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by Logan Ames

“Imagine how much more we could get done in the church if no one cared who got the credit.” (author unknown)

The above quote was brought back to my attention two months ago when I received life ordination as a minister in the Churches of God, General Conference denomination. A wonderful woman from my church surprised me by knitting some of my favorite quotes onto a pillow as a gift to commemorate the occasion. When I saw this quote and two others, I asked what in the world would’ve made her think those were specifically my favorites. Little did I know that once you put something on your Facebook profile and don’t ever look at it again, others might still find it! I signed up for Facebook in 2009 and immediately picked quotes as my “favorites” that were important to me at that time. Nine years later, I didn’t remember the above quote or its source, which was likely a random seminary book I had to read. Nevertheless, reflecting on the quote makes me think of so many of the heroes of the faith we’ve been studying who sought the rewards of eternal life rather than temporary fame and fortune.

For the second time in this series, I’m going to veer away from those that the writer of Hebrews was likely talking about and discuss someone of whom the New Testament believers would’ve been aware even if they didn’t have the writings that we now have. In Hebrews 11:37, the writer tells us some of the faithful “went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated." This description could probably best be applied to Elijah from the Old Testament, but we already discussed his faith in regards to escaping the edge of the sword. The question would then be whether there is someone else who fits this description. It just so happens that a man who entered the scene in the New Testament was just like Elijah, so much so that Jesus himself referred to this man, John the Baptist, as “the Elijah who was to come” (Matthew 11:14).

John the Baptist, who was related to Jesus through their mothers (Luke 1:36), served as a forerunner whose mission it was to prepare the way for the Lord. This means he went around preaching and proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven was near and it was time for people to “repent” (Matthew 3:2). Matthew tells us in 3:3 that John the Baptist fulfilled a prophecy from Isaiah 40:3 that said there would be one in the wilderness who would call for people to get prepared for the Lord and “make straight paths for him." That isn’t the only prophecy John fulfilled. Malachi 3:1 tells us that God will send a “messenger” ahead of the Lord and Malachi 4:5 specifically says that God will send “the prophet Elijah” before the day of the Lord. Elijah the Tishbite, the man who confronted Ahab and Jezebel, was long gone at this point, so the prophecies had to be talking about someone else, and Jesus confirmed that John the Baptist was he.

Now, what kind of living circumstances do you think a man who spent his time in the wilderness would have to endure? While he wasn’t specifically forced to wear “sheepskins and goatskins," he did wear “clothes made of camel’s hair” and “his food was locusts and wild honey” (Matthew 3:4). The big question is, “Why?” Well, Luke’s gospel account tells us that the wilderness is where the word of the Lord came to John (Luke 3:2). How many of us receive the word of the Lord and then try to arrange our circumstances to our liking so that we can “comfortably” do what God has asked of us? That’s certainly not what John the Baptist did. The word came to him in the wilderness, so he began to preach IN THE WILDERNESS. Luke 3:3 says that “he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." John knew what God had called him to do and preached around the Jordan River because that’s where he baptized those who came. There wasn’t time to waste. The kingdom was near. If he was going to preach true repentance and people were going to want to respond, the quickest and most outward way to show it was by being baptized. This was a public confession of the inward change and it happened IMMEDIATELY.

So, what exactly was he talking about when he told people to repent? I once wrote a 10-page paper on this one word in seminary and I learned that the Greek word is from the root metanoeo, which is a combination of meta, meaning “against," and noeo, which means “to think." This tells us that when John, and later Jesus, urged the crowds to repent, they are talking about literally changing their ways, which begins with a complete change in thinking. It could be said that repentance is literally “going against one’s current thought or understanding." As people encountered John the Baptist and heard about the coming of the Messiah, they were moved to completely change their thoughts and ways and do a complete 180-degree turn. John told them that the water baptism was a symbol of what was to come - the baptism of the Holy Spirit that happens only through Jesus.

John the Baptist became quite the popular figure as more and more came to him, but he remembered his mission and didn’t seek anything more. Even as some thought he was the Messiah, he reminded them that he wouldn’t even be worthy to carry the sandals of the true Messiah (Matthew 3:11). He didn’t seek a building to fit a megachurch, didn’t ask for a large salary with good benefits, and didn’t demand respect and authority. He simply hung out in the wilderness, munching on locusts and wearing camels’ hair, and preached what God gave him to preach. When specific people like soldiers and tax collectors asked what repentance would look like for them, John was direct in telling them how to live rightly (Luke 3:12-14). He urged people to not just feel sorry for their sins, but to confess them and to bear fruit that shows the change that came from repentance (Luke 3:8). His message was well-received by most, but not all. Because he was so focused on speaking truth and not what was in it for him, he boldly rebuked King Herod for marrying his brother’s wife among other wicked acts, which unfortunately landed John in prison for the rest of his life until Herod had him killed (Luke 3:19-20).

John the Baptist was certainly a copycat of Elijah in many ways. He lived in humble circumstances, boldly called out the wickedness of a pagan ruler, and urged repentance from God’s people. But John the Baptist said something that, to our knowledge, no one else did. Despite his boldness in challenging wicked authority, his response to Jesus was marked by humility like no one else had seen. When some of his disciples complained that people were going to Jesus rather than him, he simply reminded them that he was not the Messiah and was given only the joy of preparing the way for him (John 3:26-29). Then, he spoke the words by which we should remember and emulate him. Speaking of Jesus, he said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). Are you willing to become “less” so that you can make Jesus “greater” in the eyes of the world? One thing’s for sure: you wouldn’t be able to care who gets the credit. Let John’s faith and his willingness to accept his role in God’s story of redemption speak to you today. Use his example as a catalyst for repentance and humility in your own life.

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