Do you like to be in the spotlight?
Have you ever had the opportunity to introduce a guest speaker at an event? You spent hours researching the speaker and working on your introduction.You give your introduction and…. you’re done! The speaker comes to the podium and you are forgotten! Don’t get me wrong…you are important. It’s just that you are not the person that the audience has come to see and have waited for.
The Production!
The same can be said of John the Baptist and Jesus. Let's begin with our production (so to speak!).
The story begins with Mary going to see Elizabeth, who is thought be her Aunt. Mary has just been visited by an angel and told that she will give birth to the Messiah. Mary set out and went to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:39-41)
The next scene is John the Baptist in the wilderness. Matthew 3:4 says that “John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey”. Not your average man about town but crowds were coming to see him. John was preaching that the people should be baptized as a sign that they had repented of their sins. The crowds began to say that John was the Promised One. But John responded in Matthew 3:11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
The next scene is John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. Can you imagine how he must have felt? Do you think that he felt a little envious of Jesus? The scripture doesn't really give us any insights, except that when Jesus came to the Jordan river to be baptized by him, John tried to talk him out of it. John felt that Jesus should baptist him.
Jesus' response was that "it should be done as God has required." (Matthew 4:15)
Best Supporting Actor Award
The crowds were flocking to see John the Baptist but he knew that he was just preparing the way for the true Messiah. John the Baptist knew that he was just a light bearer and that Jesus was the “Light of the World”. John 1:8 say “he (John the Baptist) was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.” He was the “Best Supporting Actor.
Have you ever been in a play? Maybe you were behind the scenes helping making sure that everyone was in their correct places. Maybe you ran the spotlight. Operating a spotlight is not an easy job. It takes practice to know exactly where to shine the light, what color spot to use and how to follow the person that is on stage. If you are running a spotlight, you should keep it on the person that the audience needs to focus on. Never draw attention to yourself.
When we stand in the spotlight, we draw attention to ourselves. Sometimes we are seeking the wrong light. We want to be in the spotlight but that place belongs to Jesus Christ for He said in John 8:12 “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
Shine Your Light!
We are called to shine the spotlight on Jesus, not on ourselves. When we shine the light on Christ, other people are drawn to the Father letting Him get the glory not ourselves. Where are you shining your ‘spotlight’?