Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose today? Those big, existential questions plague some people for their entire lives. They go on pilgrimages to the distant corners of the earth; they seek counsel from wise men and women who are considered visionaries; they read self-help books and attend seminars and try all sorts of different strategies to find their true identity. After all, before a person can define success in life, he must know his goal, right?
John interrupts his early narrative about Jesus to mention John the Baptist, a guy who had no such identity crisis. From the first time we glimpse John the Baptist, who knows exactly who he is and why he is here. His identity and his purpose are rooted in the Messiah.
“There was a man sent from God,” says John. “He came as a witness to testify . . . so that through his all might believe.” Interesting. John’s mission on earth sounds very much light the Great Commission Jesus gave us. “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” In other words, “Go and be my witnesses and testify about what you have seen and what you have heard me say, so that all might believe.”
God left His Church here on this earth for a reason. He could have taken us to Heaven long ago, but He left us here for the same reason He sent John the Baptist in the first place – to testify concerning the light. We are not the light, in ourselves, but we have the light in ourselves. And as we testify to the world about the Good News of Christ, and we validate our message with our loving actions, we light up the darkness.
That’s why we’re here. It’s why we got out of bed this morning.
