Man With A Mission

    "Among them that are born of women there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist."
                                                         Matthew 11:11




The prophecies about his life started some seven hundred years before he was ever born. This is how the prophet, Isaiah, described him, "A voice of one who cries: 'Prepare the way of the Lord [clear away the obstacles]; make straight and smooth a highway for our God!' Every valley shall be lifted and filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked and uneven shall be made straight and level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory (majesty and splendor) of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it"
(Isaiah 40:3-5).

For the four hundred years preceding his birth, God sent a spiritual famine to the earth. This meant that no word from God would be sent or heard. This famine would cease when God sent the forerunner to the Messiah, who is known as John the Baptist.

He was born to aged parents named Zechariah and Elizabeth. They were a priestly family from the Levitical tribe, which also made John a Levite. The apostle, Luke, said of Zechariah and Elizabeth that "they both were righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:6).

This meant that his parents would have reared him under the strict code of the Nazarites (Numbers 6:1-21) and they did so somewhere in the barren region that extended between the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. This wilderness, as well as the strict Jewish ordinances, paved a path of solemnity that would shape his soul and thinking. God would use these to fashion John the Baptist into his role of preparing the way for the Redeemer of the world.

There must have also been a balance in this strict upbringing. His parents would have also seen the love and mercy of God because He had miraculously healed their barrenness and had given them the child that their hearts so desperately had longed for. Interestingly, John's name means "Jehovah is gracious".

Life was simple and focused for John the Baptist. His clothing was made from camel's hair and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. Living in obscurity for all the years preceding his ministry enabled him to grow in his relationship with God and to really know what God was calling him to be and to do.

When he started his ministry, it rapidly grew in popularity. Many people began to believe that he was the Messiah- a fallacy which he quickly refuted. He said, "You yourselves are my witnesses [you personally bear me out] that I stated, 'I am not the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), but I have [only] been sent before Him [in advance of Him, to be His appointed forerunner, His messenger, His announcer]'" (John 3:28).

He was a forerunner, a messenger, and an announcer. As a forerunner, he continually pointed people to Jesus as the perfect Son of God that takes away all our sin. As a messenger, he preached about the coming kingdom of God and the requirements of citizenship, including: confession, repentance, and reformation. He taught that as an act of obedience all believers should be baptized. As an announcer, he warned of God's ultimate judgment and the importance of being sincere in our faith.

He was fearless because of his deep-rooted faith. While it was not customary to address or confront the leaders during that time because of harsh repercussions, John the Baptist had no qualms about speaking truth to both the political and the religious leaders of that day. In fact, that is what ultimately cost him his life.

Nothing could deter him, though, because he was called, set apart, and willing to lay down his life for the sake of the Gospel. He was on a mission and that mission was to be a "preparer" and to challenge others to do the same. He was equipped to do this because he had spent his days "preparing the way" (Matthew 11:10) for the coming of the Lord.

His path was not an easy one. Daily, he faced opposition, doubters, and mockers. The Pharisees scrutinized his every word. John answered their questioning by saying, "I [only] baptize in (with) water. Among you there stands One Whom you do not recognize and with Whom you are not acquainted and of Whom you know nothing. It is He Who, coming after me, is preferred before me, the string of Whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose" (John 1:26-27). His faith was steadfast.

Not only was his faith unwavering, he also walked in great humility. When Jesus first asked John the Baptist to baptize Him, John's first response was to decline. He said, "It is I who have need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?" (Matthew 3:14).

"But Jesus replied to him, 'Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for [both of] us to fulfill all righteousness [that is, to perform completely whatever is right]'"  (Matthew 3:15). When Jesus spoke these words to him, offered in true humility and obedience to the Father, John complied.

John the Baptist's primary goal was to introduce others to Jesus and to teach the importance of living a repentant life and living in holiness. He modeled for us today the importance of taking our lives and ministries seriously, knowing that one day we will be held accountable. The emphasis is always on pleasing God and not being swayed by the opinion of others. Perhaps this is why he received the ultimate compliment from Jesus, saying that he was the greatest man ever to live.

When we see the impact of John the Baptist's ministry and the fact that Christianity still flourishes thousands of years later, we know that he accomplished the mission that God gave to him. It is my belief that he was so successful because of an inherent belief that he possessed. He said, "He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so] (John 3:30).

John the Baptist truly understood the times he was living in, who Jesus is, and who he was in Christ.
He was wholly devoted and committed to his calling and was able to point others to the First Coming of Christ. He allowed God to complete the sanctification process in his life so that he could become a light bearer in the very dark times in which he lived.

Our calling as believers is no different today. We may not hear them as loudly or as clearly because of all the distractions we let in, but that does not detract from their significance. We stand on the precipice of the Second Coming of Christ in a world that is no less dark than it was in the first century. Like John the Baptist, we get to choose what we will devote our lives to. If we choose to be committed, set apart, and obedient to the Lord, we will be prepared for His return. And, if we are prepared, we can help others to be, as well. This is how we can emulate the man with a mission!


"This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust in it, rely upon it] through him. He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light."
                                                                                                                                       John 1:7-8