Week 1 Wednesday — That First Easter... I Was There
Day 3: The Forerunner
Day 3: The Forerunner
John 3:22-30; Luke 3:15-16
Introduction
John the Baptist was everything a prophet should be.
Bold. Uncompromising. Called by God before he was born. His ministry exploded across Judea like wildfire. Crowds poured out of Jerusalem to hear him preach in the wilderness. Religious leaders came. Tax collectors came. Soldiers came. Everyone wanted to know: Is this the Messiah?
And John could have said yes. The stage was set. The people were ready. He had influence, momentum, a growing movement. All he had to do was claim the title and the kingdom would have been his. Political revolutionaries have launched empires on less.
But John wasn’t building a kingdom. He was preparing the way for one.
“I am not the Messiah,” he told them. “I’m just the voice. The one crying out in the wilderness. Someone is coming after me who is so much greater than I am that I’m not even worthy to untie His sandals. He must become greater. I must become less.”
And then Jesus showed up.
And John stepped aside.
That’s the part we forget. We celebrate John’s boldness, his courage, his prophetic fire. But the most radical thing John the Baptist ever did wasn’t what he said. It was what he gave up. He handed his followers to Jesus. He redirected his movement toward someone else. He decreased so Jesus could increase.
We talk about John’s voice crying in the wilderness. But maybe the loudest thing he ever said was what he did in silence: he got out of the way.
Scripture
²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ 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.”
²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”
— John 3:22-30 (NIV)
¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. ¹⁶ John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
— Luke 3:15-16 (NIV)
Reflection
The Temptation to Stay Center Stage
John’s disciples came to him with a problem: “Rabbi, that man who was with you—everyone is going to him.”
Translation: Jesus is stealing your followers. Your movement is shrinking. People are leaving. You’re losing influence. Aren’t you going to do something about it?
This is the moment when most leaders double down. When they protect their platform. When they remind people of their credentials, their experience, their authority. When they subtly undermine the competition. When they pivot to stay relevant.
John did the opposite. He celebrated.
“He must become greater; I must become less.” Not reluctantly. Not bitterly. With joy. Because John knew something we forget: He was never supposed to be the main event. He was the opening act.
The temptation to stay center stage is powerful. We like being needed. We like having influence. We like it when people listen to us, follow us, admire us. And there’s nothing wrong with leadership or influence in itself. But when our identity gets tangled up in being the one people come to, the one people need, the one people talk about—when we can’t step aside because we’re afraid of becoming irrelevant—we’ve stopped pointing to Jesus and started pointing to ourselves.
We Are Like Them
What needs to decrease in your life so Jesus can increase?
Maybe it’s your need to be right. To win the argument. To have the last word. To make sure everyone knows you saw it coming, said it first, did it better. Maybe Jesus is trying to speak through someone else’s wisdom, but you can’t hear it because you’re too busy defending your position.
Maybe it’s your need for credit. For recognition. For people to know it was your idea, your effort, your sacrifice that made something happen. Maybe God is trying to do something beautiful, but you can’t fully participate because you’re measuring how much of the glory comes back to you.
Maybe it’s your need for control. For certainty. For everything to make sense and fit your timeline and happen the way you planned. Maybe Jesus is inviting you into something bigger, but you can’t release your grip because letting go feels like losing.
We want to be John the Baptist in the wilderness—bold, prophetic, uncompromising. But we don’t want to be John the Baptist when Jesus shows up. We don’t want to step aside. We don’t want our platform to shrink. We don’t want to become less.
But here’s the truth John understood: Decrease isn’t loss. It’s fulfillment.
John said his joy was complete when he heard the bridegroom’s voice. Not when people praised him. Not when his ministry grew. When Jesus showed up and John could finally do what he was born to do: point to Him.
The greatest moments of our lives won’t be when people are looking at us. They’ll be when people see Jesus because we got out of the way.
We were there when John chose to decrease. We are there now—holding onto our platforms, our reputations, our need to be seen—when Jesus is asking us to step aside.
Grace Note
“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12 (NIV)
Here’s the paradox of the Kingdom: the way up is down. The way to be exalted is to humble yourself. The way to be filled is to empty yourself. John didn’t lose anything when he decreased. He gained everything—because he got to see Jesus clearly, celebrate Jesus fully, and point others to Jesus freely. That’s what we’re made for. Not to be seen, but to help others see Him.
Prayer Prompt
Jesus,
I confess that I like being center stage. I like when people need me, listen to me, admire me. I like influence and recognition and control. Forgive me for the ways I’ve made my life about building my own kingdom instead of pointing to Yours.
Show me what needs to decrease. Is it my need to be right? My need for credit? My need for control? My need to be needed? I don’t want to hold onto things that keep others from seeing You clearly. Teach me the joy John felt—the joy of hearing Your voice, seeing Your work, and knowing I played my small part in pointing people to You.
Help me step aside when You show up. Help me celebrate when others increase and I decrease. Help me find my identity not in being seen but in helping others see You. You are worth it. You are enough. Amen.
Response
1. Identify What Needs to Decrease: Write down one area of your life where you’re holding center stage when Jesus should be there instead. Be specific. Your need to be right? Your need for credit? Your platform? Your control? Your fear of becoming irrelevant? Don’t just name it—ask Jesus what it would look like to hand that over to Him today.
2. Celebrate Someone Else’s Increase: Think of one person in your life who is pointing others to Jesus. Maybe their ministry is growing. Maybe they’re getting opportunities you wanted. Maybe people are listening to them more than you. Instead of feeling threatened, do what John did: celebrate. Send them a message today. Encourage them. Tell them you see what God is doing through them. Practice joy in someone else’s increase.
3. Step Aside Once Today: Look for one opportunity today to get out of the way so Jesus can be seen. Maybe it’s letting someone else lead. Maybe it’s staying quiet when you’d normally speak up. Maybe it’s giving credit when you’d normally take it. Maybe it’s redirecting a conversation toward Jesus instead of yourself. Just once. See what it feels like to decrease so He can increase.
To read all the posts in this devotional series, visit: That First Easter... I Was There
© Steve Peschke / This Is The Way