What's My Purpose?

They thought John the Baptist was the long-awaited Messiah. He was freely baptizing people and proclaiming repentance to all who passed. Jewish leaders continued to question John about his identity, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” (John 1:22) It would have been easy for John the Baptist to claim the title, but he knew who he was – and who he was not.

He also knew his purpose. “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:23) John was focused on pointing people to the real Messiah and proclaiming repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins. He was not at all interested in drawing attention to himself, although his behavior and bold proclamations often resulted in it. And he was also not shy about calling people out, even taunting the Pharisees as a “brood of vipers.” (Matthew 3:7)

When John did come face to face with the true Messiah, he humbled himself and responded, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14(

Although John’s life was short, his goal was to elevate Jesus and fulfill his purpose to point people to the only one worthy of being called Messiah.

Lord, thank you for John the Baptist who knew who he was and who he wasn’t. Empower us to point people to you in all that we do and give you the glory. Amen.

Dig Deeper: John the Baptist’s Ministry – John 1:6–37, Matthew 3, Luke 3:1–20, Mark 1:1–15