John's Story by Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins

of Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, “He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.”’
    “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
    “You know, Polycarp, I was a disciple of the baptizer before I met Jesus.”
    “So you heard him say these things yourself?”
    John nodded. “I recall well when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’
    “He told them boldly and forthrightly, ‘I am not the Christ.’
    “And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’
    “He said, ‘I am not.’
    “‘Are you the Prophet?’ they wanted to know.
    “And he answered, ‘No.’
    “Polycarp, they were most frustrated. They said, ‘Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?’
    “He said: ‘I am “ The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ ” as the prophet Isaiah said.’”
    “Pardon me, rabbi,” Polycarp said, “but who were these who questioned him?”
    “They had been sent from the Pharisees. And they asked him, ‘Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’
    “The baptizer answered, ‘I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.’”
    “Where was this, sir?” Polycarp said.
    “In Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. Now listen, because this next marks the first time I saw the Lord.”
    “What must that have been like?”
    “You cannot imagine. The next day the baptizer saw a man coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, “After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.” I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.’
    “Now, Polycarp, James and I stood there, mouths agape. The baptizer had been preaching about the Messiah in our presence for so long that we had begun to wonder if we would ever see Him. And suddenly there He was. I was well aware of the Scriptures that foretold that He would have ‘no form nor comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him,’ so I was not surprised that He was not handsome. But as for me, I confess I was surprised at how plain He at first appeared. I am speaking now only of his features, the cut of his face. He merely looked like one of us, but James and I both agreed later that there was something about his bearing, his carriage. Perhaps it was because John the Baptist immediately identified Him, I don’t know. But there seemed such a peace and serenity about this Man, it was as if I imagined all the knowledge of the universe resided in Him.
    “The baptizer had said that God Himself, the one who had sent him to baptize with water, had told him, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And Polycarp, that is what I saw, the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and remaining on that Man. Even the baptizer admitted that he did not know this Man—surprising when you realize that they were cousins—but the Spirit descending on Him made it plain to all of us who He was. John said, ‘I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.’
    “This remains with me as if it were yesterday. When John baptized Him and He rose up out of that water, the heavens opened and a voice said, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ You can imagine, then, why it so infuriated me when Cerinthus represented as fact that Jesus was not