Devotions from tobyMac - Eye On ItSample

Steal My Show

So I’ll step out the way, I’ll give you center stage.
--TobyMac

Everyone knew who John the Baptist was. Crowds poured into the countryside to hear him speak. He was influential, and controversial. He was God’s chosen vessel.

John’s purpose was to call the people of God to repentance. His mission was to prepare their hearts for the arrival of their Messiah. It was arguably the most important job ever given to one man. Jesus himself said of John that among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. That’s a strong endorsement.

Today, we see all around us how power and influence can corrupt; in business and politics, even in religion. The truth is, we don’t have to look any further than our own hearts to see how we can be tempted. Give us any little advantage and often our first instinct is to use it for our own gain. It was no different in John the Baptist’s day. Those who had power were tempted and frequently corrupted by it.

But John stands in stark contrast, and the thing that sets him apart is his humility. For all his power and influence, John never started believing it was about him. In the third chapter of John, John the Baptist’s own disciples came to him, seeming worried. They had just discovered that the crowds that once followed John, were now following Jesus instead. They were probably jealous for their Rabbi’s reputation. But John, in utter humility, replies The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.

From the moment Jesus began his public ministry, John willingly embraced the truth that his own moment in the spotlight was over. He had merely been a faithful servant, a friend of the bridegroom. It wasn’t his show. It never had been. John was just the warmup act. Christ was the headliner. And rather than clinging to the remnants of whatever position and influence he might have kept for himself, John released it all and stepped aside, that the glory of Christ might be revealed.

That makes John the Baptist a great example for all of us. When we catch ourselves starting to become concerned about our own status or reputation, it’s time to remember whose show it really is, and to humbly step out of the way.