He must increase, but I must decrease

 

St. John the Baptist in supplication to Christ, 1542, Euphrosinos the Cretan, from the Great Deisis, Holy Dionysiou Monastery, Mt. Athos, Greece

 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 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 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 important to understand that there is no competition here; Jesus is not Himself baptizing, but rather His disciples are doing so (see John 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."  St. John the Baptist calls himself the friend of the bridegroom (the "best man," so to speak), while Christ Himself is the bridegroom.   The bride, my study Bible says, is the Church, the people of God.  Here the Baptist confesses his own 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.  He reiterates that "I have been sent before Him."  In the Church, St. John the Baptist is also known as the Forerunner for this role he plays in salvation history.  

 

"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."  Here St. John expresses a humility that serves as an example for all believers, my study Bible says.  He renounces all earthly glory and reputation for the sake of Christ.  As he allows Christ to increase in him, St. John himself finds true glory.  This statement, moreover, indicates the end of the old covenant.  As the law vanishes, my study Bible notes, the grace of Jesus Christ abounds.  In the liturgical calendar, this declaration by the Baptist is revealed.  His 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).

 

"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."  Here the Baptist echoes the teaching of Jesus Himself (see verse 18, found in yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible asks us to note the absence of the word "alone" in this statement of faith.  St. John Chrysostom is cited as commenting:  "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. 

 

 St. John the Baptist's attitude toward Christ is another tremendous example that teaches us about identity.  Indeed, it is his entire disposition toward Christ that tells us who he is, gives him his identity and sense of purpose -- even of joy.  He says it himself in today's reading:  "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."   His joy is fulfilled in knowing who he is, serving his purpose, serving God in the most full sense that he can.  For this is the way that identity works; in knowing who we are in relation to Christ, we find ourselves.  For the Orthodox, this is indeed what salvation truly is.  It is Christ's Incarnation as fully human and fully divine that makes it possible for us to "find ourselves" in this sense.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke to Nicodemus (and to us all) about Holy Baptism.  This new birth is the beginning of the understanding of real identity and salvation. My study Bible comments, "Salvation, then, is founded on a substantial union of the believer with Christ in His full humanity, a flesh-to-flesh relationship.  St. Paul likens it to the joining of husband and with (Ephesians 5:23-32).  It is in this sense, through this marriage, that St. John the Baptist finds his full joy, in knowing himself to be the "friend of the bridegroom."  He is our Forerunner whose role it was to announce the coming of the Christ, to direct his own disciples to Christ, and to say with the greatest humility, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  St. Paul confirms this process in himself when he writes, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).  St. John the Baptist teaches us today that "a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven," and also that "the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand."  Therefore out of that fullness, Christ the Son gives to us what belongs to us, even teaching us who we are so that we find ourselves in Him.  This is the purpose of the Incarnation, and it is salvation -- even our joy, as the Baptist says.