Grow Guide | Jan 2, 2022

Rebuilding Hope

John 1:19-28 

Connecting Questions 

• Have you ever encountered a famous person, either in person or at a public venue like a concert or rally? What was that like for you? 

• Have you ever experienced a mistaken identity, either when someone thought you were someone else, or you mistook someone for another? Tell the story. 

Context 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We continue our series Rebuilding Hope this week by continuing our journey into the Gospel of John with the story of John the Baptist. Spoiler alert! We will be walking through the Gospel of John from now until Easter. 

John the Baptist (not the same guy who wrote the Gospel) was a radical preacher, preaching out in the wilderness, who was gaining great popularity among the Jewish people. The people suffered under the oppressive Roman Empire and the tyrannical Jewish kings that served as Roman puppets. John behaved like the great prophets of old who spoke truth to corrupt power and called the nation to a baptism of repentance before it was too late. The people flocked to John, seeking hope of salvation from this dark time and the possibility of the Kingdom that David established restored to its former glory.  

Look at the Book 

• Read John 1:19-23. 

  • Who is asking questions of John? Why do you suppose these people were curious about John’s identity? 

  • Who does John claim that he is not? 

  • Note:  

    • The term messiah means anointed one. It was God’s appointed leader of the people. The people were looking for the next leader/Messiah who would deliver them from oppression. 

    • Elijah was the most famous and powerful prophet from the Hebrew scriptures. You can read his story in 1 Kings 17 - 2 Kings 2. Legend said that Elijah would return to pave the way to the restoration of the Kingdom. 

  • John responds to their questions by quoting Isaiah. Read Isaiah 40:1-11. These words were spoken centuries before John, when the people were in exile in Babylon. What connection might John be making between himself and this passage? 

• Read John 1:24-28. 

  • How did John answer the Pharisees’ question (the Pharisees were one sect of Judaism among many)? 

  • To whom was John referring? How did he feel about this person? (refer to John 1:1-18 to see how John is connected to the Word and to Jesus). 

Taking it Home 

• It seems apparent that John the Baptist was a really big deal in his day. All four Gospels mention him and are clear to note that he was NOT the Messiah, but was pointing to the Messiah. Why do you think the people flocked to John to be baptized by him? How do you think they felt when they learned that he was not the Messiah? 

• We live in difficult times right now: the pandemic, civil unrest, political division, increasing natural disasters, etc. In what ways, and in what things, can we be tempted to place our hope that seem really good, but are not the real thing? 

• In what do you find hope today? Why?