John recognizes Jesus as God’s son
Bible Accent: Fulfilling the prophecies
Saint for Today: St. Sturmi
Puzzle
John recognizes Jesus as God’s son
There was a man named John who had been chosen by God for a very special purpose. He was charged with announcing the light, so that everyone would believe in that light. He was not the light, only a messenger, and he was to proclaim that the light, the true light, was soon going to be coming into the world.
And this was John’s message: “The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me. From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.”
As John continued to preach, some of the priests and Levites wondered who he was, so they asked him directly, “Who are you?”
“I am not the Messiah,” John replied.
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
“I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
“No.”
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?”
John answered: “I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert, “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some of the people who were questioning John were Pharisees, and they asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?”
So John said to 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.”
On the very next day, while John was baptizing people, he saw Jesus coming. He immediately called out, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
John saw a dove fly down and remain on Jesus, so he said, “I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
“Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
John 1
Q&A
1. Who did John say that he was?
2. How did John know that Jesus was the Son of God?
Bible Accent: Fulfilling the prophecies
When Jesus was on earth, he said that he had come to fulfill the prophecies about him that were recorded in the Old Testament. We can learn about the life and teachings of Jesus by reading the New Testament. The four Gospels tell us about his birth, his ministry, his miracles and, most important of all, his death and resurrection. But there is much more. The Book of Acts shows us how the early Christians tried to obey Jesus and spread the Gospel, aided by the Holy Spirit. The books that follow are actually a collection of letters written by men who were very important to our faith, such as Paul, Peter, John and James. Most of these letters were written to churches or individuals to help them understand the word of God. The Book of Revelation, although difficult to understand, tells us about the second coming of Jesus and the kingdom of God.
Saint for Today: St. Sturmi
Sturmi (705-779) was cared for by St. Boniface, who brought him to the abbey of Fritzlar to receive his education and later his ordination as a priest. His early religious work was as a missionary in dangerous territory that was frequently attacked by Saxons. Sturmi moved into a safer area and established a monastery in Fulda. St. Boniface appointed him as its first abbot. Sturmi traveled to Italy in order to study Benedictine observance, where he also received encouragement for his work in the monastery from Pope Zachary. The monastery suffered political conflict among its monks and war from the outside during a difficult time in history. Sturmi is believed to be the first German to become a Benedictine monk. We honor him on Dec. 17.
Puzzle
