The ancient theologian Saint Augustine...
Illustration
The ancient theologian Saint Augustine helps us see that John is a model for how we might be messengers for Jesus ourselves. The Bible makes clear, Augustine notes, that the longer John the Baptist lived the less prominent is his ministry and the more prominent Jesus becomes. "He must increase, but we must decrease!" (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 7, p. 95). Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan might have been right about entertainment messages when he famously declared that "the medium is the message." But he had it wrong about the message of Jesus and Christian faith. If McLuhan were correct, Jesus is nothing more than how we present him to others. No, when it comes to spreading that message and our role in it John the Baptist, Ronald Reagan, Harry Truman, and John Wooden had it right, when each more or less said: "It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit."
It is more likely that folks will see Jesus more clearly in the messages we send to them if we get out the way.
It is more likely that folks will see Jesus more clearly in the messages we send to them if we get out the way.
