Greater Purpose
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
Imagine that you were asked to write a paragraph to answer the question, “Who am I?” What would you write? You might say something about your family relationships, your occupation, where you live, or what you like to do for fun. Now imaging writing about yourself without using those things. What would your bio look like?
One day John the Baptist was teaching and baptizing near Bethany when some Pharisees started questioning his right to baptize. “Who are you?” they asked. “We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’” John says. “It’s not about me. I’m just a voice. I’m here to point you in the direction of another. I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”
John wasn’t being hard on himself. John wasn’t saying that his identity wasn’t important. He could have told them, “I am Jesus’ cousin.” Or “I’m the last great prophet sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah.” Those things would have been true. But John chose humility. He chose a lower posture as he lifted up the Savior. His life had a greater purpose: to point the way to Jesus.
The next day when he saw Jesus coming toward him, John did not draw attention to himself. He said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” In other words, “Don’t look at me. Don’t be concerned about who I am. Look to Jesus. He’s the Lamb of God. He’s the one that takes away the sin of the world. Fix your attention on him.”
Your identity is important. Your family relationships, your occupation, where you live, or what you like to do for fun are all things that tell your story—the amazing story of the unique person God created you to be. But life is not about us. That’s not why we’re here. We’re not worthy to be Jesus’ slave, to untie the straps of his sandal, but God has entrusted each one of us with the honor of pointing others to him. Like John the Baptist, you and I are here for a greater purpose.