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John’s not so sure about Jesus (Advent 3A)

"John's not so sure about Jesus (Advent 3A)" - a photo of a person taking a picture of a cityscape with his phone, with the city image from the phone in focus.
"John's not so sure about Jesus (Advent 3A)" - a photo of a person taking a picture of a cityscape with his phone, with the city image from the phone in focus.
Photo by Shiqi ZHAO on Unsplash

John the Baptist has a different idea of Messiah.


When John the Baptist sends some of his disciples to check up on Jesus, it doesn’t seem like he’s planning to listen. He’s sending them with something he wants to say.

The center of the story’s conflict is not two people in the same room. It’s the prophet in prison and the messianic rabbi roaming free. And the prophet is not convinced.

Jesus, however, doesn’t seem to care much for John’s concern. He appeals to the disciples themselves and tells them to pay attention to what they see.

There are some really interesting elements to this story that are worth noting. But what gets me interested the most? Recognizing that John’s opinion isn’t supposed to be ours.

Here are some ways I approach this text:

Past Sermons: