19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[c] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
The Jewish leaders are antithetical to Jesus; they ask John if he is the Messiah, but he freely admits that he is not. John has humility, yet he also has boldness.
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
These leaders really want an answer. There seems to be a hidden agenda for the pharisees.
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
John uses the words of Isaiah to tell who he is. This is a bold statement, but a humble statement. He is in essence challenging these leaders and telling them to make a path for the Lord. It is a great comeback. John is asked loaded questions, so he returns with a loaded answer. Like the Pharisees, we need to make a straight path for the Lord in our own lives.
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