David Bahn – Reflections

John 1:14-23

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said,‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

¹⁹ And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²² So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”²³ He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

If you have ever looked over the edge of a very high cliff you might know the feeling: If I would slip from here there would be no hope for me; I would die. Perhaps you have looked over the edge of the deep chasm between yourself and God and come to a similar conclusion: If there is no Savior – if God is not rich in grace – there is no hope for me. If you have not had that experience, I hope one day you will, for it is the foundation to faith in Jesus as Savior rather than a life of false bravado, denial, and self-deception.

Even people of faith come under such self-scrutiny on occasion. Last night I was reflecting on a disconnect between my professed faith and some of my thoughts and actions. Not to worry: my sins are not gross outward transgressions. I need not go into sordid details. But my sins do reveal a fallen and corrupt nature and point toward a desperate need for a Savior – if I am to be saved.

That is why these words from John are so precious: We have a real Savior. He is the Word made flesh. The man who Jesus identified as the greatest ever born (John) goes out of his way to say he is not the Savior, not the prophet, not Elijah. He is the one crying out, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” He is not the Christ, but he is calling us to prepare our hearts for Christ.

Those who need a Savior prepare themselves for Christ by acknowledging their sins, refusing to presume anything of themselves, humbling themselves, and looking to him for life and salvation. He is the source of grace upon grace, and that is good news. Last night as I was praying I realized that if it was up to me, I would have no hope. But I have a Savior, and the truth is that Christ is my Savior, the source of grace upon grace. For that I thank and praise my God.