Bible Question:
Ray! Thank you for your response. For most people, John baptizing Jesus and then later [in despair] he sends others to Jesus questioning Him is a troubling incident in Scripture, and I am not sure I can give a satisfactory answer to other questioners. You do not understand Jesus as the Prophet to come and it may be stretching it to consider the terms to be interchangeable if not synominous (sp). Particularly if we look John 6:14; 11:17; Rom 5:14; Heb 7:11; and Rev 1:4,8; and 4:8. And these terms in and of themselves are often "loaded." If we go to Acts 8:34, the eunuch, upon reading at least a portion of Isaiah 53, asks who is the prophet speaking of? himself or S/someone else? Beginning from the Scripture, how do you answer this seeker's question? I assure you, I am challenged by this question. Lowry |
Bible Answer: Hi Pariter, I am a person who is interested in capitalization and it was for that reason that I questioned your phrase about the one who was to come. I would have wanted you to capitalize One as you do the Prophet. You see, I really do believe that Jesus is the Prophet and the One who is to come. I believe with John 11:27 (your ll:17 was a typing error) that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world." And in my capitalization I would make Him a Man and a Prophet. See Luke 7:39 "If this Man were a Prophet He would know..." In your Heb 7:ll reference I would capitalize Priest and v.13 "the One concerning whom these things are spoken" and the Priest in verse 15. In all the gospels I make Him my King. He is the Prophet, Priest, and King. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Do you see where I come from? As for the portion in Isaiah 53 I make Him a Man of sorrows, and like One from whom men hide their face, and even 53:8 "For the transgression of My people to whom the stroke was due." In Acts 8:34 it says "Please tell me, of whom does the prophet (Isaiah) say this? Of himself, or someone else?" I keep it a small s because of the context. In the gospels where the context is of the Expected One I place the capital Someone else because why would they look for some mere one when they expect the Prophet. In Acts, Phillip preached Someone else, (even though the enuich may have been looking for someone beside Isaiah) he preached Jesus to him beginning with this Isaiah scripture. The fact that John the baptist didn't recognize Him as God doesn't bother me because the gospel of John was written to downplay who he was. He prepared the way, he wasn't the Way. And we too as witnesses of the gospel can only do as much as we're given. We do the best with what we know and have experienced. Later, Ray |