“They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?’
He said, “I am not.’
“Are you the Prophet?’
He answered, “No.'”
Malachi 4:5 says, ““See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.” In Deuteronomy 18:15 Moses says: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.”
Q: If John had answered, “Yes,” to the question, “Are you Elijah?” or “Are you the Prophet?”, what would the Jewish leaders have expected of him?
??Perhaps they would have listened to him about the coming Messiah??
Unfortunately, he was not what they expected…or what they wanted.
He certainly wasn’t what they expected! My thought was that if John the Baptist had said “yes” to either question, they would have started pounding on him for proof or “signs.” The effect would have been the same; the Truth standing on the outside of their closed minds knocking on the door to get in, all the while the Pharisees are looking for reasons to bolt the doors and shutter the windows.
Good point John. Their hearts and minds were closed to anything but self.
This is really a fantastic question. In order for me to understand a “what if” though, I had to go back and understand the “what is” first.
First off, I was amazed to read that John the Baptist had been filled with the Holy Spirt in the womb.
John 1:11-17 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
There are two things I want to take from this passage. One: John path was set before birth. Two: Zechariah (John’s father) evidently prayed for his family to be of service to God, and his prayer was answered. This means that John would have felt the guidance of the Holy Spirit as he grew up, and that Zechariah would have also raised John up in full knowledge of his life’s mission. Between the guidance of John’s Heavenly father and earthy father, he would have emerged from the wilderness ready to set a stage.
Knowing this I believe John would know that claiming anything other humble servanthood would be a distractor to God’s purpose. He denied even being a prophet because he know that it would put the focus on what he said as John the Baptist and not on the Word of God. If he had claimed that he was Elijah or a prophet they would have expected him to say and do great things, most likely dissecting everything he did and said.
I also believe that John answered as he was led by the Holy Spirit, I believe he did everything according to what the Holy Spirit led him to do.
End Note: I also found it very interesting that although John himself denied being anything special, Jesus clarified John’s role just before His (Jesus’s) death.
Matthew 17:10–13 So the disciples asked him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” “Elijah is coming and will restore everything,” he replied. “But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
Wow, Chris! Great job! I like your analysis of this passage.
There are a lot of aspects to this topic that would make an interesting study. Your final point, quoting Matthew 17: 10-13 points to the issue of Elijah. John denies being Elijah, but Jesus said that “Elijah had already come,” meaning John.
The meanings behind the words become important. John meant that he was John, not Elijah. This was true. But we also know that John was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:15) and that God promised John “will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah.” (Luke 1: 17) God is able to put the same spirit that motivated Elijah into anyone he chooses. God chose John.
I truly believe as the others have pointed out, John would have been expected to do great things. They would have hounded on him, while also shaming him because they lived in a world of closed mind and hearts. I also believe John did not want to detract from the mission which he was sent on. John’s mission was to go before Jesus and spread the word of his coming. Even when asked why he baptized, John replied, “I baptize with water, but among you stands One you do not know. He is the One who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” (John 1:27)
What stands out to me in this verse is when John says “..but among you stands One you do not know…” I read that to mean that the Holy Spirit was already there and among the group as He has always been among people, it’s just that back in ancient times, they truly believed you could only worship and pray in temples, etc. They did not understand that you could worship and pray to Him anywhere you were and that He is always with us.
Darla,
Nice to hear from you!! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. You are absolutely right. God never was limited to a temple. He is everywhere. As you point out, “He is always with us.” What a comforting truth!