Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” (Matthew 3:13-14)

I have read the account of Jesus’s baptism many times, but this time I was struck, for the first time, by John’s humility.

John the Baptist truly led a supernatural life. It was evident that the Holy Spirit was working through John even in the womb. Luke said that “when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41) I share this to show that John was chosen by God to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus, even from birth. John was special, yet he also was very humble. 

John spent his life preaching and helping people to get ready for Jesus. He lived a life of great humility, always lifting up Jesus, rather than drawing attention to himself. John’s humility is captured in his words, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals…” (Matthew 3:11). 

As I thought about the humility of John, I felt a sort of reverence. I wish I was more like him. I wish I had that kind of humility.  He saw Jesus as so significant and important that he was willing to dedicate his life to serving him and preaching about him. He had such a deep reverence for Jesus that he didn’t even feel worthy to baptize him, even though he regularly baptized others. Because John’s view of God was so big, it enabled him to take great risks and do great things for God.

God’s call and gifting must be accompanied by humility. The fact that ordinary people like us (like John) should be called and equipped by God should humble us. After all, who are we (“Who am I?” asked John) that God should condescend to work in and through us? Yet many of us struggle with this because we don’t see God the way John did. When we see God as being too small, trying to fit Him in a box, we don’t see God for who He really is.

J.B. Phillips, in Your God is Too Small, explains the quandary many of us find ourselves in: 

“We are modeling God upon what we know of man. That is why it is contended here that what at first sight appears to be almost a super adequate idea of God is, in reality, inadequate- it is based on too tiny a foundation. Man may be made in the image of God; but it is not sufficient to conceive God as nothing more than infinitely magnified man.”

John got it. He saw Jesus…

As the Messiah

As one mightier than he

So mighty that he felt he wasn’t even fit to remove his sandals

So awesome, that He was worth dedicating his whole life to

John’s humility came from an understanding of how great our God truly is.

Is your view of God too small? I know mine is. As we enter the season leading up to Easter, I invite you to pray with me that God would open our eyes to see Him as John did- The God who not only forgives sin, heals the sick, and raises the dead; but is also the most amazing God- One whose greatness is beyond anything we can ever think or imagine. When we see God for who He is, we won’t have to try to be humble; we will fall to our knees and worship.