At this point in John’s ministry, before the appearance of Christ Jesus in verse 13, did John even know who he was preceding? He certainly understood that he was the harbinger – the forerunner – of the Messiah. But, even as the prophet of God, did he know that the Messiah was the Second Person of the Trinity? Furthermore, was John expecting to feel the Holy Spirit tapping him on the shoulder, when he saw his cousin, Jesus, coming to him? Had John ever met the son of his mother’s cousin, Mary, before the end of this chapter? There are many things that we don’t know, and perhaps a few things that John didn’t know either.
But he did know that the Messiah, the king of the Heavenly Kingdom, was certainly mightier than himself. This word, “mightier” speaks about strength. It’s not talking about dignity, or authority, deity or fame. It’s speaking about power and strength as in many other scriptures. “How can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.” When Peter “saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” “The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” John was saying that the one who was to follow him was stronger than he was. And he illustrated it by saying – “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after … he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
The word that John used spoke about strength, but there was obviously much, much more involved than just physical power. Of course, John did not choose his words without the direction of the Holy Spirit. Even though better, or more precise words, might have been used, what was said was well within the context of the situation.
I was talking on the phone to Brother Chris Martenson yesterday. We discussed several things, and he had a couple of Bible questions. One involved Isaiah 9:6 – “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” How can Christ be the everlasting Father? The answer is that Isaiah wasn’t talking about things within the God-head. That there are three persons within the Trinity there should be no doubt. And God the Father is not the same person as God the Holy Spirit; nor is He God the Son. Isaiah 9:6 is saying that the Son cannot ever be considered as independent from the Trinity. Christ is the eternal father in the sense that He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Whereas the world wants to give credit to the false goddess “Mother Earth,” the true believer knows that we owe all things to Jehovah God. And within that God-head, we must specifically worship the Lord Jesus Christ, as the source of every blessing that we ever possess.
John was saying that the Messiah is mightier than himself, because he would send the Holy Spirit, and that he would judge both the righteous and the wicked. And in both aspects we should bow our knee beside John in our worship. We have been given the privilege to be a part of the Lord’s church which He baptized on Pentecost. And “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
In addition to these things, I think that there are some other areas of the Lord’s mightiness, which are more pertinent and practical for the moment. He is the great physician, and the One who can recall people from death. Here are two areas in which we are dependent upon Him. As Martha testified, she took some comfort in the fact that she knew that her brother would live again in the last day. And Christ proved to her that He doesn’t have to wait for the last day. This day in which we are living belongs to Christ as well as the last day. Furthermore, at His command, His touch, His look and His grace, the very worst of human diseases vanish. Christ is mightier than the smartest and most skilled physician in the world today – or any day.
There is not a single human problem which is beyond the mighty One’s ability to solve. Financial problems? The One who can draw a fish out of the lake with money in its mouth, can certainly arrange for you to receive an unexpected check. He can bring water out of a rock and manna out of the dew or rain. He can make your goats a monotonous single color – or ringstraked and spotted whichever is more valuable. He can arrange to keep a little more meal at the bottom of the barrel. Do you have relationship problems? He can make even your enemies to be a peace with you. And if He can do that with enemies, He can certainly do much more with your friends. Maybe you have a time problem. Remember what he did for Joshua when a few more hours of daylight were needed to get the job done. Is a F5 storm bearing down on your house? Christ told the wind and waves to behave, and they responded immediately. He can make the tornado lift over your house, your community, or your city to drop on an empty field. Are you so worried that you can’t sleep. The sovereignty of God means that there isn’t a problem which He can’t solve. Daniel might have been a little worried when he was tossed into the lion’s den. I don’t know that he actually slept, but he certainly could have. Car problems? The Lord sent a chariot to pick up Elijah when he needed a lift. There is no human problem which the mighty God in Christ cannot solve.
As I was sitting at my desk thinking about potential problems, I thought that it might be fun and instructive some day to open things up, giving us all an opportunity to participate in a little devotional exercise. What if we all brought up some of our past problems – problems of every kind. And after each one was presented, we let the rest of the group think of a scripture which offered a solution. Ultimately every one of those solutions would find their source in the Lord Jesus. Someone might bring up their inability to memorize scriptures, to learn doctrine, or a lack of wisdom. Are there any scriptures which deal with such things? Sure there are. Someone else says that he has a weight problem. Some people can’t put weight on and others can’t seem to take it off. Do we pray about those problems as diligently as we should? Do you really think that the Lord doesn’t care, or that He can’t bless? Another person brings up the subject of addictions. I get stuck in my mental rut and may not be able to think of a problem which you have to face. But despite my inability to think, the Lord is mightier than I, and He has no inabilities whatsoever.
Of course, many of the problems that we have are caused by sin – ours and the sins of others. Do I need to get into the fact that Christ is mighty enough, and gracious enough to solve even the sin-caused problems? He is the solution for sin – He is the only solution for sin.
John said, “he that cometh after me is mightier than I.” He might have had as limited a picture of that might as I have. But there is no limit placed upon our Saviour.
The other three Gospels express John’s statement in just a little way, but it doesn’t change its essence. “John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” “He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.” Before the carrying of the shoe there must have been the unloosing of that shoe.
Does the word “latchet” mean that we shouldn’t think of Jesus wearing sandals with straps, tying them to his ankles? Does “latchet” mean the same thing as “latch” or “buckle?” No. Jesus wore some sort of sandals. People did not go barefoot much in Jesus’ day; they wore open-toed sandals. I was reading an article the other day about people in Africa whose feet are filled with horrendous disease because they can’t afford shoes. Jesus wore shoes. Don’t be confused by the word “latchet” thinking that it had some sort of buckle. Even my English dictionary defines the word “latchet” as a thong or leather strap. And that is the meaning of the word throughout the New Testament. Acts 22:25, for example, is the same Greek word – “And as they bound him with thongs (latchets), Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?”
John Gill spends a bit of time on this business of John’s untying and carrying the shoes of the Messiah. He says that according to the Jewish writers of John’s day this was a servant’s work, but not the work of a disciple. “All services which a servant does for his master, a disciple does for his master, except unloosing his shoes.” “Only a Canaanitish, not an Hebrew servant, might be employed in, or obliged to such work; for it was reckoned not only, mean and servile, but even base and reproachful. “If thy brother is become poor, and is sold unto thee, thou shalt not make him do the work of a servant; any reproachful work; such as to buckle his shoes, or unloose them, or carry his instruments (or necessaries) after him to the bath.” Still quoting Gill, “Now John thought himself unworthy; it was too great an honour for him to do that for Christ, which was thought too mean for a disciple to do for a wise man, and too scandalous for an Hebrew servant to do for his master, to whom he was sold; which shows the great humility of John, and the high opinion he had of Christ.”
As far as John was concerned, the mightiness of the Messiah by its very nature, rendered John to be one of the lowest of all servants. But at the same time, he was still extremely important in the preparatory work of the Lord. In other words, true humility doesn’t do away with who we are and what we are to do – in our relation to other sinners. Before the Lord we are nothing, but as we stand besides other people like ourselves, we may be very important and helpful, as the Lord’s ambassadors.