Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of the 1st Week after the Epiphany: Year 2
Morning, Psalms 5 and 6; Evening, Psalms 10 and 11;
Genesis 3:1 to 24; Hebrews 2:1 to 10; John 1:19 to 28
“John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know.” (John 1: 26)
We don’t always know who is in our midst. I wonder if John made eye contact with Jesus as he said the words “Among you stands one whom you do not know.” John knew Jesus, it is said that they were cousins.
Knowing someone is more than just knowing who their relatives are, their parents, siblings and so forth. Knowing a person implies, at some level you know what they like and dislike, what they value and their preferences of foods, music, habits and hobbies. In the case of our Lord Jesus, it also means you know He is God Incarnate. No one around John knew that about our Lord Jesus except for Cousin John.
I have been around some of my friends for a very long time only to find out that when a certain topic came up and they surprised me with how they acted. Then I realized that I didn’t really know them at all. So when John says “Among you stands one whom you do not know,” he’s right. But let’s not confuse knowing a person with knowing “of” a person. Sometimes it’s good to know something about a person in order to know how close you want to be with them. The more similar attitudes you both have about various subjects the closer you become. But even with this, I like to be close with people who differ with me in some areas. I always want to hear an opposing view point. It keeps me honest. It may even cause me to shift in my pondering as I hear what the Spirit is saying to me through someone with a different perspective. We don’t mature if we stay stagnated with people of the same mind. We must listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, through us.
As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 