‘네가 누구냐?’
본문관찰과 묵상
유대인들이 종교지도자들을 요한에게 보내 ‘네가 누구냐?’물었다. 요한은 ‘주의 길을 곧게 하라고 광야에서 외치는 자의 소리’라고 했다. 그리스도, 엘리야, 선지자도 아닌데 왜 세례주느냐? 나는 물 세례를 주지만 내 뒤에 오시는 그리스도는 무엇으로 세례를 줄지 너희는 모른다고 했다.
QT를 통하여 듣는 주님의 음성
‘네가 누구냐?’라는 주님의 음성을 듣는다. 예 주님 저도 주의 길을 곧게 하려고 세상에서 외치는 소리입니다. 소리는 사람을 깨운다. 죄를 깨우치고 회개하여 물로 깨끗이 씻듯이 씻김받아야 한다는 소리를 외쳐야 한다.
결단과 적용
왜 세례 요한이 ‘여자가 낳은 자중에 요한보다 더 큰이가 없다’(눅 7:28)라고 예수님이 말씀했을까? ‘주의 길을 예비하는자’이기 때문이다. 그런데 ‘왜 천국에서는 세례요한 보다 작은자가 없을까?’천국에 있는자는 회개만 한 것이 아니라 불과 성령으로 회개를 통해 죄 사함 받은 자이기 때문이다. 율법은 회개를 재촉하는 몽학선생이요, 은혜와 진리는 회개한 자를 살리는 예수님의 생명이기 때문이다. 예언의 영에 충만하여 예수를 증거하며 살리라!
‘Who are you?’
John 1:19-28
Observation and meditation on the text
Jewish leaders sent their religious leaders to John the Baptist and asked him who he was. John answered lucidly, ‘I am the voice of the one calling in the wilderness.’ They asked why did he baptized people if he was not Christ, nor Elijah, nor prophet? John answered to them he baptized people with water, but people did not know what the one who came later after him would baptize people with.
I hear the voice of the Lord through QT
I hear the same question from my Lord, ‘who are you?’ I immediately answer to the Lord, yes Lord, I am the voice of the one calling in the wilderness too. Voice will awaken people. Therefore, I must keep on witnessing Jesus so that people would repent of their sins as water would wash away their sins.
Decisions and applications
Why did Jesus declare, ‘I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John.’ It is because John was the one who prepared the way of Jesus who is calling in the world. Then, why did Jesus say, ‘yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he?’ Because those who are in heaven are the ones whose sins were forgiven by the baptism of the Fire and the Holy Spirit when they believed in Jesus as Christ and Messiah instead of just being convicted of their sins by the law and realize that their sins should be washed away. The Law is the guardian or tutor who convicts sinners to repent of their sins, but grace and truth are the power of Life which revives the dead who are simply convicted their sins by the law. Jesus is the Life. Therefore, by being filled with the Spirit of prophecy, I will keep on witnessing Jesus as Christ and Messiah.