I love me some me. This goes all the way back to my baseball years in high school. You see, more than being cheered, I loved to be boo’d. Not from our team’s fans, no. I loved it when the other team’s fans boo’d me. When those guys boo’d me it meant that I had gotten into their heads. The game transitioned from being about their team to being about me. I told you… I love me some me. I did a Google search on the phrase, “I love me some me.” You know what comes back? This video…
I don’t mind the spotlight. I actually like being the center of attention. In one aspect it’s helpful in connecting with people. In a completely different aspect, it can be a problem if that becomes my life philosophy. At one time it was. For many of us the main struggle in our relationships is that we “love me some me” too much. And while there’s an aspect of life that is about us, it’s not the end all be all of the matter. But if we’re honest, it’s easy to get caught in the “me” trap. So how can we either avoid this trap or find a way out of it? Check this out:
This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began just as the prophet Isaiah had written: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” – Mark 1:1-8
This dude John the Baptist, a relative of Jesus, could have made this preaching tour all about himself. He could have titled it the, “I Love Me Some Me” tour. And whether or not John consciously thought this way or not, he knew that this line of thinking was a trap. Yo, the “Me” trap wasn’t invented in the 21st Century! The “Me” trap has existed since the beginning. Adam and Eve fell into the trap. King David fell into the trap. Judas fell into the trap. This trap has been around for a while. So how did the John in these verses not fall into the “Me” trap?
First, John knew that the God of the Old Testament… Jehovah… the God of Moses who said in Exodus 3:14, “I am who I am” … this God fulfills His promises. John understood this and placed his trust in this God. He knew his Scripture. John knew that the Old Testament predicted that God would send a messenger to “clear the way ahead” of Jesus in Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. John knew that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament and the promise of God to provide the One who would restore humanity back to right relationship to God by trusting and believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we realize that God fulfills His promises, we can then place our trust in Him to make a way out of the “Me” trap.
Secondly, John committed to living a life devoted to God. John lived and preached in the wilderness (Mark 1:4). The wilderness in Biblical tradition is often associated with spiritual renewal, purification, and a return to God. It was in the wilderness that the Israelites wandered for 40 years and learned to rely on God. By preaching in the wilderness, John was symbolically calling the people to leave behind their sins and worldly attachments to seek spiritual renewal and repentance. It emphasized the need for a radical break from the old ways of life and a fresh start in anticipation of the coming of God’s kingdom. And by choosing the wilderness as his place of ministry, John identified himself as the one preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah. And maybe this wilderness is where you find yourself today. Sure, it may not look like a wilderness, but it sure feels like you’re mentally and spiritually in a desert land. Maybe God right now is telling you right now that you need to confess your sin, leave your worldly attachments behind you and seek Christ to renew you spiritually. It’s in the wilderness where John was preparing the people to connect with the Word, Jesus. And maybe right now, you need to reconnect, or connect for the first time, with the Word, Jesus. A step you can take is to begin by reading the book of Mark in the Bible. Not only did John live and preach in the wilderness, but he also chose to live differently than most if not all of the other people in the region. Check this out:
“His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.” – Mark 1:6
You see, this diet that John ate connected him to the Old Testament prophets who also lived in the wilderness. This diet demonstrated that he was separated from worldly comforts and committed to spiritual matters. Locusts were a natural and available food source in the wilderness and were considered a permissible food to eat in Jewish law. Additionally, wild honey was also natural and often symbolized the sustenance provide by God in the wilderness. Now I’m not saying that we need to change our diets to only eat locusts and wild honey, although my gut and waistline would benefit for sure. But maybe just maybe God is calling you to a different diet of what you watch, what you listen to, who you find yourself interacting with… Maybe God is calling you to a whole different way of living that recognizes your need for Jesus to enter your life.
Third, John recognized his standing in comparison to Jesus as the Messiah. Check this out:
“John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” – Mark 1:8
John knew that his purpose in life was to prepare the way for Jesus to arrive. He knew that he himself wasn’t the answer, it was Jesus. John didn’t point people back to himself, he pointed people to Jesus. I used to think I had all the answers. “Hey, you need help? I got you. Listen to me.” Maybe that’s you right now… you got all the answers… you just depending on you and your efforts to get by. Or… you may not have all the answers, but you got some self-help books to see you through. Here’s the thing though… you and your self-help books aren’t Jesus. Sure, you might get by for some time, but in the end, you come to the end of yourself. John didn’t fall into the “Me” trap because he pointed people to Jesus. It’s hard to fall into the trap when you’re saying don’t look at me, look at Jesus.
I love me some me. It’s funny when we watch Terrell Owens shout it from the sidelines. But “Me” isn’t the answer. John the Baptist didn’t “love me some me,” he loved Jesus and pointed people to Him. And maybe it’s time you put your trust in the God who fulfills His promises, change your way of living as Jesus enters your life, and recognize your need for Jesus to rule as King of your life.
“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11
