The Opposite of a Selfie – Terry Nightingale
When was the last time you lost something important to you?
In today’s passage we see an overlap between two important seasons in the New Testament story. Jesus is at the beginning of his ministry; John the Baptist is approaching the finish line of his. Both are baptising people. It looks like more people are going to Jesus.
Have you ever experienced a ministry coming to an end?
It can be tough. Many years ago, I faced the awful challenge of closing a Christian school. I had begun serving as principal when the school was small and struggling to attract new students. After some failed attempts to bring in new enrolments, the overseeing church felt that it was no longer something it could sustain and I had no choice but to bring Kingsway School to an end.
It was an extremely painful experience for the families involved. And for me.
In some ways, my identity was challenged. Who am I now? I had hoped to be a principal of a flourishing ministry. I had hoped this would lead to other opportunities, but it didn’t. I was not the successful leader I thought I would be. My dreams died with that school.
He must become greater; I must become less
When John the Baptist began to face the reality of diminishing popularity, with more people following Jesus than him, he could have felt discouraged. Deeply discouraged. Especially when others started noticing.
An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” (John 3:25-26)
But look at his extraordinary response:
To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:27-30)
There are two things that John is not. He is very clear that he is not the one the whole of Israel has been eagerly awaiting−the Messiah. And, in his illustration, he is not the bridegroom, dressed and treated like a king on his wedding day.
Same person.
In the analogy, he is simply the bridegroom’s attendant, there only to help prepare for the marriage festivities and serve him on his big day. In the real story, he is the one helping Israel to prepare for her most important event—the arrival of the Messiah.
Now that the Messiah, the King is here, it is time for Him to take the focus.
The Messiah, Jesus must have all the attention; I, John the Baptist, can now step back
He must become greater; I must become less.
A new perspective
It took me a long time to realise that I had served God for the time He wanted me to. There were good reasons why the school would never have a long-term life, so by God’s grace I had completed the work I was called to do.
I often wonder if I would have felt differently if I had adopted John the Baptist’s perspective of life during my time at Kingsway School. I am not here to build my ministry. I am simply here to point people to Jesus, and that season will eventually come to an end.
Have you ever “lost” a ministry, job/career, or position of responsibility?
Did it affect you the same way it affected me?
How might John’s perspective help you to process that?
Your role may change, but your purpose does not—you are still here to point people to Jesus.
Discovering God in a Crazy World
4-min Devotions this year invites you to join us on a guided journey through the Gospel of John. You can also discover more of this ministry by visiting terrynightingale.com
All my books can be found on Amazon. My latest (published by Ark Press) is called Sleeping in a Sinking Boat: finding peace in the middle of the storm and can be found here: https://geni.us/0wZpIt2
