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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, ' 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 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 3:22-36
In yesterday's reading, we read Jesus' words to Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisees: "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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen that they have been done in God."
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. Again John the Baptist makes his appearance in John's Gospel. We can't really underestimate the importance of the Baptist. Jesus' first disciples were disciples of the Baptist whom he led to Christ, as we read earlier in this Gospel. Among those disciples is included John the Evangelist, author of this Gospel. Here, we're given a time frame. This is before John the Baptist has been thrown into prison -- so John's speaking of Christ here in these passages is still during his active ministry. The Baptist cut such a towering figure at this time, and among early Christians, that it is very important to note that even during his active ministry, he steered his disciples to Jesus. It is an extra emphasis for us.
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!" This is a scene, if we think of it as a kind of image on film or a stage, in which there's a vivid juxtaposition of the two ministries: that of Jesus and that of the Baptist. Its height (of this scene) is the dispute between John's the disciples and the leadership regarding purification. We can imagine the debate. But John's disciples come to him and make a powerful exclamation: "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, ' 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." My study bible says, "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." John's Gospel makes it clear that even during the time of his ministry of baptism, John the Baptist deferred to Christ, and actively led his own disciples to Jesus. This powerful image of bride and bridegroom also give to us a statement about the character of John, only serving to emphasize the things for which people held the Baptist in such high esteem: his great humility and love of God. John the Baptist's joy is fulfilled in the word of God, and the truth of God.
"He must increase, but I must decrease." A note here reads, "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."
"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." My study bible tells us: "John gives a summary of the teaching of the Gospel about the origin, dignity and saving work of Christ." The statements here by the Baptist also reflect Jesus' words about Himself in yesterday's reading, in speaking to Nicodemus.
John's Gospel today affirms the "handing off" of John the Baptist's disciples to Jesus, by the Baptist himself. It tells us of his great humility and understanding of the true words of God that led him to understand the revelation in the Jordan (of Father, Son and Spirit) and also his own place as prophet. We consider him (as Christians) the last and greatest of the Old Testament lineage of prophets. Here, the Baptist's words make clear why the Church from its earliest times has always considered him to be so: his tremendous humility, acceptance and powerful joy at the workings of God: "He must increase, while I must decrease." John understands perfectly his own role as a servant of God; his joy is fulfilled in the coming of the Bridegroom. As "best man" he has led the people to Christ. We can't really find a more fulfilled role of what we consider to be a saint than that we see in the person of the Baptist, and this is why he was held in such high reverence. His own understanding of the workings of God ("A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven") is a kind of way of seeing that helps us to understand not only his insight, but what it is to live a prayerful life, to be aware of God in one's own life and even in the seeming misfortunes of life. It's not fatalistic! It is the words of a person who lives in such a prayerful state that they have insight into the reality of their own lives, in relationship to God. This is why he is considered a tremendous saint, and a prophet. If we're to incorporate this image into our own lives, as something that is essential and important to us, then we must try to see why John's acceptance of his own life and ministry -- and its decrease -- makes him such a holy man. This is because his true joy is in the fulfillment of God's word, and God's will. When we pray, we ask for a state of relationship to God that stands us in good stead, gives us a good picture of ourselves and of our lives, and does not lie to us about where we are. Sometimes when we face losses in life, it's good to be in this prayerful state, and to understand that no loss, however devastating on our terms, is a loss of such magnitude that we can lose our relationship to God. This is the powerful reality of a kind of joy, a certain type of peace, that doesn't really make much sense to someone who has not truly had this experience. We may see, if we look back in hindsight, that God has been at work in our lives, despite the difficulties of a troublesome, unjust world and the sadness we may have experienced in life. This is the way of the Cross. Jesus has taught us that "with God all things are possible." John's joy comes from his "right-relatedness" to Christ, and in this is counted righteousness. May God's peace always be with you!
