Scripture: John 1:15-28 (ESV)
"John bore witness about him, and cried out, 'This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.”' For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?' He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ.' And they asked him, 'What then? Are you Elijah?' He said, 'I am not.' 'Are you the Prophet?' And he answered, 'No.' 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?' 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.' Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, 'Then why are you baptising, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?' John answered them, 'I baptise with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.' These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptising."
In 1967 Jimi Hendrix was the opening act for The Monkeys. At the time Jimi Hendrix was not yet well known and as musicians often do, he played the opening act of a much more popular band at the time. It turns out that this ended up being disastrous, and his opening act was dropped after only 7 shows. In some ways John the Baptist’s role in God’s redemption story is like that of Jimi Hendrix. John was not the main attraction. His job was simply to warm up the crowd, to get the stage ready for the main event. He knew that his purpose was simply to prepare the way for Jesus to come.
Now what is interesting about this passage is that John shows remarkable humility. The religious leaders were trying to figure out who this weird guy was. Who was this man, out in the desert baptising people, and eating locusts and honey. So they sent a group over to question him. “Are you the Messiah? Are you Elijah? The Prophet? No? So who then?”. John responds: “I am not the Christ”. He didn’t claim to be something he wasn’t, but he also knew what he was. He was a “voice of one crying out in the wilderness”. This is a direct quote from the prophet Isaiah. By quoting this verse, John shows us that he knew what his task was. He was here simply to prepare the way for Jesus. He was the opening act to the big show.
Now how is it that John, as extraordinary as he was, remains steadfast in his job pointing people to Jesus? Because he knew who Jesus was. He knew how important Jesus was, and he knew his place in Jesus’ kingdom. Notice he says “He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.” John knew Jesus was the creator of the universe. John knew that Jesus came first, and it is precisely because John knew this that he could point away from himself and put the spotlight on Jesus.
So what does this have to do with us? A lot! This passage reminds us of our place in God’s kingdom. It reminds us that we are not the main attraction. Our faith in Jesus isn’t about us. It is all about him. This is perhaps especially tricky for Christians who are gifted with “up the front” roles (which includes me... I am writing to myself here!). The pulpit is not a pedestal to stand on. The church stage is not a place to show off our skills. The stage is a place to show off the one who gave us our skills. Our egos cannot get in the way of pointing people to Jesus. Our personalities cannot become a stumbling block. Our job, like John’s, is to make a straight path for others, and point them to Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, please help me to remember that my job is to point other people to you. Let me not get in the way of them seeing you.
Spiritual Challenge:
Look through your diary. What opportunities do you have this week to point others to Jesus?
Preparing the Way for Jesus