Some people are born to prepare the way for another, and they live their whole lives knowing the stage is not theirs. It is uncomfortable to imagine that: living on purpose for the success of someone who will come later. John the Baptist received exactly that calling, and he accepted it without competing for the spotlight.
His parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were elderly and had never had children. An angel announced to the priest Zechariah, inside the temple, that he would have a son filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb (Luke 1:11-15). Zechariah’s doubt left him mute until the boy’s birth, when he regained his voice to prophesy about his son’s role (Luke 1:64-79).
John grew up, and as an adult he reappeared preaching repentance on the banks of the Jordan River, dressed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). Crowds came down to him to be baptized, confessing their sins, while he announced that the kingdom of heaven was near (Matthew 3:1-6).
When Jesus came to the Jordan to be baptized, John hesitated, feeling small before him (Matthew 3:14). Even so, he obeyed, saw the Spirit descend like a dove, and heard the Father’s voice confirming the Son (Matthew 3:16-17). From then on, John always pointed to Jesus, never to himself.
As Jesus’ disciples grew in number and his own decreased, John summed up his mission in a single sentence: Jesus must become greater, he must become less (John 3:30). Imprisoned after confronting Herod Antipas about his unlawful marriage, he even sent word from his own cell asking Jesus if he was really the Christ (Matthew 11:2-3). He was beheaded at Herodias’ request, by Herod’s order (Mark 6:21-28).
The life of John the Baptist reminds us that God also calls people to second place, and that place can be the most important of all. He did not die trying to be more than a forerunner, he died faithful to the role he had received. Whoever today serves without the spotlight, preparing the way for others to know Jesus, shares the same calling.
