In the Oscar Wilde play, Salome, John the Baptist is portrayed as feeling like a failure. His efforts to get people to repent seem to have fallen on deaf ears. In addition, he is not sure what to make of Jesus. The gospels portray him as asking “are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?” From his perspective John the Baptist doesn’t see what good he has accomplished. In retrospect, when we look at his life, we see someone who made the future ministry of Jesus and his reception possible. Like John the Baptist we do not always see the good that our efforts are accomplishing. We will only know in heaven; therefore, for now, we must remain faithful.
