Somehow, I cannot picture John the Baptist as a multitasker. I don’t imagine he was smooth at dinner parties. I don’t reckon he cared much for distractions. He strikes me as someone who knew the one thing he was about, and he was deeply invested in that one thing. He was called to prepare the way of the Lord (Matthew 3:3), and by the grace of God, he was able to go about his business with that singular focus.
The life of John the Baptist is such a brilliant reminder to bring us back to the one thing we are about. And I don’t mean writing that novel, or going on a trip, or even perfecting our relationships. I’m talking about the one thing we are all, first and foremost, supposed to be about: the person of Jesus Christ.
John fixed his sights wholly upon proclaiming the coming kingdom. His wilderness living was not just a weird lifestyle choice, but an unbending commitment to prayer and the Word of God. His devotion to Christ and His kingdom are particularly evident in two defining features of John’s life, and these two features should drive us to the same wholehearted seeking of God’s kingdom.
First, John’s humility provokes us to bend our knees before the lordship of Christ. John was the greater Elijah, indeed, and according to Jesus, John was the greatest man to have yet walked the earth (Matthew 11:11). Yet John’s chief calling was to point the way to Christ who would bring the kingdom of heaven along with Him. Though John himself was the greatest of the prophets, he did not yield to the temptation of pride. Instead, he declared to his followers:
“I baptize you with water for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I.
I am not worthy to remove his sandals.
He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).
John further displayed this kind of humility when his own disciples began to abandon him to follow after Jesus, acknowledging: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). If John, the greatest of the prophets, so readily yielded up everything to Christ, how much more ought we do the same? The humility of John the Baptist is a reminder of the greatness of Christ.
Second, John’s courage provokes us to honor the lordship of Christ in faith-filled obedience. John did not hesitate to proclaim the gospel. His cry was continual: “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (Matthew 3:2). He offended the selfish pride in the hearts of the Pharisees and Sadducees, calling out their sin and declaring that they, too, must bow the knee to the true Lord of heaven and earth (vv.7–10).
He declares the same thing to us: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come! He proclaimed this message of the gospel—both its condemnation of sin, and its offer of salvation—even in the face of death. He called sin, sin, a thing we are often hesitant to do in this day and age. And he boldly proclaimed Christ as both Lord and Savior. Such courage only comes from knowing that Christ is Lord over all, and therefore, we need not fear the powers of earth. Such courage only comes from knowing that Christ is the Lamb of God, and therefore, we rest secure in the salvation He has purchased.
Sitting here after reading the Bible passages, what Rebecca Faires has written and looking at my own written thoughts.
It’s truly amazing to me how something that has been read and known for so long, can suddenly look so differently to me. The Bible truly is “the living word.” Magnificent isn’t it?? For it’s always speaking to me in a different way. Same words, different message!
I look at what I’ve written about John the Baptist and see he listened … he really LISTENED! He obeyed … his sole focus was Jesus … was about the kingdom of God. He was humble … not prideful … “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). John had tremendous courage, he was fierce & confident, he was steadfast and faithful!
I pray all of us … each and everyone of us transforms daily to always put God and his plans, his desires for our lives and our families … First. That we eagerly seek for all those things to be first in our lives. And do it with a heart that is willing. That we allow Him to be much greater and we become much less.
Thank you for sharing this!
Gosh Angie, you are so right. I love what you said and have screenshot it to read it over and over. Thank you.
John the baptist was set aside for a specific purpose. He fulfilled that purpose all the way to his death, and he fulfilled it with joy (John 3:29) and humility (John 3:30). My prayer is the each of us here finds and lives their purpose, and live it with singular focus, joy and humility.
April, your honest insight regarding doubt and the need to take EVERYTHING to God without fear of estrangement from His ❤️ Is to be treasured
While the context of this verse was intended for a different purpose I was struck by Matthew 11:12: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of Heaven has been suffering violence, and the violent has been seizing it by force.” During a time of so much hate and violence I couldn’t have been more stuck by this verse. For some reason it really hit me in my heart today….may we pray for all those suffering and do our best to walk firmly in the way the Lord calls us to.
The verse that jumped out to me today was “Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me”(Matthew 11:6). Lord I pray that you will help me not be offended in You through spreading the Gospel, in order to preach Your Truths in love, with boldness like John the Baptist- though being like Jesus means not being friends with the world, not being popular or political correct or man pleasing in any way. John was so bold to the Pharisees even to the point of calling them snakes. Will we be able to be that bold to our modern day Pharisees I wonder? Praise God for this “no one greater than John” example of courage.
When John was in prison his hope wavered. But rather than giving up, he asked Jesus for help and hope. I used to think that a simple Yes! I am the Messiah.” would have been a more welcome answer. But not anymore. Jesus pointed John back to Isaiah’s prophecies about the Messiah and showed how He fulfilled them all. A person could lie or be deluded about being the Messiah, but only the Son of God could fulfill all those prophecies. When my hope runs low, I need to turn to Jesus and God’s Word to remember Who my hope is in!
Thank you for sharing this. I never really thought about it this way. It has really encouraged me!
Mari V. – praising the Lord for protecting you & your son during the car accident yesterday! Praying for provision and peace in the coming days.
Taylor – how wonderful that you were able to share your faith with your fellow graduate students! As a graduate student myself, this excites me to read and I’m so proud of you!
Blessings to each member of this SRT community this Friday!
Tomorrow is moving day and I’m stressed to the max, which is so unlike me. I was unable to get a good nights sleep. My sister was here yesterday and finished going through everything. I hope I can get some sleep tonight. Bless you all my sisters.