John and Jesus

DIVERSE APPROACHES TO A UNITED GOAL

MORNING
Psalm 82, 98 • Malachi 3: 1-5 • John 3: 22-30

EVENING
Psalm 80 • Malachi 4: 1-6 • Matthew 11: 2-19

Have you ever thought about the Gospels? Why are there four accounts? Why weren’t they reconciled and merged? What is important about having four different witnesses to the one Truth?

It is clear from our reading of Matthew today that the disciples of John wondered the same thing about Truth. They saw that Jesus was baptizing people and they wanted to know: was it possible that Jesus could also perform a legitimate baptism? After all, John was a desert ascetic. Jesus was a wine drinker who had dinner parties with prostitutes and tax collectors. The disciples likely expected there to be one right way to obtain purification, and that Jesus’s way was probably too permissive.

John surprised his disciples when he approved of Jesus as the very person he was purifying them for. And Jesus had warm feelings towards John as well. He says in Luke chapter 7 that “among those born of woman there is no one greater than John” and that he is more than a prophet because his lifestyle and preaching and baptism have pointed all who follow him in the right direction.

We can see through this example that there are many ways towards salvation. There are those who find salvation like John did; there are others who are more like Paul or James or Peter, or even like the Prophets. Some journeys have fairly obvious trajectories; some are wandering. How can any of us judge? Although we are all on different paths, we are all on this journey together.

Written by Haley Hixson

During this pandemic, I have found comfort in the rituals and beauty of our church, even from afar. I feel the presence of the congregation of Saint Paul’s whenever I livestream church or whenever I try desperately to get zoom to work for fellowship. I pray that all our hyperlinks work and that our videos don’t lag until we are able to meet again!