Word of Mouth about Jesus- John the Baptist- John 1

When my pastor moved to my city from Texas, he thought there were no good Mexican restaurants here. Oh but in a city with thousands of Hispanics living here, we have many. I met him for lunch at one restaurant here and he loved it. He asked me what I thought of another place and he could tell from the look on my face that he did not want go there.

Word of mouth can make or break a business.

I will never forget when I was joking with a student in another ESL class before classes started one evening. She asked her friend about me. Her friend said, “he is the teacher who helps people.” That was the word of mouth about me at the time. It opened opportunities for me to share the love of Jesus with people.

When Jesus first started to become public, he was identified by someone who had the respect of many people. A man named John the Baptist. People flocked to him to be baptized. The Jewish leaders asked him questions about who he was. He answered:

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

They asked him why he was baptizing people. He answered:

“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

John the Baptist was born about six months before Jesus was born yet he said of Jesus:

‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 

That was right after he called Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

John also said of Jesus:

“I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

John’s testimony about Jesus resulted in two of John’s followers leaving John to follow Jesus. It set up Jesus in the eyes of the hundreds who came to John to be baptized. The word of mouth about Jesus had begun.

Jesus gives those who believe in him the opportunity to go tell others about him. He invites us to share in his ministry. What a wonderful privilege it is to be a witness for Jesus.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.