Pass the Baton
“Later on, after John was arrested by Herod Antipas, Jesus went to Galilee to preach God’s Good News. ‘At last the time has come!’ he announced. ‘The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!’” – Mark 1:14-15
The first thought that comes to mind as I read this verse is that serving Christ in no way exempts us from persecution or trouble.
John was the greatest prophet ever, but he was still arrested and thrown into prison. The powers of darkness are ever vigilant to persecute the true followers of Messiah.
There are dark, dark forces in this world that care nothing for Christ – such as Herod Antipas. This man lived only for himself and his selfish desires. He even divorced his wife (the daughter of Nabataean king Aretas IV) in order to marry his brother’s wife.
John the Baptist publicly denounced this second marriage as unlawful, and was thrown into prison for speaking out. Ironically, Aretas, the father of Herod’s first wife, was angry over the insult to his daughter, and so he waged war against Antipas, defeating him badly. Many saw this as God’s judgment on Herod.
As I recall these facts, I wonder how many preachers today are bold enough to speak out against sin in the lives of public figures? How many would be willing to risk prison to speak the truth?
In any event, it was time for the baton to be passed. As John had said earlier regarding Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” And so it was. Jesus came into prominence and John faded into obscurity.
This is how the baton is passed. The person who has served must select someone to pass the baton to. It is not enough to serve the Lord ourselves, we must reproduce ourselves in others. We must mentor someone to take our place. Or, as in the case of John, allow God to select our replacement.
We must ever look forward. We are not as young today as we were yesterday. Soon the years roll on, and time is no more. We will die, but the Kingdom must live on.
We must pass the baton.
The gospel must continue. The truth must go forward. The Kingdom of God must advance – even after we’re gone. God’s causes are far bigger than us, and we should never stand in their way.
So when it comes time for us to pass the baton, we must do so gracefully, and willingly. We must fade into the background and let go. We should not hang around giving our successor our shadow under which to operate. Like John, we must decrease, and our successor must increase – so that Christ can increase most of all.
I once knew a preacher whose time for retirement had come. A successor was selected, and he took over the pulpit of the retiring man. But the retiring Minister kept hanging around. He kept insisting that he be allowed to preach now and then. The result was that the young pastor was discouraged, tension filled the church, and the gospel was hindered.
When it is time to pass the baton, we need to do it, and be done with it. We can keep serving the Lord, but we need to move out of the picture entirely to allow God to work through those who follow.
A question looms: who have you mentored or selected to step into your shoes to fulfill the ministry which you now enjoy? If you have selected no one, remember that the Good News must go on. Even if you will not step down for a long time, still, you should pour yourself into someone younger, who can carry on the work of Christ.
Then, when the time comes, let go, and pass the baton.