JOHN 10:40-42 THE POWER OF TRUTH

40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.

From the playground at the elementary school to the ivy-enshrouded shrines of academia those listening to a statement demand proof. Whether it is articulated in the challenge, “Sez who?” or the more refined request for “sources” we are a people who exercise what we think is a healthy skepticism. As an accurate record of the interaction of God and humankind, the Bible gives witness to the same attitude. “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:22). So, we are well trained to at least attempt to back everything we say with some sort of “proof.”

What a contrast to the way of the world we find in John the Baptizer. The power of the truth in this John is emphasized in this passage by the statement that he “never performed a miraculous sign.” The proof of his words was to be found in the integrity of his life and the message itself. He said people were sinners. He told them what they needed to do. And he proclaimed the coming of the One who would be the ultimate answer to their need. No bells, no whistles, simply the truth. Jesus, Truth Incarnate, becomes the final proof of John’s message.

Being sinners living in a world of sinners, we still find it necessary today to use various statements and oaths to back up our statements. In my own experience, on both the giving and receiving side (sad to say), I find that the strongest oaths are used when we are on the most tentative ground. The more unsure we are the greater the employed proof must be. Here is where John the Baptizer continues to serve us today. He enters our lives and demonstrates the power of truth. The Gospel is so true that our “proofs” can only detract from it. As disciples of Jesus we are to allow our transformed lives to be the witness to the veracity of the Gospel. As Jesus tells us, our “Yes” should be yes and our “No”, no because “anything this beyond comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37).

Save me from the ways of the world, Lord God, and through your Holy Spirit fill me with the confidence in the Gospel that my life will be proof enough of your truth. May I always remember that my role is to announce and demonstrate your Gospel, while it is your Spirit that convicts the world of its truth and changes the hearts of men. Amen.