November 12, 2004

THE PREFERRED MAN

"After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me" (John 1:30, NKJV).

Conspicuous among John the Baptist's many portraits of Jesus is that of the "Preferred Man." John never failed to extol and magnify Christ as the promised Messiah. He never once questioned the superior rank and dignity of the Son of God, whom he announced as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29, NKJV). He once referred to Christ as the One who came from above and who is above all (see John 3:28-31). In true humility, John spoke of Christ as the One who is "mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry" (Matthew 3:11, NKJV). He also said of Christ, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30, NKJV).

Perhaps John's most expressive title for Jesus is the "Preferred Man." To John, the great prophet and preacher, Jesus Christ was no ordinary man. While he recognized Him to be a man in the fullest sense, he saw in Him the "Preferred Man," the preeminent, superior Man, the incomparable Man. There never was a man like Jesus. He is the God-man, preeminent and preferred above all.

Jesus is the "Preferred Man" because of His preexistence, His incarnation, His unique life, His marvelous atonement, His triumphant resurrection, and His heavenly intercession. In all things Jesus is the "Preferred Man." He will be the "Preferred Man" for all eternity. "When he [John] beheld Jesus before him, he declared, 'Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me; for he was before me.' "--Review and Herald, January 7, 1890.

My Prayer Today: Lord, like John the Baptist, I extol You as the "Preferred Man." You are first, last, and everything to me. Amen.