From the Old to the New

From the Old to the New: The Transition from John the Baptist to Christ in Us

Introduction: a turning point

In recent months I have been living a moment of deep transition. My reflections, my texts and even my personal struggles have made me realize that much of my work until now resembles that of John the Baptist: preparing the way, calling to awareness, warning. But now I feel an invitation from the Spirit to take a step forward: to decrease the "John the Baptist" in me and allow Christ to grow, manifesting the new creation, the living in newness of life.

This turn is not theoretical; it is real. It passes through the body, the mind and the heart. Even my parkinsonism has become a living parable of Isaiah 53: "Surely he took upon himself our infirmities and carried our diseases". I understand more and more that, in the Kingdom, it is not only about warning, but about prophesying life.

John the Baptist: the voice that prepares

John the Baptist was the greatest among those born of women, but Jesus declared that the least in the Kingdom is greater than he (Lk 7:28). John represents the height of the Old Testament: a vigorous, direct prophet who called to repentance. He was "salty," provocative, cutting through crooked ways to straighten paths.

For a long time I also lived in that tone, confronting traditions, calling to awareness, questioning structures. And that was (and is) necessary: without repentance there is no transformation. But John the Baptist was not the end; he was the forerunner.

"He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)

The valley of very dry bones: prophesying life

After my last article about "being dead," some people came to me with deep questions. One of them asked sincerely: "What do you mean we are dead?"; another young woman commented: "We don't know how to perceive the difference between soul and spirit." These reactions touched me deeply, because they showed that people were not just reading, but being stirred inside, awakened to something beyond religion.

This remark about soul and spirit is especially important: it touches the invisible. Romans 8 reminds us that "the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness" (Rom 8:10). Many times, because we cannot see this, we disregard it, just as we disregard the spiritual world because it is not visible to natural eyes. But ignoring the invisible does not make it any less real.

At the same time, I have been talking with a friend who works with neurological patients about the power of words, especially in the context of human care. Just as physical exercise changes a muscle, a word can change an inner state, and, even in the field of health, there is room to prophesy life.

"He led me back and forth... and I saw that the bones were very dry." (Ezek 37:2)

These conversations immediately reminded me of Ezekiel 37: the valley of very dry bones. The detail "very dry" shows that there was no life at all, no human possibility of restoration. And yet, God said: "Prophesy!". To obey is to speak life where there is only apparent death, to declare the invisible as real, to call into existence that which does not exist. And that is how I am understanding the next step of my work.

Isaiah 53: the Suffering Servant and the new creation

Isaiah 53 does not end in suffering; it leads to victory. "He will see the fruit of his labor and be satisfied." This fruit is Christ formed in us. Thus, the Suffering Servant not only carried sins and pains, but opened the way for His life to be planted within each one of us.

No beauty or majesty: deep identification

"He had no beauty or majesty; and, when we looked at him, we saw no beauty that we should desire him." (Isa 53:2)

This detail touched me deeply. For a long time I too have seen myself like this in the eyes of others, without appeal, without appearance, without gentleness; sometimes too "salty," like John the Baptist. And rightly so, since I was focused on confronting and provoking a change of mentality.

But I realize that even this was part of the process: the Suffering Servant was also rejected, misunderstood, looked down upon. Still, there was the seed of the life that would transform the world. And so, even in my moments of greatest harshness, God was preparing in me the ground for the tenderness and the newness of life that He wants to manifest now.

Afflicted, stricken by God and oppressed: my identification with the Servant

"Surely he took upon himself our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we considered him afflicted, stricken by God and oppressed." (Isa 53:4)

This passage speaks directly to my heart. Many, when they look at me, see someone afflicted, stricken by God and oppressed, and in part, it is true: my body carries an illness. But just as with the Suffering Servant, this illness is not my essence; it is a setting, a living parable.

Isaiah says that He took upon Himself what was not His. In the same way, what touches my body today is not my identity. On the contrary, it is the space where God's power is made perfect in weakness and where Christ is manifested. There is no beauty or majesty in human eyes, but there is a hidden beauty, the power of God working in the invisible, transforming pain into life.

From confrontation to formation: decreasing in order to grow

To decrease is not to disappear, but to make room. It is to let Christ, the Son of Man who walks in the light, live fully in me. This means changing the tone: less combat, more formation; less denunciation, more proclamation; less "I am right," more "Christ in us, the hope of glory."

The central point: from sight to faith

This is the root:

• Adam and Eve had their "eyes opened" to the visible and lost the vision of the invisible.
• Today we walk more by sight than by faith.
• Faith is the proof of what is not seen; and without faith it is impossible to please God.
• To prophesy is to walk in faith, to speak the invisible as real, to call life to what we do not yet see.

This is the foundation  of spiritual discipleship: helping people move from the world of the senses to the world of the Spirit, living in the invisible reality of Christ.

Commit your way to the Lord: the invisible is His

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." (Ps 37:5)

In the end, it is He who works in the invisible. We obey, we prophesy, we teach, but it is the breath of the Spirit that gives life. This balance between human responsibility and divine sovereignty is the heart of this new phase.

Without this surrender, we run the risk of wanting to operate on our own; with it, God strengthens, leads and accomplishes what we do not see.

Walk in the light while we have the light

They asked Jesus: Who is this 'Son of Man'?
Then Jesus said to them: For a little while longer the light will be among you. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness does not overtake you, for whoever walks in darkness does not know where he is going. Believe in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light. John 12:34-36

This is the invitation to live today, in the now, manifesting what is already in us, not just waiting for what is to come. It is to act as light and salt of the earth already in the present, practical life, living word, the transforming touch of the Spirit.

Living in newness of life

This is the new creation: living in newness of life. It is no longer just pointing out the error or calling to repentance, but manifesting the life of the Spirit. It is being the light of the world and the salt of the earth, giving flavor and preserving life where everything seems to rot.

In the polarized world we live in, where everyone feels right and fights the others, this is an essential key: to stop merely reacting and begin to prophesy life, to reconcile instead of dividing, to build instead of destroying.

Conclusion: the invitation to the transition

If this article spoke to your heart, I invite you to walk with me in this transition, from the old to the new, from confrontation to formation, from death to life, from sight to faith. So that Christ may be formed in us.

Practical continuation: to apply these steps in daily life, read the devotional series "John the Baptist to Christ in Us."

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