Preferred Before Me
Preferred Before Me
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”
John 1:15
I’ve always like the comparison between like and the stage. The idea that angels and heavenly being watch us from above and witness what a sinful world is like and the horrors of its consequences. It’s as if the earth is a stage and we are all the actors living away on it.
Continuing with that analogy, how do you see yourself on that stage? Are you the star of the show? Does everything on that stage revolve around you? Are you center stage or are you simply a character in the background? Do you see someone else as the star in your show?
John knew who he was. He knew he was chosen by God to be Elijah- the one who would herald the way of the coming Messiah. He knew he had an important role. He knew that people needed to see and hear him. He had a message for the whole world.
But John also knew that he wasn’t the star. As important as his role was, the Messiah would be preferred to him. He was, to borrow from another author, a smaller light which to highlight the larger light. Even though the Messiah would come after him and his mission, the Messiah was actually before him.
Where is Jesus on the stage for you? Is he a guest star that appears once a week to applause and fanfare only to exit by sunset? Is he someone who is always on the stage but relegated to the back and only speaks when needed? Or is he center stage as he was for John? Does he take the position at the spotlight so that when people see you, they are actually seeing him?
Where do you think Jesus belongs and are you placing him there in your life? This is an important question that you shouldn’t avoid. Jesus himself says:
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33
God bless,
Pr. Steven Couto