[Photo by John Tyson on Unsplash.]
If there is one lesson we should learn from John Baptist it is this - he gave Jesus the important place in his life. It is a lesson in humility. John was not promoting himself - his role was to proclaim Jesus the Messiah. He was eager to do that even though he was eclipsed by his relative. John was born a few months before Jesus but he recognised that his younger cousin was greater than he was. It did not matter to John that people were now turning away from Him to this man from Galilee who could do so many miracles. John did not have an inflated sense of his own importance. He was completely aware that his role was to point others to Jesus.
It had been prophesied many years before that there would be a voice calling the people to repent in preparation for the coming of the Messiah (See Isaiah 40: 3-4). John knew what his mission was and he did not overstep that God-given mission. He was to prepare the way of the Lord and John knew that Jesus was 'the Lord' - the Messiah, the Son of God. In Mark's Gospel the word 'messenger' is used to describe the role of John Baptist (Mark 1:2-3). John Baptist was like a herald proclaiming the coming of the Messiah. John's message produced a remarkable response from the public in Judea.
The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River. [Mark 1:4-5]
It is remarkable that John did not take the credit for this 'revival.' It would have been easy for him to look at himself and say, "Look at what I have achieved. Is it not amazing how many people are coming to be baptised. There cannot be many left in the streets of Jerusalem. They have all made their way to the River Jordan." John teaches us all a lesson in humility. I have never preached to a large audience but I have stood as a steward at Keswick Convention watching some of the well-known Bible teachers addressing the big marquee containing 3,000 people. There were times when the tent had reached capacity and so had the relays in other venues. We had crowds gathered outside at times listening to the message. It must be difficult to maintain a correct attitude in such a situation. John made it very clear that he was not into promoting his own image. He described Jesus as 'one more powerful than I (am).' (Mark 1: 7) He used a powerful metaphor to describe his relationship with Jesus the Messiah. He claimed that 'he was not fit to stoop down and untie the thongs of his sandals.' He was highlighting the type of service expected of the lowest household slave. There is a clear suggestion that any work with a person's feet was associated with a very lowly position. This is clearly demonstrated in John chapter 13 when Jesus took a towel and wrapped it around his waist and began to bathe his disciples' feet. This shocked Peter to the core and he resisted. He found it shocking that Jesus was doing such a menial task (John 13: 1-10). [See previous Day Share entitled "Feet Washing - Humility" 25/04/2021]
We find all this expanded in John's Gospel where there is an account of the Pharisees challenging John to tell them who he really is (See John 1: 19-28). In chapter 3, there is a further elaboration of John's role in relation to Jesus. John Baptist is explicit - he describes himself as the friend of the bridegroom (or as we say in Scotland - the 'best man') and not the bridegroom himself (John 3:39). He also spells out that he is happy to play that supportive role - he speaks of the joy being complete now that Jesus was engaged in public ministry. There is a wonderful expression which we could apply as a motto for our lives as Christians - "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30)
There is a person called Diotrephes who is mentioned in John's third letter and it says about him that 'he loves to be first.' Paul writing to the Colossians says 'that in everything he might have supremacy." Jesus should have the first place in our worship and service and in our homes and in all aspects of our lives. That will mean that we have to take the lowly place.
Agreed