The Evidence of John

The Evidence of John
John 1.19-28

‘I want to make it quite clear that I’m not a candidate.’

You hear that said over and over as politicians jostle for position before a major election. No, they aren’t going to stand. No, they have no intention of running for office. No, they are going to sit this one out. And then – surprise, surprise – suddenly they make a speech saying that friends have advised them, that pressure has been put on them, that for the good of the country they now intend . . . to run after all. And we have become quite cynical about it all.

But here we have a story about a man pushing himself forward in the public eye, gaining a large following, and then refusing to claim any of the offices they were eager to ascribe to him. John, the writer of this gospel, assumes that we know a certain amount about the ‘offices’ or leadership characters that many Jews were expecting at the time. The Messiah: well, of course. The king from the house of David. The king who would overthrow all injustice and rule over Israel, and perhaps the world too. But John denies quite firmly that he is the Messiah, and seems to mean it. He isn’t doing messianic things...

Taken from John for Everyone – by Tom Wright