Issue #184, June 29, 2016
John the Baptist’s life has challenged us in many ways. His commitment, sacrifice, humility boldness and suffering all serve as examples to servant leaders. We would expect a glorious ending to a leader like this but John’s life ends differently. “The king was greatly distressed, but …he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter….On hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb” (Mark 6:26-29, portions). Is this the way for the greatest man born before Jesus to end his life? But it was not the end. John did not leave behind great sums of money or earthly possessions, but he lived in a way that his impact far outlasted his grave. John the Baptist left a powerful legacy.
His legacy prepared leaders for Jesus.
We would naturally want to know what happened to John’s disciples. What organization did they found after his untimely death? There seems to be nothing. Yet, many of John’s disciples became disciples of Jesus. He invested in their lives and then passed them on to Jesus. The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus (John 1:35-37). One of these was Andrew and we might dismiss him as a person of little influence. But Andrew brought Peter to Jesus and Peter became a pillar of the early church. Peter would not have come to Jesus without John preparing Andrew for Jesus. John raised up leaders for another leader, the ultimate act of service. He realized he was not foolish to lay down his own ambitions for a greater cause. John’s legacy teaches us that it is more important to prepare leaders for God’s kingdom than to build our own kingdom.
His legacy persuaded followers for Jesus.
Not only did John prepare leaders for Jesus to use, but his life and teachings influenced many others to follow Jesus. Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true.” And in that place many believed in Jesus (John 10: 40-42). John’s success is not measured by the number miracles he performed or the number of followers who were with him at his funeral. His life made it easier for many people to follow Jesus. John’s legacy teaches us that it is more important to persuade people to follow Jesus than to follow us.
His legacy positioned the nations for Jesus.
The Apostle Paul was a great missionary and church planter. But interestingly when Paul first visits Ephesus, over 20 years after John’s death, he finds that one of John’s disciples was already there! Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John (Acts 18:24-25). John, as far as we know, never traveled outside Israel. But Apollos carried the message he received from John to modern day Turkey! The message was not complete, but shows the remarkable legacy John left behind. John the Baptist impacted the early church and long after his death he was instrumental in preparing other nations to receive the good news of Jesus. What will your followers be doing 20 years after you are gone? John’s legacy teaches us that it is more important to prepare leaders for the nations than to keep them in our organization.
Was John’s impact finished at his grave? Not at all! And beyond the early church, his legacy continues into the 21st century as he still impacts our lives and shows us how to lead as servant leaders. Let’s lead like John and leave a legacy that far outlasts our funeral!
For further reflection and discussion:
- Reflect on John’s life. What made his legacy so powerful and what does it mean for me? Am I looking primarily at what I can accomplish in my lifetime, or am I leading in a way that will leave a legacy to impact future generations? In what ways can I change to make a longer term impact?
- How is my leadership preparing others to follow Jesus? Am I willing to raise leaders for “export” to other organizations or places if that is where God leads them?
- Is my leadership primarily to persuade others to follow me or to follow Jesus? What can I do to focus more on preparing people to respond to the call of Jesus?
- In what way does my leadership impact the nations for Jesus? Are there ways God can use my business, my church or group to extend the message of the Kingdom to nations where it has not yet reached?