On Call

John 1:²⁹ “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (NRSV).

Please read John 1:29-34 (NRSV). John the Baptist says, “He that sent me told me what to look out for” [paraphrased] and this is the first thing that jumps out at us. Meaning that John the Baptist was not just some eccentric man who went about baptizing people with water. God actually called John, sent him on a specific errand, and God gave him a sign. The sign was, John 1:³³ “I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’” (NRSV, emphasis added). In other words, as you baptize people, watch out for the person on whom the Holy Spirit descends and rests on, that is the Messiah. One statement we hear John the Baptist make repeatedly is, “I myself I did not know Him.” Even though John was on an errand for God, he himself did not know the Messiah but he was given a sign.

John 1:³⁰ “This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’” (NRSV, emphasis added). God is a God of order; hence precedence is so important with God. But John was saying that even though he, John, came before Jesus and by precedence, he was supposed to be ranked higher than Jesus, Jesus is ahead of him. Even though John preceded Jesus, Jesus ranks higher than him. When it comes to spiritual things, age is totally irrelevant, precedence does not really matter. God can make the last first and the first last. In fact, God specializes in making the last first and the first last, so that nobody will share in His glory. So, does your life feel awkward? Do you feel that you need to make a lot of effort to fit in? Relax and stay in your skin; God wants to use you to bamboozle the world.

God specializes in using people that are not ranked and making them superior. God specializes in using people that are not ranked and putting them in front. Jesus ranked ahead of John and John himself was the one declaring it to us. John 1:³¹ “I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” (NRSV]. Excuse me? Are you not His senior cousin? As children, didn’t you all play together on the streets of Jerusalem? Did you not play football with him when Aunt Mary came visiting your mother, Elizabeth? Did you not leap in the womb when His mother visited yours even before you were born? How can you say you did not know your cousin? Yet John says, “I myself I did not know Him.” It is funny how God arranges things. It is funny because God chose the one that knew Him most not to depend on his natural knowledge of Him. So that He can reveal Jesus to him in a supernatural way. God choose the one that has known Jesus from the womb and grew up with Him. God said to him, “You have not seen anything yet!”

Prayer: Father, I ask for the grace to focus on my race, my assignment, and on the secrets. You have told me until You bring Your Word to pass, in Jesus Name. Amen!