This joy of mine is fulfilled

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but 'I have been sent before Him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegrooms voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.

"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and he has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

- John 3:22-36

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught Nicodemus, a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, about baptism and rebirth "from above" - how it changes our nature so that we may perceive "heavenly things" and enter into the kingdom (See For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son). This is for the salvation of the world, from the love of God for the world. In today's reading, John the Baptist teaches his own disciples and followers about Christ and his relationship to Christ.

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison. At this point in John's Gospel narrative, John the Baptist is still actively preaching and baptizing. We recall that John the Baptist's mission has been to prepare all for the coming kingdom, and the Messiah or the Christ. John the Baptist has also baptized Jesus in the Jordan, and was a witness to Jesus' anointing by the Holy Spirit. (See Behold! The Lamb of God!) John's baptism of water is for repentance, in preparation, but he has said that the Christ will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but 'I have been sent before Him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegrooms voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled." My study bible says here: "John the Baptist is called the friend (the equivalent of a modern 'best man'), but it is Christ who is the bridegroom; the bride is God's people. As God was the Lord of His people in the Old Testament, so Christ is the Bridegroom of the Church in the New Testament." In yesterday's reading and commentary, I quoted from a note in my study bible in which it was pointed out that John's Gospel introduces us to many instances of Jesus as a repeated type from the Old Testament. In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke of His "lifting up" on the Cross, and how it will be a repeated type of the incident of Moses "lifting up" the serpent in the wilderness to heal the Israelites. Here Jesus is called the "bridegroom" by John the Baptist - my study bible's note explains the reference. John is not the bridegroom, but the "friend," although he has many followers and is universally accepted as a prophet, a holy man - and Jesus' early disciples come from among John's followers.

"He must increase, but I must decrease." My study bible notes, "The Forerunner expresses profound humility and acceptance of his role in the service of God. He renounces all earthly glory and reputation and glories only in Christ. John's aspirations of hope and joy as a minister and servant of God have now been fulfilled." John is the Forerunner, one of his titles in the Church since ancient times, because he has stated that he comes before the bridegroom; he is the herald of Jesus' ministry in the world. John the Baptist's joy is complete because his own mission as a servant of God is fulfilled. He had announced the coming of the Bridegroom, and prepared all for this event with repentance via baptism of water.

"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and he has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." My study bible notes here: "John gives a summary of the teaching of the Gospel about the origin, dignity, and saving work of Christ." What I find interesting about this part of our passage for today is the summing up that really is a repetition or reflection of Jesus' words from yesterday, concerning the things that are "earthly" and things that are "from above." I love that John the Baptist tells us that "God does not give the Spirit by measure." We will certainly witness repeated incidents throughout the Gospels of the fullness of this Spirit, and its myriad works that continue today, as we are witness as well to that Anointing from Christ. My study bible also has an overall note that applies to this entire passage: "John the Baptist gives his final witness to Jesus as the One who is greater. Jesus has the Spirit in fullness, He possesses all the authority of the Father, and He grants eternal life to those who believe."

We are once again in the arena of the "heavenly things" that come "from above," and are given to us without measure so that we too may enter into that kingdom. Through baptism, we become "like Him," so that we, too, may enter into depth of relationship and move forward in that depth and grow in that relationship. There's also an important understanding here about our role in all of this. How do we choose to serve? What role does the Spirit help us to play as part of the people of the Bridegroom? At the very end of John's Gospel, we may read a passage in which the Risen Christ speaks with His two disciples, John (the author of this Gospel) and Peter. (See John 21:15-29.) Jesus tells Peter to "Feed my lambs." At one point, Peter points to John and asks Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus instructs Peter then that John may have a different mission to do (Jesus asks, in fact, "What is that to you?"), that Peter must simply, "Follow Me." John the Baptist here expresses the same idea, that we each have our own mission as servants, and John's joy is full at the fulfillment of his mission. Humility, we should understand, is about the fulfillment of what it is that God wishes for us to do. That is something quite different from "humiliation," with which it seems to be often popularly confused. How will your joy be fulfilled? What is it that the Lord asks of you? In the fullness of the Spirit, holiness of the Kingdom - so we have been told - is like the mustard seed that continues growing and branching out until it becomes a great sturdy bush, in which birds of the air may nest. Holiness is ever-creative and growing, renewing and new. What way does it call you? Allow it to fulfill its promise in whatever unique way you are to serve, so that your joy, too, may be complete. The friend, John the Baptist tells us, "rejoices greatly because of the bridegrooms voice." What do you hear in that voice for you?