While Jesus was on earth, he testified that John the Baptist was as great a man as had ever lived. Perhaps the characteristic of John that is most talked about, is his fearlessness, but it seems to me that his unselfishness was, if possible, greater than his courage. He acquired a tremendous popularity. For a short time he would have occupied the leading place in a list of "Who's Who and Why." No man in all of the land was so much talked about as the rugged prophet of the wilderness. The people had so much confidence in John, that they probably would have stoned any one, should he have had the temerity to say that John was not a prophet.

      One of the most dangerous things which can come to a man is for him to become immensely popular. Perhaps nine men out of every ten would have been ruined by the prestige which John enjoyed. He could have proclaimed himself the Messiah, and it is almost certain that the people would have made him king. Thus he could have exchanged his wilderness home for a palace, and his raiment of camel's hair for the royal purple.

      But John was not that kind of a man. Success did not turn his head. His only desire was to fill the place which God had given him. At the very height of his popularity, it seems, a delegation of priests and Levites came to him from Jerusalem and asked him "Who art thou?" This was a critical moment in the life of John the Baptist, and he met it like the true man of God that he was. He plainly and unequivocally said to them, "I am not the Christ." "And they asked him, 'What then! Art thou Elijah?' And he saith, 'I am not.' 'Art thou the prophet?' And he answered, 'No.' They said therefore unto him, "Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?'" Jno. 1:21, 22. Not only did he not claim to be the Christ, but he would not even take to himself the honor of Elijah or another great prophet. But in answer to the question of "Who art thou," he replies, "I am a voice." He did not claim honor or dignity for himself; he was simply a voice--nothing more than that. "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as said Isaiah the prophet.

      And John the Baptist deliberately followed a course, that must certainly destroy his prestige. He pointed the people to a greater man that should soon come. He taught the people the following: "I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire." Matt. 3:11. At another time he pointed out Jesus and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, 'After me cometh a man who is become before me,' for he was before me." Jno. 1:29, 30. A short time after this, John again confessed Jesus as the 'Lamb [13] of God,' and two of his disciples left him sad followed Jesus. Soon, numbers of others did the same thing, and we see John's popularity fade away,--and this because of his own choice.

      Certainly, John the Baptist occupied an unique position in the world, and one of the peculiar things was that if was his lot to get a large following and influence and then coolly, and deliberately give them to another man. In fact this was his only purpose in acquiring such a large popularity. It does not seem that John's lot was an enviable one, does it?

      We might well wonder how the Baptist felt about the matter. Some of us think a great deal of our reputation, and when it looks as if we are losing it, we worry and flutter like a hen when her nest is disturbed. But that was not the way with John the Baptist. His disciples being somewhat jealous for their teacher, came to him and said, "Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him." John's reply was characteristic of the man, "A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him." Jno. 3:27, 28. Did John feel hurt about it? Not at all. He was not as full of self as most men. His desire was not to glorify himself, but to honor God. His anxiety was that the Lord's work should be done, and it was immaterial whether he or another did the work and received the honor. He knew, further, that Jesus did things just right, and that when people turned from himself to Jesus, they were bettering themselves. Being the kind of man he was, he could say, "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice; this my joy therefore is made full. He must increase, but I must decrease." Jno. 3:29, 30.

      Jesus of Nazareth did not often compliment men, but I am glad he took time to say, "Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist." John was great because he had learned the secret of greatness. If you and I wish to be great, we must learn to be unselfish, even as he.

["Unselfishness of John the Baptist." Word and Work 9 (January 1916): 13-14.]

      The electronic version of J. N. Gardner's "Unselfishness of John the Baptist" has been produced from microfilm of Word and Work for 1916.

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained; however, corrections have been offered for misspellings and other accidental corruptions. Emendations are as follows:

            Printed Text [ Electronic Text
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 p. 14:     decrease." 29:30. [ decrease." Jno. 3:29, 30.
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 26 January 2002.
Updated 2 July 2003.