What Are You Looking For? Following Jesus' Call

``I think perhaps a better question to ask would be, what would John the Baptist do? Because I think I can make a pretty good guess at what he would do. John's ministry was about coming into relationship with God, and his baptism was about washing away your sinful deeds, repenting, and opening your heart to God's love. He called out the religious hypocrites. He spoke out against the misdeeds and corruption of Herod, and he pointed the people towards Jesus. [00:40:11] (41 seconds)  #WhatWouldJohnDo

But what they came to realize was what they were really looking for was the king who could free them from spiritual bondage, and Jesus was the one to do just that. Jesus, who showed the way to find God and God's promise, was the one who liberated them from spiritual bondage. The disciples asked themselves the question, and they listened to Jesus. And they not only found the path, but they went on to become guides themselves. [00:44:23] (40 seconds)  #PavedTheWay

John was looking for that mighty warrior king who'd lead a great army in revolt against the oppressors. Jesus didn't do what John was expecting. He knew that he had found the Messiah, but he didn't understand what Jesus' mission was, which is to bring all people together in harmony, to have people live in right relationship with God, and to focus on their spiritual lives as opposed to their material lives. [00:46:14] (39 seconds)  #PrepareTheWay

I believe that everyone has an inborn need for God and that we all want to have a closer connection to him, even those people who proclaim their disbelief. We all, everyone, have a spark of the holy spirit within us, and I think that spark yearns to grow bigger. We look for meaning in life. We wonder what our purpose is, and it's only through God that we can find that. And Jesus is the one who shows us the way. [00:43:14] (44 seconds)  #LambOfGodMoment

John had a somewhat different theology than the others did, and he was driving his point home to the readers of his time, which was much later than the other three gospels. And the point I'm trying to make is that when you read the gospel of John, and you should read the gospel, you need to try and set aside all of those things that you know is right from the other gospels and just concentrate on what he is saying. Because otherwise, you might find yourself going, no. No. No. No. That's not right. And then you miss out on what John's message is. [00:32:56] (49 seconds)  #JohnsUniqueGospel

So John then sends his disciples off to follow Jesus, or they just do. Depends what version of the Bible you read. And what this says to me is that John the baptizer knows that his role has been fulfilled. He was meant to pave the way for the coming of the messiah. He preached. He baptized. He prophesied. He prepared people for the coming of the Christ. And then once revealed to him, he declared and testified to the arrival of the Messiah. He knows that now is the time for his disciples to move on to Jesus, and he encourages them to do so. [00:38:16] (51 seconds)  #FaithInAction

So John then sends his disciples off to follow Jesus, or they just do. Depends what version of the Bible you read. And what this says to me is that John the baptizer knows that his role has been fulfilled. [00:38:16] (20 seconds)  #SeeHearTestify

We start off with John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus, kind of. You'll notice that he's never called John the Baptist, just John. And the baptism itself is not described. There's 15 verses here describing John, stressing that he was called by God to prepare the way for Jesus. He's a man of strong conviction and faith who truly believed in the work he was doing. [00:33:52] (38 seconds)  #SitAtJesusFeet