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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, '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 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 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
Yesterday, we read Jesus words: "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. It's a time when both John and Jesus are practicing active ministries. As we know, many of Jesus' disciples were John's disciples first.
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!" The Baptist's disciples testify to the "drawing power" of Jesus' ministry. We note that in the next chapter of the Gospel of John, we are given to understand that Jesus did not baptize directly, but His disciples baptized (John 4:2).
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." John's acceptance of this news is an example to all of us not only of humility, but of what it means to embrace the truth. My study bible says that John is called the friend (or "best man"), while Christ is the bridegroom. The bride is the Church, the people of God, those who have faith. It says, "John confesses his role in the coming of the Messiah -- that he is witness to the wedding of Christ and His people, and thus he rejoices in that celebration."
"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 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." We see the fuller expression here of John's humility in faith, and, again, it stands as an example to all of us. My study bible puts it this way: "He renounces earthy glory and reputation for the sake of Christ. By allowing Christ to increase in him, John himself finds true glory. This statement further indicates the end of the old covenant. As the law vanishes, the grace of Jesus Christ abounds." The liturgical calendar also reflects the "decrease" of the old covenant and the "increase" of the new: John the Baptist's birth is universally celebrated in the Church on June 24th, at a time when the sun begins to decrease in the sky, while Jesus' birth is celebrated December 25th (in some cases, early January), when the sun begins to increase.
"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 points out that John echoes the teaching of Christ Himself here. It also points out the absence of the word "alone" -- quoting St. John Chrysostom: "We do not from this assert that faith alone is sufficient for salvation; the directions for living that are given in many places in the Gospels show this." (See also James 2:14-24.)
John the Baptist's humility is an example for all of us. It's not so much that he accepts Christ for the sake of faith, so to speak. It's not so much even that he tends to diminish himself and his role in comparison to Christ. Rather, it's his clear and complete embracing of the truth that's so impressive, and we have to think about what that means in terms of a mind that is prepared to accept so fully what the truth actually is. Let's think about John's situation. He's widely respected and known as a holy man. He has many disciples. Even the leadership from the temple goes out to the Jordan in order to be baptized by him. And yet, even as he's preaching repentance and preparation for the Kingdom to come and for the One who is to come, we're given reports of his scathing tone to the Pharisees who come out for his baptism: "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Luke 3:7). At this point, John the Baptist's ministry holds tremendous sway with the people, and it's not long before his criticism of Herod's marriage becomes an annoyance to the point of his arrest. It's because John is so widely revered that the criticism becomes a focal point for the use of power to arrest him. So John is at the height of his ministry now in this scene, and yet we hear his words: "He must increase, but I must decrease." As a prophet, and we consider him to be the greatest in the whole history of the lineage of the Old Testament prophets, John knows what is happening and what must happen. He is the herald and the forerunner to Christ, and he accepts with perfect faith the truth about what is happening here. The Bridegroom is at hand, and the Baptist is the true friend of the Bridegroom. Can we accept in our own lives such perfect faith in the truth, even when it seems to diminish us? The Baptist's faith goes beyond just acceptance here. And it goes beyond just a recognition of the truth. This is a spiritual truth in which the Baptist rejoices. John's testimony is this: "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." It's so much more than acceptance; even in the hints that he will decrease, John's joy is fulfilled in Christ. He knows that Christ is the One sent by God, the One to whom John's ministry has been pointing and for whom he's been preparing the way via the baptism of repentance. Christ is the one who speaks the word given by God. He is the one to whom all things have been given. When John tells us that "God does not give the Spirit by measure," he's testifying to the fullness of the Messiah in the person of Jesus, the one upon whom the Spirit rested in John's vision at Jesus' baptism. His humility, and acceptance, and joy are all great examples to us, but they are more than that. They are the things about this holy man that we must imitate in our own lives of faith. Can we accept Christ's position vs. our own ideas and understanding? Do we turn to Christ and embrace, in the fullness of truth that John does, what God gives? And can we feel the joy of fulfillment in whatever it is that is the truth of God? Whatever "place" we have, can we rejoice in the role as friend of the Bridegroom? This is a great order for each of us, a call to each of us, and it's a place we may share with the Baptist in our own way. His humility isn't a "put down" of who he is, it's a lens to see through, and clearly. It's the lens for the truth. Can we be the same as he is? Can we serve the truth as he does?
