19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:19-28 – English Standard Version)
When the priests asked John, “Who are you?” John understood the intention of the priests in asking the question. And John straightly answered, “I am not the Christ”. When people approach us and ask questions related to faith, we need the wisdom to first understand their intention. So, we can share our faith based on their concerns. Opportunities can come anytime and anywhere. We need to prepare ourselves so we are ready to relate our faith to others whenever they approach us. Respond to unexpected questions about faith is hard and sometimes intimidating. Sometimes, we may not know the answer or we may not know how to explain to them. But there are ways to better equip ourselves. We need to thoroughly understand our belief and the content of gospel. We need to understand the reason for us to believe, as well as others. The more understanding we have, we would be more confident in sharing our faith with others.
