then they would have known that their Scriptures had indeed prophesied that God would one day send the Messiah to be their Redeemer. But then these prophecies had been written hundreds of years ago. The Promised Christ had not appeared to Israel. Over the years, Israel as a nation waned in their belief concerning The Christ. Many no longer believed in the prophetic Scriptures. At best, they paid lip service to the Scriptures.

When the Jews came to John, they came with unbelief in their hearts. They did not really believe that John was the Christ. Nevertheless, they had to ask this question, because they had been sent to check John out. The question they raised was purely “academic”. They had little or no particularly great interest in John or his ministry at all.

THE QUESTION CONCERNING “ELIJAH”

The Jews could not have been totally benighted. There were popular beliefs that one day God would send Elijah back to Israel. The Jews had a very high regard for the powerful ministry of Elijah. He had come at a time when Israel needed a great champion. Elijah was a powerful preacher who seemingly also came out of nowhere. He suddenly appeared in the land of Israel, he lived in the wilderness and he performed mighty miracles.

In the Book of Malachi, there was a specific mention of Elijah being sent back to Israel. We read,

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”
Malachi 4:5-6

There were similarities, striking ones too. The fact was that the hearts of many were touched. People were confessing their sins, and that seemed to have helped many families. But was John the Elijah prophesied? The Jews asked this question with as much faith as they had asked John about whether he believed he was the Christ – which means simply, that they had no faith at all. If John were the prophet Elijah of old, would they have dared to speak to him in this manner?

THE QUESTION CONCERNING “THE PROPHET”

There was also another general awareness among the Jews of a portion of the Old Testament Scriptures written by Moses. This passage recorded a prophetic word given by Moses.

“The Lord your God will raise up for you
a Prophet like me from your midst,
from your brethren. Him you shall hear…

I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren,
And will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak
To them all that I command Him…”
Deuteronomy 18:15, 18

Did the Jews really come with any kind of faith at all that John could have been that “Prophet”? The bald fact is that they came with no faith at all. They just couldn’t place John. Knowledge without genuine faith – of what significance was that?