You might think that John (the disciple) didn’t like John (the baptizer). After all, his introduction of the baptizer pales in comparison to other introductions.
- Matthew introduces John the Baptist in chapter 3 as one who prepared the way for Jesus. Matthew’s so enamored by John the Baptist that he even tells us about John’s fashion (the latest camel hair and leather belts) and diet (the original Mediterranean diet–locusts and wild honey).
- Only four verses into Mark and we hear of John preaching and baptizing.
- And Luke begins his account not with the birth story of Jesus, but with the birth story of John.
John (the disciple), however, takes a different approach. When John’s Gospel introduces John the Baptist, he’s just called “John.” His claim to fame, the phrase that is attached to his name in all the other gospels–“the baptizer”–is dropped. It would be like someone introducing me and forgetting to say that I’m a preacher, or an author, or a teacher, or a father, or a husband. Forgetting to mention the activities which give meaning and purpose to my life. I’m just Chris. Some guy named Chris.
In addition, there’s no mention of John’s preaching in the initial introduction in the Gospel of John. There’s no mention of his baptizing. There’s no framing his ministry as the one preparing the way for Jesus. John’s Gospel simply says “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. (Jn. 1:6 ESV)” There was this guy. His name was John.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, John’s Gospel ends its brief introduction to John the Baptist in this way: “He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light (Jn. 1:8).” You know you stand pretty low on the totem pole when you are introduced to others by what you are not. “Hi, I’d like you to meet this guy. His name is John. And let me tell you…he’s no Jesus. He’s no Messiah. He’s no Savior. He’s no hero. He’s nothing special to write home about. He’s not a great catch.”
John’s Gospel seems determined to downplay what John was doing. Why? It may be that others were overestimating the importance of John’s activities. After all, John did attract quite a following. In fact Paul comes across people as far away as Ephesus who were disciples of John (Acts 19:3). They were so engrossed with John that they claim they never even heard of Jesus’ baptism. Baptism by John? Yes. By Jesus? No. Thus John’s Gospel may be seeking to downplay what others were overplaying. John was not the light. He was not the hero of the story. Jesus was.
And there’s something healthy in that. Because we sometimes have a kind of messiah-complex when we look at ourselves. The senior VP who feels and acts like his work matters more than anyone else’s in the company. The frantic minister who believes if he doesn’t do whatever it is that needs doing, it won’t get done. The mother of two young ones who assumes the entire future of her children is square on her shoulders. We all, at times, tend to overplay the importance of what we are doing.
We maybe even more likely to overplay the importance of what someone else is doing. We make heroes out of those who are truly unworthy of the title. We belittle ourselves and our contributions in light of others and their contributions.
Thus, we need to hear the Gospel of John’s view of John the Baptist. We need a healthy reminder that while we may think what we’re doing matters most, it doesn’t. Or that what someone else is doing matters most, it doesn’t. We are not the light. We are not the hero. And neither are our heroes.
But there’s something else behind the Gospel of John’s picture of John the Baptist. The Gospel of John seems to downplay John’s work as a preacher and baptizer. Yet it highlights what that work ultimately represented–witness. The Gospel says “He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. (Jn. 1:7-8 ESV). Witness. Witness. Witness. Get the point? In the big picture, what John was doing mattered less than others believed. Yet it also mattered more than others might conceive. Because his preaching and baptizing were ultimately ways of “witnessing” to others about Jesus. What ultimately gave meaning and value to John’s activities was the way in which those activities bore witness to Jesus.
And witness is a key theme in John’s Gospel. John will use the word 47 times. The other Gospels will use it only 6 times. Some think John’s Gospel is a kind of trial narrative. As we will see in Jn. 1:10-11, Jesus’ kinsmen could not render a positive verdict when it came to whether or not Jesus was the Messiah. Thus John presents witness after witness whose testimony proves the identity and supremacy of Jesus:
- John the Baptist 5:32–36; cf. 1:7–8, 15, 19, 32–34; 3:26
- Jesus’ own works 5:36; cf. 10:25, 32, 37–38; 15:24
- God the Father 5:37–38; 8:18
- The Scriptures, esp. by Moses 5:39, 45–47
- Jesus himself 3:11, 32; 8:14, 18; 18:37
- The Spirit 14:26; 15:26; 16:8–11, 13–14
- The disciples, esp. John 15:27; 19:35; 21:24
John’s Gospel is a legal thriller in which we sit in the jury and listen to key witnesses speak about Jesus. And John (the Baptist), John’s Gospel tells us, is one of those critical witnesses. What gave value to John was the way in which who he was and what he did served as evidence regarding the identity of Jesus.
My preaching, writing, teaching, parenting and husbanding may matter far less than I realize. After all, I am not the light. On the other hand, these activities still have immense value and worth due to their potential to serve as pieces of evidence proving the nature and character of Christ.
In an interview about his forthcoming book Urban Apologetics Christopher Brooks (campus dean of Moody Theological Seminary) writes that the kind of apologetic most needed in urban settings today is not conversational but incarnational. That is, it’s one thing to talk about rational reasons for believing in Christ. It’s another to become those reasons. It’s one thing to tell through words why Jesus is truly the Messiah. It’s another to show it through a life.
In other words, our whole lives can become an apologetic. Everything we do can point to the beauty and truth of Jesus Christ. And in that light, everything we do matters. More than we might ever realize.
