John 1:7-8

“He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.”

               John the Baptist is still being talked about here in this passage. We see the mission for which God has sent him—to bear witness to the light. This light that is being referred to, we should remember, is the life that the Word brings and the Word is Jesus. John the Baptist has one sole mission and that is to bear witness to the light and through that people will believe in the light. It is important that the author, John, specifies that John the Baptist is not the light but only the witness to the light—the first witness of soon to be many. This is a man whose coming was prophesied along with Jesus’s in the Old Testament (Isaiah 40:3-5). In this passage, we see that the light is also personified as Jesus. This will be referenced later in the gospel as Jesus calls Himself the light. Jesus is not just bringing the light that the darkness cannot overcome but also is that Light. What does the witness in the end really do? Is he just there as someone who points out what is to come like a prophet or as something more? The man who bears witness to light cannot be the light, but he has a crucial role in pointing all those who will believe through Him to show them the light.

               In the way that John the Baptist is the first to bear witness to the light, he was not the last. All who believe now bear that responsibility to bear witness to the light. This, like everything else in the faith, is simple but also hard. We need to bear witness to Him who saved us to those that might believe. This needs to happen not just in an official manner as we talk directly to people but also in every part of our lives. John the Baptist did not think of it as his job as we might but as why he was here to bear witness. With this it is also important not to get discouraged because, as witnesses, John the author tells us that we are not the light but just bear witness. That means that we do not have to feel pressure when people do not respond; we are called just to witness, or to tell those who do not know about the light. Jesus will bring them to Him as He wills as this is who He is as the Light. As John says, “through Him all might believe.” (John 1:7b). We must continue to be prepared for the one mission as witnesses by continuing to grow in Christ through reading His word and knowing what it says, continuing to pray for those we want to witness to and growing together with other believers so we might have those in a position to call us out if we are faltering in our witness.

               To those who do not believe there is always a chance to come. John the Baptist believed so much that he gave up everything—including his life—just to bear witness to the light so that you might believe. It is always difficult to give up everything for something that you might not be able to see, but if that is the reason we are here, what greater thing is there to hold on to? We who believe don’t look at heaven as the end goal but know who our creator is and hold the goal of being aligned with Him. It is more important to know Him than it is to simply be saved, which is just a bonus on top of knowing Him. He is calling you to give up everything to follow Him and in that you might find the ultimate meaning, the light if you will. He only calls you to give what you can, the easiest thing and also the hardest, your life, for Him. If you want to do that, then it takes you calling out to Him wherever you are, “God I am a sinner, I have lived my life apart from you. I want to give up my life to follow you.” He promises to be with you, giving you a new life, one which is credited with His inheritance, and He will always be with you.