Matthew 11:9-10 NCV
So why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, and I tell you, John is more than a prophet. This was written about him: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare the way for you’ [Malachi 3:1].
John the Baptist was a prophet. He was chosen by God. He was chosen to proclaim the message of God. He was a man who God could trust and be faithful to the mission. John had the courage to proclaim God’s Word. Jesus said that John was more than a prophet. What does this mean? Very simply, his message included more than the message of the other prophets. John’s message was the heralding [announcing], the actual proclamation [telling everyone] that the Messiah had come. In this John had a greater job than all the prophets before John. The other prophets only saw the future of the Messiah’s coming, but John saw the Messiah in person. The Messiah came to John to be baptized in water. So it was John’s responsibility to tell everyone that this Messiah is the Lamb of God.
John was more than prophet: he was the subject of prophecy as well as the messenger. Isaiah and Malachi prophesy about John, “The voice cried out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord” and “God will send messenger to prepare the way for Him.” And then in the book of Matthew, it was fulfilled, “John the Baptist came to preach repentance and prepared the people to meet the actual Messiah.” No other prophets did this. This is why John the Baptist was more than just a prophet. He was a messenger for Messiah.
Dorothy: I pray that the Holy Spirit open our spirit to grasp Jesus’ words. From this devotion, it was the first time I finally understood why Jesus said “John was more than a prophet.” John did not have to prophecy about Christ. It was the fulfillment that Christ had finally arrived. Whoa! He is the King of kings, He is the Lord of lords, the everlasting One, God’s beloved Son, The beginning and the end, the sinners’ only Friend, His name is Jesus. His name is Lord…
Song: He is the King
He is the King of kings; He is the Lord of lords,
The everlasting One, God’s beloved Son.
The Beginning and the End. The sinners’ only Friend.
His name is Jesus. His name is Lord…
