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John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a
dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the
one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see
the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize
with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the
Son of God.” John 1:32–34
It’s interesting to note that in the Gospel of John, Saint John the
Baptist never baptized Jesus, as is depicted in the Gospels of
Matthew, Mark and Luke. Instead, in the Gospel of John, John the
Baptist simply witnessed the descent of the Holy Spirit from a
distance, and then spoke the quoted line above. The next day, the
Baptist pointed to Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” and two of his own
disciples left the Baptist to follow Jesus.
Why is there this apparent discrepancy between the Gospel of John
and the three Synoptic Gospels? Though it’s hard to answer that for
certain, one thing that is made uniquely clear in the Gospel of
John is that the Baptist was given a unique spiritual knowledge by
the Father that Jesus was the “Lamb of God.” In this Gospel, the
revelation of Who Jesus was did not take place in a way that
everyone present heard and saw. Rather, John’s Gospel focuses upon
the interior realization that John the Baptist received from the
One Who sent him. And the One Who sent him was the Father in
Heaven.
One spiritual truth worth pondering from the account of the Gospel
of John read today is that the conviction and certainty given to
the Baptist about Jesus’ identity was so certain that he knew Who
Jesus was beyond any shadow of a doubt. This personal revelation
given to the Baptist changed his life. From that moment on, all he
did was point people to Jesus.
As you ponder this spiritual revelation about Jesus that the
Baptist received from the Father in Heaven, consider for yourself
what would be more convincing. Would it be more convincing to hear
an audible voice from Heaven declare Who Jesus was? Or to receive
this same knowledge through an interior and spiritual communication
from the Father? If you believe that the former, the external and
audible voice, would be more convincing, then you might want to
pause and think again. The truth is that God’s clearest and most
certain form of communication to us is one that is internal. And
even if there were an audible voice spoken from Heaven, as depicted
in the Synoptic Gospels, that Voice would have to also be
interiorly confirmed by faith in the hearts of the hearers so as to
convince them on the deepest level.
Reflect, today, upon the spiritual truth that God the Father wants
to speak to you in the depths of your own soul so as to draw you
into a certainty about Himself and all that He has spoken as true.
Do you hear God speak? Have you allowed yourself to be convinced by
His Voice? Listen to Him today and allow all that He speaks to you
to become the source and goal of all that you say and do in
life.
Father in Heaven, You have revealed to me Who You are and Your
plan for my life in many ways. And though You are always speaking
to me, I acknowledge that I do not always listen. Please open my
soul to You more fully so that I may come to faith and be certain
of Your love and Your perfect will in my life. Jesus, I trust in
You.
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Featured image above: Baptism of Christ By Andrea
del Verrocchio, via Wikimedia Commons
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