KNOWING HIS ROLE

For a period of time, John the Baptist was the most famous preacher in the land. Even though he was based in the wilderness, people of all kinds traveled to hear him and to be baptized by him. His power and popularity were such that it prompted questions among the leaders and the people as to whether he might actually be the Messiah for which they were waiting. If not the Messiah, they wondered, then he must at least be counted among the prophets of Israel (see John 1:19–23). John was clear that his role was to announce the coming One; he even was able to point Him out and baptize Him (see John 1:29–34).

But when Jesus began His ministry, what was next for His forerunner? It seems that John continued to preach and baptize and had disciples who stayed with him. It was these disciples who seemed most jealous for John, afraid that he was being eclipsed by this new teacher. “They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him’ ” (John 3:26). John’s answer is one of insight and humility. Of course, it would have been foolish to think that he could “compete” with Jesus and His ministry. Because John truly believed in Jesus, he knew that Jesus was the reason for his work and even any “success” he had.

He knew that the more attention Jesus received, the more effective his own work had been. He did not need to guard his ministry, compete for crowds, compare baptism numbers, or even keep his disciples. John’s remarkable example is the ministry blueprint for all followers of Jesus—“He must become greater; I must become less.” Imagine what this might look like in our lives, our churches, and our ministries today.