Casting Crowns – “Nobody” (Devotional)

Nobody – John 1:23; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The song ΓÇ£Only JesusΓÇ¥ has a partner, bookends of sorts to the record, this song is called ΓÇ£Nobody.ΓÇ¥ When we think about our place in the world and understand why weΓÇÖre here – thereΓÇÖs no one that knew their place better than John the Baptist. The guy was in the womb jumping up and down about Jesus. Before he was even born he was pointing to Jesus, and that’s all he did his whole life.

John the Baptist knew his place, he knew why he was here. He knew ΓÇ£I am not the point, I am here to point to the point.ΓÇ¥

When I was a kid, I saw a guy who lived in the wilderness, ate locust and honey, and wore bear skins. That was my picture of John the Baptist. He was this crazy guy who talked about Jesus, but the older I got the more I started to fall in love with the heart of this man. John the Baptist knew his place, he knew why he was here. He knew ΓÇ£I am not the point, I am here to point to the point.ΓÇ¥ All he did was say that Jesus was coming.

There was a day that came when John the Baptist could have had his moment; he couldΓÇÖve had his moment to make a name for himself. Everyone came to him and said ΓÇ£John (or they just said dude) tell us who you are. Tell us who you are so we can go tell everyone else.ΓÇ¥ They were dropping rock-star names on him. They were saying, ΓÇ£Are you Elijah? Are you Moses?ΓÇ¥ Names didnΓÇÖt get any bigger than that at this time. At that moment he had a second, that if he wanted to, he would have reached out and taken just a little bit of it for himself; but he was in the presence of mind and close enough to Jesus that the moment everyone was looking at him – he wouldnΓÇÖt even tell them his name.

They say, ΓÇ£Who are you?ΓÇ¥ And John the Baptist says, ΓÇ£IΓÇÖm just a voice out here in the wilderness.ΓÇ¥ It sounds like a poetic statement, but what heΓÇÖs saying is, ΓÇ£IΓÇÖm nobody – you donΓÇÖt need to know me. IΓÇÖve got nothing for you. If youΓÇÖre going to meet me and youΓÇÖre going to leave – the thing that is going to last is going to be Jesus.ΓÇ¥

IΓÇÖve read that verse so many times and heard it so many times I think I stopped hearing it, but if you listen to it again they say, ΓÇ£Who are you?ΓÇ¥ And John the Baptist says, ΓÇ£IΓÇÖm just a voice out here in the wilderness.ΓÇ¥ It sounds like a poetic statement, but what heΓÇÖs saying is, ΓÇ£IΓÇÖm nobody – you donΓÇÖt need to know me. IΓÇÖve got nothing for you. If youΓÇÖre going to meet me and youΓÇÖre going to leave – the thing that is going to last is going to be Jesus.ΓÇ¥ Because he knew IΓÇÖm not the point. IΓÇÖm here to point to the point. There are times in my life where I would call it a ΓÇ£now what?ΓÇ¥ moment. There are times in my life when eyes have been all on me. When there has been a winning shot made, or a great thing said, or a good deed done. Everyone looks our way. What do we do when all eyes are on us? Not only John the Baptist, but Paul has always been one of the biggest names for me, a witness for me.

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Paul – 1st Corinthians

In 1st Corinthians Paul says some really strong things. A word jumped out at me a few years ago – the word ΓÇÿdecided.ΓÇÖ You said ΓÇ£I didnΓÇÖt come to you with wise and persuasive speech, but I decided to come to you with Jesus and him only.ΓÇ¥ And I always thought that Paul would be this weak, timid, little man, but when you start reading about Paul – he was a pretty sharp guy. He had wise and persuasive speech. Paul was a debater and could debate the debaters. He was the sharpest tack in the drawer, as my dad would say. But he knew what IΓÇÖm still trying to learn. He knew that even at my best there is an end to where I can take you.

I am nobody to remember, but the Jesus who has saved me – that’s the one you can remember.

So if I come to the world with all I have and point to me and all that I can do – I can only take people so far; but if I walk into the room knowing my place, knowing that IΓÇÖm nobody, IΓÇÖm just a voice crying out in the wilderness. IΓÇÖm just one more sinner that Jesus has brought home. IΓÇÖm just one more broken person made whole – then people will see how big God’s love is and how far he can reach and what he can do. I am nobody to remember, but the Jesus who has saved me – that’s the one you can remember.

In your life, where are you pointing to yourself instead of pointing to Jesus? Ask the Lord to give you humility in these areas.