Monday, January 20, 2003
Monday, January 20, 2003
John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do
you
come to me?"
And then one day while John is preaching and baptizing and having all kinds of success, out of
the crowd steps Jesus. And John knows. He knows that here is one who is gifted in the ways
of
God far beyond his own gifts. John is so impressed by Jesus that he is reluctant to even
baptize
him. I wonder how John felt, don't you? We have turned Biblical figures into people so holy, so
virtuous, so remote from our lives, that we don't think of them having real feelings. It's not
easy,
though, when you take pride in what you do to be around someone who does it so much
better.
That sort of thing happened to that great man of God, E.B. Meyer. Meyer was a British Baptist
preacher known around the world in his day. And yet he discovered a demon within himself
that
he did not know he had. It happened at a conference where he and another great preacher of
the
day, G. Campbell Morgan were both preaching. Morgan was drawing much larger crowds than
Meyer was: "The only way I can conquer my feelings," Meyer confessed, "is to pray for
[Morgan]
daily, which I do."
What do you do when someone comes along who shines more brightly than you? Do you pray
for them? Encourage them?
(Matthew 3.14
NRSV)
Rough-cut though John the Baptist was in his animal skins and eating a bizarre diet, John was
a
phenomenally successful spokesman for God. Crowds of people were coming out of the cities
into the wilderness to hear him preach. John did not mince his words. "Repent," he
proclaimed,
"for the Kingdom of God is at hand." And people did repent. And they were baptized. We don't
know how many. Hundreds, perhaps thousands. We don't know, but we do know John had a
significant impact.
Dear Jesus, help me to step out of the way, so those who's talents you are using in a special
way may able to do your work. Amen.
