John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”   John 1:15 [NLT]

John the Baptist was born many months before Jesus came into the world.  Elizabeth, John’s mother, was pregnant first and was well into her pregnancy when Mary conceived through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.  And yet, John told the crowds that Jesus existed before he did.  He was not talking about birth dates.  He was reaching beyond calendars and beyond wombs, pointing to the mystery of the eternal Word made flesh.

I believe they could tell that John was referencing something otherworldly by the breathless, passionate tone in his voice.  I’m aware that nowhere in this passage does it say that John was breathless.  But imagine with me how John might have delivered this news, struggling to comprehend and communicate the eternal storyline of Jesus.  How could he possibly be nonchalant!  

Later, along the same theme, John will tell another crowd that ‘Jesus must increase while he must decrease.’ This would be humility with fire in it. John was not a weak man trying to disappear. He was a strong man who knew exactly who he was and who he was not. He had crowds following him. He had disciples. He had a prophetic voice that shook the wilderness.  He could have built a kingdom around his own calling.

But John’s greatness was defined by his willingness to bring everyone to Jesus.  His joy was not in being followed, but in pointing to the Messiah. He was the lamp, not the Light, the voice but not the Word. 

Jesus, let me decrease, not into nothingness, but into worship. Amen