John 3:22-24
After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized...
We seldom talk about John the Baptist, for he is a low key character in the backdrop. Physically, John is a cousin of Jesus Christ, and he's about six months older than Jesus. When they were growing up, they might not have seen each other, but might have heard of each other. The John the Baptist went out to preach, he preached a very important message: Messiah is coming, and John was the one to prepare the way for Messiah! Many heard such message and followed him. John the Baptist clearly knew that he was called by God to be the prophet of the time.
Actually, before Jesus Christ came out to preach, John was the most captivating preacher. He knew that God had called him to call out who the Messiah was, and that was a significant mission for the Jews at the time! After Jesus Christ emerged, the role of John the Baptist ended. From human perspective, it must have been difficult to accept. Before, everyone went to John to get baptized, but now everyone was going to Jesus to get baptized! Nevertheless, John the Baptist clearly knew his identity and role, so he repeatedly told the Jews that he wasn't the Messiah and most important prophet. That's why John could remain unaffected in the midst of all the changes in the circumstance around him.
John the Baptist was indeed a person with God's life, and that's why he could bravely testify for God under any circumstance. Brothers and sisters, do you clearly know your identity and role? We won't be able to be an effective witness unless we clearly know our identity and role in Christ. May God help us, Let us clearly understand our identity and role, and to simply live for Him!
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