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 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 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

Yesterday we read about a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.   And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  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 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 should be noted here that Jesus Himself did not baptize; rather it was Christ's disciples who were baptizing (4:2).

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.   When John the Baptist's disciples say about Christ that "He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" they are referring to Jesus' disciples and the movement they are gathering.   John the Baptist is called the friend (or "best man"), but Christ Himself is the bridegroom.   My study bible says that the bride is the Church; that is, the people of God.  John confesses to his role in the coming of the Messiah.  He is witness to the wedding of Christ and His people, and therefore he rejoices in that celebration.  John's stunning statement of humility is an example for all believers and is often cited as such.  My study bible says that He renounces all earthly glory and reputation for the sake of Christ.  By allowing Christ to increase in him, the Baptist himself finds true glory.   Moreover, the statement indicates the end of the old covenant:  as the law dissipates, the grace of Christ abounds.  John's declaration is evident in the tradition of the liturgical calendar.   As one of the earliest feasts in Christian tradition, the Baptist's birth is celebrated at a time when the sun begins to decrease in the sky (June 24), while Christ's birth is celebrated when the sun begins to increase (December 25).  It should be noted that in the most ancient tradition of the Church, prior to their separation, Christ's birth and baptism were celebrated on the same day (January 6), linking even more closely the Baptist's statement.

"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 here repeats the teaching of Jesus Himself (3:18).  My study bible comments that one must note the absence of the word "alone" in this statement of faith.  It quotes 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 statement, "He must increase, but I must decrease" has often been cited as a powerful statement of humility, indicating the remarkable saintly character of the Baptist.  This humility before God is what makes John such a powerfully holy figure.  But John's further statements which delineate his potent understanding of just who Christ is tell us so much more -- about both the Baptist and our own faith.  John says, echoing Jesus' own words, "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."  This statement sets Christ out as central to all of salvation history -- and in that perspective, even all of the history of the world and of creation.  Jesus is the One whom God has sent, and the one who speaks for God.  He is the One into whose hand the Father has given all things; He is the Son.  For the Baptist, Jesus is this very central figure to all things:  to his own ministry of baptism and repentance, to all the history of Israel and the prophets who've come before him.  When John says, therefore, that "He must increase, but I must decrease," he is not speaking figuratively of some kind of comparison of popular appeal or image, and nor is he speaking in sadness about his movement in response to his disciples and their comments about Jesus' ministry.  He is speaking as one who reflects the truth he knows.  Moreover, he is speaking for all of us who accept Christ's true place as Son.  Like John, our own joy is fulfilled in our own recognition and manifestation of our places in relationship to Christ, wherever that puts us in what is appropriate to identity and persona.  When Christ is allowed to "increase" in us, our own joy is fulfilled as friend of the Bridegroom.  We find ourselves in this place, we come to know who we are.   In modern "pop" culture, the word "ego" is often used for the self-centered or selfish identity we use.   As Christians, we seek to be self'-emptying, but we need to know to whom or to what we empty -- and by whom or what we are filled instead.  Our center is our Creator who has come to save, and this is the way (John 14:6).  This is the goal of worship and prayer; it is an ongoing working process of communion within us.  To be like the Baptist is a goal for all of us.  When we understand him, we understand our faith.