To the Manner Born

 

Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.  And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight.  --Malachi 3:1 (NKJV)

The phrase “to the manner born” is an idiomatic expression that has its roots in the works of William Shakespeare, one of the most influential playwrights and poets in the English language. This phrase is often used to describe someone who is naturally suited to a particular lifestyle or role, suggesting that they possess an innate ability or inclination that aligns perfectly with their environment or circumstances.  Over the centuries, “to the manner born” has been adopted into everyday language, often used to describe individuals who seem to excel in their roles or professions without apparent effort. For example, a person who is a natural leader may be described as being “to the manner born” for their ability to inspire and guide others. Similarly, an artist who effortlessly creates beautiful works may also be referred to in this way, highlighting their innate, God given talent.

I thought of this phrase when I read our passage for today, found in John 1:6-13.  Let's read it together.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, that all might believe through him.  He was not the Light, but came to bear witness about the Light.  The true Light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.  But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

We are introduced first to a man called John the Baptizer.  We may know him better by the name John the Baptist.  He was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, who was herself a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Like Jesus, John's birth was announced by an angel (see Luke 1:11).  Like Jesus, John was sent by God, as we read in John 1:6.  Like Jesus, John spoke truth to power.  Unlike Jesus, however, John was not the Light of the World.  That Name belongs to Jesus only.

John was sent by God to be a witness.  His identity could very well be "John the Witness" as easily as "John the Baptist."  He was sent by God to be a witness, "so that all might believe through him."  There is, I am sure, some debate among theologians and Bible scholars as to specifically whom the "him" refers to in verse 7.  We know from other scriptures that Jesus' message was that all who believed in Him might be saved.  However, in this instance I believe it was the Gospel writer's intent to assign the job to John to be a witness to all, so that all might believe through John's witness that Jesus was the Messiah.  

One of the things I like about the New King James Version of the Bible is that they do not follow the Associated Press Stylebook or the Chicago Manual of Style or even the New York Times Manual of Style and Usage.  None of these style guides allow capitalization when referring to God.  The NKJV Bible, however, does capitalize all references to God.  Whenever you see the capital H "Him" in the NKJV, you know it is speaking of Jesus or God.  In John 1:7, however, there is a lower case "h" in the phrase "that all might believe through him."  That is, through John the Baptist.  

That's a big job, being the one person whose message was for all to believe in Jesus.  You may be the only person in your family who believes in Jesus.  You may be the only believer in your place of business.  You may even be the only person in your city or entire country who believes in Jesus.  What should your primary focus be?  Your only job is to to a witness to the Light, so that all might believe through you.  Think about that.

Think about this, too:  The Greek word for "witness" is μαρτυρία or martyria, where we get the English word "martyr."  John's task was to be a witness to the world, to speak truth to power, and it ultimately got him killed.  Are you willing to go that far?  Are you willing to put it all on the line for Jesus?

George MacDonald, a Scottish, poet, and Christian minister, once said, "I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think of.  For to have been thought about--born in God's thoughts--and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest, most precious thing in all thinking."

The second person spoken of in our passage is Jesus.  As beautifully as the Gospel writer presented this passage, we are again met with that pesky pronoun "he."  In verse 10, the antecedent of the word "he" was John.  This is usually the way to interpret context, and I'm sure all the style manuals would agree.  However, John the Gospel writer follows the word "He" with "was the true Light."  We already know from this passage that John the Baptist was not that Light, so this "He" must refer to Jesus.

He, Jesus, came into the world that He had created, to the people of the nation of Israel, whom God had specifically chosen among all the nations on Earth.  Did these people accept Him as Lord?  No, they did not.  "He came into His own, but His own people did not receive Him." But, the Gospel writer says, whoever does receive Him into their lives as Lord and Savior, those people will be given the right to be called Sons of God.

To what manner was Jesus born?  How about John the Baptizer/Witness/Martyr?  Neither of them very well received by the religious leaders of the day.  Jesus commented on this in Luke 7:33-34 when He said, "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at Him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'"  Yet throughout the New Testament we see Jesus speaking to people of various socio-economic backgrounds, education levels, and religious traditions.  He spoke kind words to women, which was almost unheard of in that day and time.

The Apostle Paul modeled his ministry after that of Jesus.  In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 he said,

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  To the Jews I became a Jew, in order to win Jews.  To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.  I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

It takes a special person to be able to engage with rich and poor, male and female, religious and non-religious.  Paul did it.  John did it.  Jesus did it most of all.  In the same way, you and I are called to reach out world with the gospel.  We are called to bear witness to the Light, so that all we come in contact with will believe through our testimony.  God may call some of us to speak truth to power.  He may even call some of us to die for the sake of the Gospel.  If God calls us, then He will equip us.