The Gospel of John


·	The Lamb of God: 1:29-31
·	Water Baptizer: 1:24-28
·	The Voice: 1:23
·	Who Are You: 1:21-22
·	Not Me: 1:19-20
·	Saving Initiative: 1:18
·	Daily Incarnation: 1:14
·	Core of Belief: 1:12-13
·	Unrecognized, Unwelcome: 1:9-11
·	The One Sent: 1:6-8
·	In the Beginning: 1:1-5
·	Devotional Reflections on the Gospel of John
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A devotional by Matthew Philip

The Voice: 1:23

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

John’s response to “Who are you?” and “What do you say about yourself?” is just too easy to gloss over.

He intentionally bypasses powerful labels like descendent of Aaron, Levite, or even Prophet of the Most High God, and simply identifies himself as “the voice.”

Do you hear the joy and confidence in his declaration that he is “the voice” announcing the coming of the Lord? Yet in his humility, he does not even mention his own name.

Well aware of the prophecy at his birth (“he will go before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah”)[1] and the buzz that he was Elijah,[2] John quotes from Isaiah 40:3 to authenticate himself, rather than using the more commonly known Elijah passage from Malachi 3:1. John redirects attention away from himself and toward the coming Lord, reflecting his life calling to be “the voice.”

Last night I had dinner with a Filipino family from church. Rex and Evangeline Alocilja, both PhDs. They live in a simple home near Michigan State University (MSU) for one reason: to share Christ with international students.

There are hundreds of MSU graduates around the world from Malawi to Morocco, from Algeria to Japan who are in living relationship with God as a result of the Alociljas’ friendly, but persuasive witness.

It would not be unusual for Evangeline (“Vangie”) to lead a post-doctoral visiting Chinese scholar to the Lord this week, and a resettled refugee family from Burma the next. ‘Evangelist’ is a word that easily describes her.

As the evening progressed, I learned more about Vangie’s work at Michigan State. Her current research goal is to develop an electro-magnetic device – a biosensor to detect microorganisms. If she succeeds, detection time for deadly bacteria like tubercle bacillus (TB) would drop from days to seconds.

Vangie concluded this part of our conversation softly, “My life – all these years of hard work – would be well worth it if by early detection I could help save one child’s life.” A nationally recognized researcher, with numerous patents and awards to her name, ‘motivated scientist’ also fits her.

Could I describe myself with one word? I don’t think the one my family most frequently uses to describe me is comprehensive enough: “funny man.” Many of my peers, influenced by Rick Warren’s The Purpose Drive Life, have clear (and often lengthy) life statements. Others stimulated by the more limiting “what would you want engraved on your tombstone?” question have shorter phrases.

But one word?

Is there a single one that would best describe my 60-hour work week of emails, meetings, and phone calls? ‘Busy’ would be pretty pathetic.

How about one to characterize relationships with family, friends, co-workers and neighbors? ‘Friendly’ sounds quite weak, lacking breadth or depth.

Describing my relationship with God? ‘OK’ sounds too much like ‘lukewarm.’

John the Baptizer, aware of his identity and purpose as “the voice,” stays on message and in character, reflecting a focused, integrated and God-centered life.

Simple is good, less is better and one good word may be better than a rambling paragraph.

Which word would you use to describe yourself? Would your friends agree?

[1] Luke 1:10

[2] John 1:21