John the Baptist
was an incredible individual. He is one
of those characters that stand out in the annals of history. Beyond the camel skins and locust, beyond the
passionate preaching and fruitful evangelistic efforts, he is a singular figure
with a unique mission—to usher in the coming of the Messiah. He is one of those figures that evoked my
son’s questions about people being born for a specific reason, after which they
die.
He was born
before his cousin, and he was already a powerful voice of God in the desert
long before Jesus enters the scene. His
messages called for repentance and justice.
Crowds came from far and wide to listen to his words. Many were baptized in the Jordan River as a
result of his preaching in the power of the Spirit of God. Yet, one day his messages take a strange
turn—at least in the ears of those accustomed to his past passionate appeals to
confession and contrition. He begins
suddenly to make references to One who would soon appear. His arrival, he states, will overshadow his
ministry in every way. In fact, he implies
his ministry’s purpose consists of nothing more than to usher in the coming of
One greater than him.
John’s life is a testament to one who is consumed by a single-minded purpose—to introduce Jesus, the Word of Life and Light, to the world. Yet, in a sense, I am called to be just that. It ought not to be my singular goal to make a name for myself, although that may happen. My life should not be an end to itself. My life, my deeds, my career, all that I am and do, are in a very true sense swallowed up in my mission and calling to usher Jesus into my world, to my friends, to my family. I fail miserably! It is God who ought to shine through my words and actions. Everything else I do finds ultimate meaning in this. The opposite is also true—everything I do loses its ultimate meaning if it does nothing more than put the focus on myself. I could use a little more John in me.
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