In the Life of Christ
“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!’” —John 1:35–36
John the Baptist had spent his ministry gathering disciples, preaching repentance, baptizing those who responded, and preparing Israel for the arrival of the Messiah. People traveled into the wilderness to hear him. His words carried authority, his courage attracted attention, and his disciples remained close to him. Yet when Jesus appeared, John did not attempt to protect what he had built. He looked at Christ and told the people nearest to him, in effect, “There is the One you must follow.”
That moment reveals whether John truly believed his own message. It is relatively easy to say that everything is about Jesus when following Jesus does not cost us anything. The harder test comes when Christ asks us to surrender influence, release people, share responsibility, or accept that someone we have mentored is being called beyond our immediate reach. John’s credibility rested not only in what he preached but also in what he was willing to relinquish. The purpose of his ministry was never to make permanent disciples of John. It was to prepare disciples for Jesus.
The Greek verb translated “looked” or “gazed” in John 1:36 is emblepō (ἐμβλέπω). It suggests more than a quick glance. John fixed his attention upon Jesus and recognized the significance of the One walking before him. Then he declared, “Look, the Lamb of God!” John did not tell his disciples to admire his own sacrifice, remember his sermons, or preserve his personal legacy. He directed their gaze toward the Lamb who would bear the sin of the world.
Matthew Henry wrote that ministers must witness to Christ not only through public preaching but also through their private interactions, always serving Christ’s interests rather than their own. John’s witness was consistent in the crowd and in the smaller circle of those who knew him personally. He preached Christ publicly, but he also released his closest disciples privately. His life did not contradict his message.
This challenges me to examine what I mean when I say that ministry belongs to Jesus. Am I willing to serve when my role is visible but reluctant when another person receives the opportunity? Can I rejoice when someone I encouraged grows beyond my instruction? Will I bless a friend, child, grandchild, student, or ministry partner when God calls that person somewhere I cannot follow?
We regularly ask believers, “Are you willing to go?” That is an essential question because Christ still commands His people to carry the gospel into the world. Yet John’s example requires another question: “Are you willing to let someone else go?” Sending often costs the one who remains. Parents release children into adulthood and ministry. Congregations release gifted members to serve elsewhere. Mentors watch students become leaders. Pastors sometimes bless people whose obedience takes them beyond the congregation where they first grew.
A commentary from Luther Seminary observes that John’s declaration moved two of his disciples to leave him and begin following Jesus. His testimony became an invitation for them to discover Christ personally. This is the goal of faithful Christian witness. We do not merely want people to appreciate what we say about Jesus. We want them to encounter Him, hear His voice, and walk in obedience to His call.
John’s ministry became smaller in one sense, but its purpose was being fulfilled. The departure of his disciples was not necessarily evidence that his work had failed. It was evidence that his witness had succeeded. He had prepared them to recognize the Messiah, and when the Messiah appeared, John did not stand between them and Jesus.
Gerald Borchert describes John as a model servant because the natural human tendency is to attach our names to people, institutions, and accomplishments so that we will be remembered. By contrast, the ideal witness minimizes himself so that Jesus becomes the focus. John later summarized this spiritual posture with the words, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Decreasing does not mean pretending we have no value. John understood his value clearly. He knew he was the voice crying in the wilderness, the friend of the Bridegroom, and the appointed witness who prepared the Lord’s way. Humility is not denying that God has given us an assignment. Humility is refusing to make that assignment about ourselves.
Jesus demonstrated this same pattern throughout His earthly ministry. He trained His disciples and then sent them out to preach, heal, and announce the kingdom of God. He gave them genuine responsibility, although they were still growing and occasionally failed. Christ did not build dependent followers who could do nothing without His physical presence. He prepared them to continue His mission through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Church needs leaders who are secure enough in Christ to develop others rather than control them. It needs parents who pray more earnestly for their children’s obedience than for their continued proximity. It needs congregations that measure success not only by how many people gather but also by how many are equipped and sent. It needs mature believers who can say, “I have helped you as far as God assigned me. Now follow Jesus wherever He leads.”
The question before us is not merely whether we speak accurately about Christ. The deeper question is whether our decisions confirm our testimony. John said Jesus was the Lamb of God, and then he allowed his disciples to follow the Lamb. His sacrifice gave weight to his endorsement.
Today, I want to hold people with open hands. I will encourage those entrusted to me, teach them faithfully, love them sincerely, and resist the temptation to treat their growth as my possession. A faithful witness does not create a circle that ends with himself. He points beyond himself to Jesus.
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