“A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.” —John 1:6–9
A shooting star sent forth from God to shatter the darkness of sin by shedding light in preparation for Jesus to shine, John the Baptist came as a witness to the true light. This witness was prophesized by Isaiah and subsequently applied by each gospel writer to John the Baptist—the forerunner of Christ:
“A voice cries out, “In the wilderness clear a way for the LORD; build a level road through the rift valley for our God.” —Isaiah 40:3
John the Baptist was equipped and commissioned by God for this special ministry of pointing the people from the error of their ways to the truth of Jesus. He had a specific message, addressed to specific recipients, intended to elicit a specific response. He came with a call to repentance for those wallowing in the wasteland of life, pointing them to their need for a Savior.
At his birth, John’s father Zechariah states the following regarding his son’s life’s work:
“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Because of our God’s tender mercy the dawn will break upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” —Luke 1:76–79
“One of the keynotes in John’s thoughts regarding Jesus is that Jesus is the Light of the World. It means that Jesus, as the Light of the World, is the One who makes clear the Meaning and Destiny of Human Existence. Jesus was God’s expression of Himself. Jesus was God. Jesus was God’s Message to Mankind.” —Halley’s Bible Handbook
Jesus himself gives us the following information regarding John the Baptist:
“He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time in his light.” —John 5:35
Certainly, John proves to be a wonderful example of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew regarding our light:
“You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.”—Matthew 5:14–16
Later in the book of Matthew, Jesus said:
“I tell you the truth, among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is! From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come. The one who has ears had better listen!” —Matthew 11:11–15
Our light is meant to shine forth giving direction and pointing others to the proper path!
What a wonderful example John the Baptist set for all in ministry—always pointing to Jesus and not to himself. Indeed, his greatness and humility shine forth clearly through his words as we discover in chapter three of John:
“No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but rather, ‘I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete. He must become more important while I become less important.” —John 3:27–30
Become More
“Let us work as if success depended upon ourselves alone, but with heartfelt conviction that we are doing nothing, and God everything.” —St. Ignatius Loyola
God is the only One who can empower us to become more! It is Him working in and through us that will enable us to experience all that He has for us.
John the Baptist was sent to prepare for the arrival of the Messiah. John baptized with water and Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit—this was the divine order of things and one with which John was comfortable. When Jesus’ popularity began to grow and John began to shrink, John joyfully accepted God’s plan. When the King arrived, there was no further need of the herald. Every believer should have such a mindset as this. It is not about us; it is all about Jesus.
“Every Christian life ought to be a force among men, a witness for Jesus and an influence for blessing and good. I know that there are few people like Billy Graham, whom God calls to do great things for Him. For men like me, and perhaps you, the best thing that we can do in the small time allotted to us in this world is to live out a genuine, simple, beautiful, strong Christian life. In our little measure we can repeat the life of the Lord Himself, doing in our imperfect way a few of the wonderful things He would do if He were Himself in our place.” —Wales Goebel
Further Reflections
“Repentance does not cause a sense of sin—it causes a sense of inexpressible unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am absolutely helpless, and I know that through and through I am not worthy even to carry His sandals.” —Oswald Chambers
“John was a lamp, not the true Light. The Jewish nation for a short time was stirred by and rejoiced in his ministry. For a moment they thought the Messianic Age was dawning. Even though his preaching had some stinging rebukes, there was a great popular excitement about his message. The people thought that though Israel might be disciplined, their enemies would be destroyed.” —Bible Knowledge Commentary