You know how it was that Jesus of Nazareth began his career as a teacher and public figure in Galilee. You know how John came out of the wilderness and preached to the people who gathered around him on the banks of the Jordan. You know how for many long centuries the Jewish people had looked for the coming of their Messiah. When John appeared, their scholars speculated that perhaps this impassioned wilderness man might, actually be the Expected One. They sent their representatives to inquire of him concerning this, saying, "Who are you?" And he said, "I am not the Christ" (John 1:19-20). Unsatisfied to know simply who John was not, they insisted on knowing who he was: "Who are you? What do you say about yourself?"

John never did really tell those people who he was. He identified himself onl…