I Know a Guy

Before he became an Apostle and author of the fourth Gospel, John was a disciple of an unusual man who lived in the desert and ate locusts. The Baptist, as he was known, explained to his followers that he had been told to make straight the path for the Messiah, to prepare the way of the Lord. What their people had longed for for centuries was coming soon, and John the Baptist was called to help the people be ready. John the disciple believed him as did his friend Andrew. So, when the Baptist’s cousin appeared on the scene and this compelling figure proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” John and Andrew were prepared to recognize the Messiah. Then Andrew told his brother Peter, and soon after, a Church was born.

John the Baptist’s unusual life — from his unlikely conception, to leaping in his mother’s womb upon Mary’s greeting, to baptising the Savior Himself — was geared toward helping people know Jesus. He was dedicated to his mission even if the people of his time thought he was a little weird. He was an odd, yet compelling messenger. Even Herod, who would eventually put the Baptizer to death, found himself drawn to John and enjoyed listening to him speak.

John the Baptist got people talking as he set the stage for the greater One to follow. The word about Jesus spread as people told their families and friends about a guy they knew who knew a guy. And the word about Jesus still spreads that way.

We are called to be like John the Baptist, to make straight the path and prepare the way of the Lord. Yes, the world may think we’re a little weird sometimes for believing what we do and striving to live out what we believe, but few of us will pay the price John the Baptist did for speaking up about Jesus.

Can we find the courage to be like John the Baptist? Can we live lives of faith that draw the curious toward us, and then urge those people toward the Source of the light? Can we tell the world that we know a Guy who came to make all things new? When we do, we stand with John as he proclaims, “Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

By Pamela Kavanaugh