John the baptist was an amazing character. We don’t hear a lot about his life. We mostly know that he was the one God called to precede Jesus – to announce His coming. He was the voice in the wilderness.
What amazes me about John is that he was totally, completely willing for nothing to be about him. “He must increase, and I must decrease,” said John. His life was dedicated to one purpose: Jesus. In fact, I think there was something unique about John throughout his whole life. His family and friends even comment at his birth: “What will this child turn out to be?” (Luke 1:66).
John had his own ministry. He preached, he baptized, he had disciples. But when Jesus showed up on the scene, John quickly recognized that it was time for him to step down and let Jesus take the main role. He had clearly communicated that with his disciples, because we read in John 1:36-37,
“When [John] saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God!’ When [John’s] two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.”
Just like that. Disciples gone. They understood and recognized that even though they were “following” John, their ultimate purpose, just as John’s, was to pursue One.
I want my purpose in life to be to follow One. To pursue Him with all I have. To decrease, so He might increase. To announce Him in a way that makes people want to follow Him, to know Him more.