John Points Us To Christ

John Points Us To Christ

[John] came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.

John 1:7

John, the writer of this book, doesn’t put much emphasis on John the Baptist. All the writer says about him is that John the Baptist spoke the truth, preaching to the people about Christ, the light and life of all humanity. The writer doesn’t say that John the Baptist taught the people all about his strict ascetic lifestyle—drinking only water, wearing clothing made of camels’ hair, and living on wild honey and locusts. John the Baptist didn’t teach about these as a way to start a new sect. He didn’t want people to follow his example as a way to be saved. If he had done that, John the Baptist would have attracted a large group of followers and would have become the founder of a new sect with a new set of doctrines.

John the Baptist didn’t do anything like that! He came to speak the truth. He had the God-given responsibility of pointing people to Christ and telling them that Christ is the Lamb of God. His mission was to direct everyone, including his own disciples, away from himself and to the Lord Christ. He was saying, “I am not Christ. I am not the light. I can’t enlighten you. I can’t give you life. However, as his representative, I want you to believe in Christ and let him guide you. I must only preach about Christ. I don’t want to talk about my camel-skin clothes or any other aspect of my ascetic lifestyle. My repulsive appearance is meant to force you to pay closer attention to my message than to me. Christ is the life and the light of humanity. He is eternal, and he created heaven and earth. But at this point in time, he has taken our human nature on himself. He is right here with you.”