Not
everyone believed John the Baptist. In fact, the authorities were quite
antagonistic. A group came to challenge him. “They said to him, ‘Who are
you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about
yourself?’ He said, ‘I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘make
straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet said.’ Now they had been
sent from the Pharisees.” (John
1:22-24)
Being a
prophet is not an easy calling. It takes grace and courage to speak what you
think God wants said, especially if it goes contrary to authority or
conventional wisdom. Traditional icons of John the Baptist show him holding his
head-a reminder of the cost of standing up against authority. By following God,
John was forced to forgo fame and fortune and indeed his life.
Do you
have a message to proclaim that might be contrary to authority?
