God does not give the Spirit by measure

"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 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 3:31-36

In yesterday's reading, we read the Benedictus of Zacharias, a canticle sung after the circumcision of his son, John the Baptist. Zacharias - who was previously mute - was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied through his beautiful canticle, which told of the Messiah and the fulfillment of promise for the people of God, their freedom to love God and practice the commitment made to them through the ancestor Abraham. It echoed Scripture (and prophecy) from the Old Testament and foretold what was to be fulfilled in the ministry of Christ - for whom John the Baptist will serve as herald, preparing the people for this fulfillment, as "prophet of the Highest." See To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Today we read John the Baptist's words as he testifies about Jesus. His disciples have just come to him, telling him that Jesus is now baptizing, "and all are coming to Him!" In this speech of testimony to his disciples, John teaches them about his diminishing role, and the role of Jesus as Christ. He says, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven." In the verses previous to today's reading, John tells them, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's 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." John is contrasting his own "earthly" role as prophet with that of Christ "who comes from above." He is guiding His disciples toward Christ. John's role is to serve, above all. We return to the themes in the canticle of Zacharias, which we read in yesterday's reading. Zacharias sang that the promised One would come in God's mercy "to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life." John's greatest role is to serve, his spiritual freedom is to serve "in holiness and righteousness." As the greatest prophet, he fulfills his role, his identity in that freedom proclaimed by his father in the canticle, the Benedictus.

"He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony." A prophecy here of the ministry of Christ. Who will receive His testimony? Jesus, the Son, testifies to what He knows that others do not know - he comes from the heavenly reality which others do not know and have not seen and heard. Notions about this testimony will come into play as the religious leadership will question Jesus' authority to speak of such things - and this authority, which comes from above, will not be recognized, His testimony will not be received.

"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." Here is the summing up of a relationship and communion - and the nature of this relationship is love. Love defines and describes the relationship between the Father and the Son and the Spirit - all are One in One via relationship. It is so important to read that "God does not give the Spirit by measure." One is either in this place of relatedness or not! And ultimately that love and relatedness is a gift of grace.

"The Father loves the Son, and 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." The relationship of Father to Son is all in all: the Father "has given all things into His hand." And again, we return to the understanding that we abide in this place of relationship, or we do not - and we lose the gifts of that relatedness, the "life, more abundantly" that we are promised by Christ.

Life itself is tied to relationship to the Father. Surely as Creator, the power of life is a gift in God's hand for us. But what is life, more abundantly? Surely it is to live in deeper communion with God - and the more that increases, the more the power of life within us and its abundance for us. In yesterday's canticle, Zacharias proclaims the great freedom, the liberating action of the Messiah as the freedom to serve. It is a liberation from enemies who would prevent us from living that life of the practice of righteousness and holiness - in the deepest fulfillment of covenant, the promise made to Abraham - that the Messiah, the Anointed One, will bring. This abundance of life in relatedness brings us the important context into which this fits, the work of the Spirit and His fullness in us, so that He may "guide our feet into the way of peace." Again, we remember that Jesus will teach His disciples, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." This gift of the fullness of the Spirit, which God does not give by measure, is the gift of life - the freedom to be God's people, to live in covenant, communion, commitment, to receive His testimony, to fulfill our greatest identity through the freedom to serve and to learn the Way of peace. This is John the Baptist's testimony to his own role as the greatest prophet, and servant to the One "who comes from above." Where will the Spirit "not given by measure" take you? How will your liberation fulfill your own identity? How does it teach you the way of peace, in the receiving of testimony? What life does it give you? Into this world a Child is born. What life does He give birth to in you?