We—both you and we—are well aware that “the Chosen” is, grammatically speaking, a passive object, and whatever is the object of God’s action is necessarily a created being. The Messiah, peace be upon him, never haughtily refuses to acknowledge this; rather, he affirms it throughout all his speech.

He repeatedly says: “My God and your God; my Father and your Father,” and with every such declaration he confirms that he is a servant who has been sent, owned, dispatched, and commanded: he conveys what he has heard and acts only within the limits prescribed for him. We shall discuss this fully in its proper place in the present book, God Most High willing.

He then added: We have also found that the Messiah, peace be upon him, needed to complete his affair by receiving John’s baptism; accordingly, he went to John and requested it. The rank of the one sought cannot be lower than the rank of the seeker who eagerly approaches him.

Luke the disciple states in his Gospel: “After baptizing him, John the Baptizer sent to the Messiah and asked, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” The Messiah’s reply was