Matthew 3:14, “But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?”
John the Baptist was overwhelmed that Jesus was asking to be baptized by him. John had already declared himself unworthy to unloose the latchet of the Christ’s shoes, and now the Christ was asking him to administer His baptism (Lk. 3:16).
Likewise, we are often overwhelmed by the idea that the Lord could use us. Who are we to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ? It is easy to disqualify ourselves and not fulfill God’s instructions. However, Jesus told John that he had to do it to fulfill all righteousness.
As wonderful as it may seem, the Lord has chosen to use us. God’s Word could not have been fulfilled without John’s cooperation. The Lord works through men.
We can do nothing by ourselves, but the Lord will do nothing by Himself (Jn. 15:5; Eph. 3:20). A lack of understanding this has caused many people to miss God’s blessings. They pray and desire God’s best, but wait on God to move independent of them. There are things that we must do to fulfill the righteousness of God in our lives.
John was not seeking to exalt himself, but his failure to baptize Jesus would not have been an act of humility. It would have been stupidity. It takes great humility to recognize the call of God on your life and let Him use you.