December 20: WHAT IS TRUE GREATNESS?

Early in His ministry, Jesus spoke of His cousin John the Baptist saying:

“For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” Luke 7:28a

So Isaiah, Elijah, Jeremiah, and King David, among many others, are less than or at best equal to John the Baptist. Jesus never explained exactly why none of the previous prophets were greater than John the Baptist, but we can observe a very distinguishing point in John’s ‘job description’: he served in the position of forerunner to Jesus Himself. None of the previous prophets had that particular privilege.

History records that a forerunner was to run ahead of traveling royalty to fill in potholes and pits, clearing the road of obstacles, perhaps rocks, dead animals, or fallen trees; anything that would hinder progress. The prophet Isaiah made an explicit reference to this practice as a parallel to the spiritual preparation before the Savior arrives.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth.” Isaiah 40:3-4

John the Baptist took this assignment seriously and was very compelling at calling people to repentance. He did not shrink back from naming specific sins. Sin is breaking God’s law (1 John 3:4). Sin has a spiritually blinding effect, but a willingness to be corrected opens spiritual eyes. Have I held up every thought, habit, practice, and tradition to Him for scrutiny? Do I cling to potholes and obstacles? If so, it is likely that I will trip over a treasured obstacle only to fall into a pit—and worse, to influence others off of the straight and narrow path (see Proverbs 28:10)! Jesus went on to say:

“…but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”  Luke 7:28b

Today we are called to the utmost faithfulness to prepare the world for the return of Jesus. Obstacles exist that our enemy has had in place for centuries. False teachings regarding the Lord’s character and misinterpretations of His Word abound and continue to be taught at every turn (see 2 Peter 3:16). Just as Jesus warned, false christs are being presented (see Matthew 24:24).

When Jesus was born as a baby, His professed people were not prepared: a cautionary tale for today. It is the solemn responsibility of believers to humbly set the record straight—according to the written Word—in order to show the real Jesus to the world. Each servant of the Most High is to take hold of every opportunity to clear the way for His soon return. The humblest and most surrendered servant to the will of God understands that He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30