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Gospel: John 1: 19-28
This is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted,
“I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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“Who are you?”
This was the central question every Jew and scholar of the Law wanted to know about John the Baptist. Are you the Messiah, the one who is to come?
No.
Thankfully, John didn’t suffer from an identity crisis. He knew exactly who he was – and who he was not.
He was God’s forerunner, the one called to point him out when he came. But knowledge of this divine mission didn’t inflate John’s ego; quite the opposite. He warned he wasn’t even worthy to carry the Lord’s sandals.
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Like John, we should all be able to answer that question: “Who are you?” Not in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God. We are four things, in particular.
We are loved.
So loved that God not only created us in his image and likeness, but he also offered himself for us on a cross so that we might not perish, but might have eternal life.
We are irreplaceable.
God has left his mark on each of us, literally. Every human being has a unique fingerprint, purpose, and combination of gifts and talents. There never has been, nor will there ever be, another you.
We are part of God’s family, the Church.
Therefore, we are never alone; rather, we are all part of a greater whole.
We are a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
Through his Spirit, God lives within us, teaching, guiding, filling us with love and grace, slowly making us holy.
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So, “Who are you?”
Not the Christ, but a child loved infinitely by God, who was created to prepare his way. How might we do that today?
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Image credits: (1) LinkedIn (2) Saint Gabriel Catholic Church (3) Adobe Stock