John the Baptist

What do we think of at the mention of John the Baptist? Often, pictures depict a longhaired, wild-eyed man in camel hair clothing, something one would expect from someone having lived in the wilderness for many years.

From the Gospels, we see John preached boldly to the crowds.

What I see is a man who simply told the truth, and didn’t shy away from confrontation.

First of all, John wasn’t afraid to confront the Pharisees and Sadducees, leaders and rulers of the Jewish church.  They had long since forgotten what was important and were focused on maintaining traditions and protecting their role as leaders.  It was no longer about God, but, instead, about them and what rules (many of which they made) they chose to enforce. Worship was not a focus, as was apparent when Jesus later talked about the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Next we see John confronting Herod (generally, not a good idea to confront someone with this much power). But again, John was focused on what was right, and this time it costed him his life.

Today, we see many who stand up for Jesus and are ridiculed because it’s either not politically correct, or they are viewed as not following long held traditions. Our goal should be that of John’s, to speak the truth and focus on the one thing that is important – Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Just as John was bold, we should also be bold for Christ.  It won’t always be easy or comfortable, but as Christians, John’s example is one we should strive to follow.

- Johnny Lasiter