Best Supporting Actor - John The Baptist

“I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” [John] said, “so why are you coming to me?”

Matthew 3:14

Do you like watching the Academy Awards? If so, how much attention do you pay to the performer who wins for Best Supporting Actor? This guy plays second banana to the leading man, adding something important to a film while never imagining that the story revolves around him. He knows his place and happily takes it.

As in showbiz, a healthy relationship with Jesus Christ means knowing where you fit in with the cast of characters playing their various roles to fulfill God’s purposes. Perhaps the most famous best supporting actor in the New Testament is John the Baptist, the man who the Old Testament prophets said would prepare the way for the Messiah’s coming.

John had the confidence and the conviction to preach the message God had given him, and he also welcomed the real star of the show, Jesus Christ. John ministered at a time when the people of Israel had grown more than ready for their Messiah to arrive. John repeatedly had to set the record straight about his own identity, for only then could he continue to play the part in which God had cast him.

John demonstrated the humility of knowing his place in God’s plan. When Jesus approached him on the banks of the Jordan River asking to be baptized, John protested that he, not Jesus, needed to be baptized. But he continued to obey, which meant playing the part God had given him.

Though it may seem easy to play a supporting role to a star as bright as Jesus, what if God asked you to play a similar role to a colleague at work or a care-group leader at church? What if you honestly think you’d make a better leading man?

What can you learn from John the Baptist about the part you have to play in God’s plan of redemption? In what places in your life has he asked you to be a best supporting actor rather than a leading man? How can you win God’s Academy Award for your performance?