The Gospel of John
Matthew Philip
Not Me: 1:19-20
Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
Centuries of waiting for the Messiah had morphed the promise of the coming of ‘the Anointed One’ into a complex set of expectations. The Messiah would bring peace, thought some. Others anticipated righteousness. The more impatient longed for a military deliverer, still others a human prince from David’s line. There were high hopes.
John the baptizer emerged in this milieu as the most popular religious figure. Though his personal wardrobe (rags) and daily cuisine (grasshoppers) may have been less than attractive, his words drew large numbers. People crowded to hear him, multitudes tracked his itinerary. Kings and rulers knew of him, his was a household name. Yet, he was not part of the establishment; nothing about him was either official or orthodox.
If John were around today we would expect to see him waxing eloquent on CNN’s religion section or signing his latest bestseller at Barnes & Noble, or maybe hosting a TV program on Sunday evenings. Today he would have filled stadiums, overflowed parks, and clogged downtown squares. He would have been independent, anti-establishment, radical and confident about his message.
Many of us would expect to have affirmed him, celebrated him and supported him.
But John the baptizer was different. Truth be told, he was actually elusive about his identity, always careful not to allow his popularity to distract from the focus of his message. So much so that big shot leaders at the religious centers sent board members to check him out to discover his identity (“who are you?”) as well as the nature of his activities (“why do you baptize?”). His consistent response “I am not the Messiah,” reiterated his conviction that it was not about him.
In 1986, while a junior in college, I participated in my first leadership training experience in the hills of Kotagiri. Along with many other life and leadership lessons we were taught the ‘flip’ – outstretched palms that flipped upwards when a compliment was directed our way. The teaching point? As Christian leaders, make sure that credit is given to God and that he is acknowledged; don’t let any of the glory stuff stick to you.
But boy, how I still crave it! Just this week I caught myself not once, but twice slipping into self-glorification mode. On Tuesday, as I shared about a significant ministry project at our local university, I blushed as I realized the number of times my statements began with “I.” A day later in a larger circle of ministry leaders as we launched the project, I remember feeling distinctly unhappy when my stellar contribution was inadvertently overlooked.
Missions by its very nature places us right in the middle of people, actively partnering with a fast moving, quick acting God who invites us to work alongside him as he goes about his mission of extending his kingdom and building his church. He does wonders, comforts people, brings hope, rights wrongs, heals diseases, casts out evil spirits, and transforms situations – all through the likes of you and me! How foolish to think any of that progress is mine!
John’s message to re-think and re-orient my life in order to be a more authentic follower of God hits home. Later in this gospel he adds, “he must become greater, I must become less” (3:30). The miracle of missions and of Christian life is that as God works through us and in loving partnership with us, transformation happens. People are saved, healed, and delivered. Relationships are renewed, creation is stewarded, his purposes are fulfilled.
And God gets the glory. Not me.
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