John the Baptist was the forerunner of... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

John came baptising in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptised by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
Mark 1:4-5

John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Lord Jesus. He had the task of preparing the people of God for the coming of the promised Messiah. He did it in two ways:

1. He called people to repentance and to turn their lives toward God to be ready for Christ.
2. He showed them the greatness of the Messiah. As they became aware of the glory of Christ, they would gladly receive Him.

In today’s verse, John the Baptist, in a comparison with himself, presents two glories of the Lord:

o Christ is stronger than his forerunner. In Isaiah 9:5, He is called the “Mighty God”. As such, He healed the sick, liberated the demon-possessed, and raised the dead in His service to mankind. Even at the end of His life, He acted in divine power. Although He was crucified in weakness, in His death He won a glorious victory over the world, the devil and death.

o Christ is more worthy than John. His forerunner had such a deep impression of the moral majesty of the Lord that he did not consider himself worthy enough to perform even the lowest service of untying the strap of His sandal. Yes, all honour belongs to the Lord Jesus. Soon the entire creation will praise Him: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12)!

Today’s reading: Exodus 39:1-21 · Luke 18:9-17