He must increase, but I must decrease

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John was also 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 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 earthy 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 3:22-36

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught Nicodemus, a Pharisee, after a dialogue about baptism. He said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Jesus taught about the desire for everlasting life and its link to faith - what we love and keep within ourselves, what we choose - and its link to the light that has come and shines in the darkness. Today John the Baptist gives his testimony to faith and to the identity of Christ.

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John was also 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. It's interesting to see that Jesus is baptizing in Judea, and at the same time John the Baptist also continues his ministry of baptism. There is no conflict in this! John continues to prepare all for the Christ and for Jesus' ministry.

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!" We note the disputes that arise, and we recall that reference to "the Jews" in John's Gospel most often indicate the position of the leadership. So we have a set of circumstances here in which decisions about purification are being made. John has been baptizing before Jesus started His public ministry; indeed, it is John the Baptist who has first testified of Jesus' identity, and who has led his disciples to be those who now follow Jesus. John's Gospel has taught us all this before we reach this point. Furthermore, the first reported incident in Judea is Jesus' cleansing of the temple - also a focus on purification. So, purification becomes an all-important concept, a very significant understanding to develop in context of the times and the power of preaching of these men. John's disciples, midst this scenario, come to him and tell him about Jesus' ministry and His success -- and those who are now coming to Jesus for baptism. He must reconcile this question for his own disciples now.

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.'" John the Baptist, in his brilliant example of the great humility of saintly life and those whom we venerate as servants of all, teaches his disciples about the power of God and ministry. His very first statement sets things in a certain context and order. No one has anything unless it is given from above. Just as John has taught about the One who will baptize in Spirit, so it follows that John now teaches about the work of the Spirit in the world, and through whom this baptism in Spirit is operating. He not only bears witness to God's work through Jesus, but also calls upon his own disciples to witness his previous statements of public preaching, that John himself is sent before the Christ.

"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." The bride, of course, is Israel - the people of God. John the Baptist shares the joy of the fullness coming into Jesus' public ministry. He is the friend of the bridegroom, and he knows that it is now Jesus' ministry that must take priority and precedence. "He must increase, but I must decrease" is perhaps one of the most poignant examples of a statement by a man who is radically committed to truth and to spiritual understanding. His person is not what is important, but rather his person in the work of serving God. That is his great and powerful commitment and why he is both so honored in the Church, and was tremendously revered in his own lifetime as a holy man. This statement also opens up to us a great reality and question: What is the purpose of purification, if it is not to receive the fullness of this salvation?

"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthy 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." Here John the Baptist, echoing the words of Jesus in His teaching to Nicodemus, testifies to the holy identity of Jesus as Christ. John the Baptist himself has spoken and taught of "earthly things" - of baptism and preparation for the One who was to come. John's words echo the teachings of Jesus to Nicodemus about the earthly and heavenly, and about the One who is sent and therefore has knowledge of heavenly things. But John takes it further and gives us yet another facet of faith: Jesus testifies to what He knows because He is Son and has been sent, but is yet rejected. And in our response to that testimony, we respond to the presence of God - the Father, Son and Spirit. Through His words, we are given the power and energy and reality of all that grace and presence, "for God does not give the Spirit by measure." In so doing, John the Baptist is affirming a kind of cosmic picture of our own importance in this grand scheme of salvation, of saving grace: how we respond to God's presence, through His words, is essential to our understanding of acceptance or rejection of the light in the world. John the Baptist is himself a great player in this vision, carrying his own service and witness as far as he can. We all have our own great roles to play in this vision of God and God's grace at work in us and among us.

"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." All things are given to the Son - John the Baptist refers his disciples back to their original inquiry, and yet now so much more. "Everyone is coming to Him!" and at the same time, we understand the fullness of the Father's power in Him and of the Spirit as well. It is the Son who will play the central role in this cosmology for our world and our understanding of grace and salvation. As He will be raised up for a sign to eternal life, so our "yes" or "no" determines so much about our experience of that life, and what is to come.

How do you experience your faith? Do we all understand God's grace working through one another, teaching us all, witnessing and powerful? To this day, it is hard to find an understanding of Christ separate from the very real and powerful events that unfold today in our reading in the Gospel. How do we come to God? What role do we choose to play, and what does that have to do not only with our own salvation and the opening to eternal life that is offered, but also with that of others whom we may know? John the Baptist gives his all in the grace and love of God; he turns to his friend, the bridegroom, for whom he will be "best man." Let us understand, then, his invitation to each of us to play our own role in that grand vision of salvation, and our own imitation of him and of those who will come and do the same. Righteousness asks of us to be aware of the power of the roles we play in one another's lives, through the choices we make. Will we be bearers of that grace? John as Forerunner sends his disciples to Christ and gives us the great example he sets for us all. How do we do the same? Do we follow the words that are filled with Spirit so that others may learn through us as well? This is how He asks us to bear witness, in the words that we will be taught later in John's Gospel. "Love one another as I have loved you."