And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.
John the Baptist died in very unfortunate circumstances. The result of calling out incest and adultery in leadership, the death of John speaks of the bravery of a man unafraid to stand up against societal wrongs no matter where they exist.
The legacy of John the Baptist can be summed up by the words of Matthew 14:12 as written above. John’s life had been pointed toward telling the world, “repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” His entire existence postured toward lowliness for the sake of magnifying the coming King Jesus. He desired to send others toward Jesus.
Upon the death of John the Baptist, Scripture shows his disciples going to Jesus.* That is the legacy each of us should pray for.
Legacies can come in the form of finances, properties, traditions, generational iniquities, generational blessings, behavioral patterns, relationships, and more. In the latter years of life, we begin to ask questions like, “What is my legacy? What am I leaving behind?”
For John the Baptist, he left a legacy that reflected his life: when John was gone, those who loved him went to Jesus.
Imagine if our lives were so pointed toward helping others follow Jesus that when we died, that was the most memorable and significant point of our legacy? Imagine if our deaths spurred others to then go to Jesus?
I pray that for me and my family. I pray that our legacy is one that points others toward Jesus.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to look at your legacy. What do you leave behind? Perhaps God wants the most noticeable point of your legacy to be the pointing of others toward Jesus. Maybe God wants to show you what that looks like for today?
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.
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*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 368–374, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 14:1–12) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).