“He must increase, I must decrease”
John 3:22-30
Introduction: One of the things that may surprise us when we pick up the New Testament for the first time, is the fact that we have four Gospels that tell us about the life and ministry of Jesus. Why didn’t God give us a single, complete biography of the Lord? Some scholars have tried to help us out by putting together a harmony of the Gospels. Those works can be useful to guide us to see the connected history of Christ, helping us to understand that the gospels do in fact complement one another, they don’t contradict. Even so, by God’s design, the inspired record, the Bible, gives four parallel and complementary Gospels. Each one has its own emphases in terms of theology and pastoral concerns. All four Gospels agree on the fundamentals: Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, and He came in fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. He came to give His life so that fallen humans could be reconciled to Holy God. He was rejected by his own people and crucified under Pontius Pilate. And yes, He rose again, the tomb is empty! There is no question or contradiction, those are the facts. As we pick up John’s Gospel, we may neglect that his goal is not only to teach correct Christology, but also discipleship (John 20:30-31).
John, like all of the gospels, includes a call to discipleship. I’ve heard people use the word “disciple” to refer to a small group of mature believers, who perhaps have reached a level of obedience and holiness that merits that title. The New Testament doesn’t have that perspective. To be born again, to be a Christian, is synonymous to the idea of being a disciple of Christ. The followers of Jesus in the Bible are people just like us. They are “learners,” not perfect, but growing, and sometimes struggling. Sometimes those struggles are surprising in how they are brought to light. James and John trying to get a promise of the best seats in the kingdom, Peter denying Jesus three times, a sharp disagreement that splits the missionary team in the book of Acts… They are not yet what they will be, but they are not what they once were either. And the same is true of us, if we know Him. We are not perfect, but we are no longer slaves to sin and to Satan. We are followers of Jesus. That means, at least in our better moments, we realize He is the center of our life, it is about Him, not us. We want to point others to Him.
The story is told of a pastor in Melbourne, Australia who was introducing the pioneer missionary to China, J. Hudson Taylor, by using many superlatives, especially the word “great.” Taylor stepped into the pulpit and quietly said, “Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.” That is the attitude of a disciple at its best. It seems to me that division in the church and difficulty in relationships often result when we pridefully get our eyes too firmly fixed on ourselves and lose sight of the One whose story we have privileged to be a part. History really is “His Story.” Its all about Jesus.
The Big Idea: As we recognize Jesus’ rightful place as Lord [of the church and Lord of my life] we’ll focus less on ourselves and rejoice in the privilege of pointing others to Him. We’ll look at that in two parts, 1) We’ll see, the setting: A wrong attitude can lead to division and jealousy (22-26); and 2) The solution, remember it is all about Jesus (27-30).
I. The Setting: A wrong attitude can lead to division and conflict (3:22-26). Conflict will come to God’s people when we fail to understand correctly our mission.
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison). 25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness - look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him."
If we look at a map, the geography here is pretty non-specific. Jesus and his disciples leave Jerusalem and move out into the Judean countryside, presumably near the Jordan or another source of abundant water since they are baptizing (but cf. 4:1-2). In the next chapter John will clarify that it was not Jesus himself, but his disciples that baptized…
Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and bbaptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed cagain for Galilee (John 4:1-3).
John, who was east of the Jordan has now moved west, but seemingly north of where Jesus was, now in an area identified as “Aenon near Salim.” Most scholars identify a location in Samaria as most likely. What we know is, there was plenty of water there.
Some of the themes in this passage may sound familiar: plentiful water, “purification,” the language of a wedding… a bridegroom… Does your mind go to the first sign, the wedding at Cana? If you were reading through John it surely would, it was only in the previous chapter! The word translated “purification” occurs only twice in John, the first at the Wedding in Cana in John 2, describing the large water jars, used in the Jewish rites of purification. And here, an unnamed Jew comes to John’s disciples, and they have a discussion about purification. The plentiful water, and the language of the bridegroom and his friend, echo what happened in John 2 as Jesus did His first “sign,” transforming the plentiful water there into abundant wine. We considered that miracle a “sign,” looking ahead to another feast, the messianic banquet, still to come.
Early in his ministry, as Jesus was teaching his first disciples, he began to attract followers from the nation. We’ll see some waves of initial success in people turning to the Lord, at least with superficial interest and curiosity. We’ll see some investigation and consideration by the people. In large part there are not many that come to understand correctly who Jesus is until after the resurrection. The evidence is there, but the people, including the leaders, simply can’t interpret the facts correctly, they don’t yet have eyes to see, ears to hear, or a heart to understand.
It is no mystery that success can bring division and jealousy. We see a very human scene. John had pointed to Jesus as the One who came after him, the One whose sandal he was unworthy to unloose, the One who is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Almost immediately a couple of disciples, including Andrew, Peter’s brother, left John to follow Jesus (cf. Jn 1:35-40).
Yet as Jesus and His new disciples go out, and begin to attract a following, there are some among John’s followers who began to show some hints of envy over the crowds that Jesus was attracting. John understood his calling. Isaiah had spoken of the one who would be a voice in the wilderness, preparing the way of the LORD. But some of his disciples were so attached to their teacher, they lost sight of the big picture. They didn’t understand that John’s ministry, indeed all of history, pointed to and anticipated the coming of Jesus.
“A certain Jew” contended with them concerning ceremonial washing—but the question they bring to John is about the number of people the disciples of Jesus were baptizing. John uses the word “Jew” especially to describe Jews from Jerusalem, often leaders. Almost everyone referred to in the Gospel is Jewish, right? But this seems to be someone who had also seen the recent ministry of Jesus and his disciples. We are not sure what the “discussion” or “dispute” specifically was, but it had to do with “purification.” When we saw the word used in chapter 2 at Cana, it referred to the large water jars used in ceremonial purification. For the second and last time in John the word appears here. Then, and here, “purification” has to make us think of the need for cleansing from sin.
John’s ministry was calling people to repentance, and to calling them to look to the arrival of the promised Messiah. From our perspective, and from the perspective of the Gospel writer, that has to make us think of Jesus’ mission, what he came to do. We just read in John 3:16-18, that Jesus came to make a way for sinful humans to be reconciled to God. In the next paragraph we’ll see that “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on Him” (Jn 3:36). John identified Jesus as the answer to our sin problem when he called Jesus “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
Why were John’s disciples apparently envious? John said One greater than himself was coming. And then he identified Jesus as the One, the Chosen, the Promised one, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world! At a human level we can think about the love and respect they had for their teacher. He was preaching repentance and the coming deliverer before Jesus came on the scene. Despite John’s insistence it seems their loyalty to John outweighed their acceptance of the Truth, the One greater than John was on the scene! Of course jealousy and a competitive spirit never affects churches and ministries today, right?
We shouldn’t take it personally if someone else gets the accolades, especially if another ministry or another church or another Christian is commended and successful. Remember Paul’s attitude in his letter to the Philippians, even when the motives of other preachers might be questioned, he said in Philippians 1:15-18,
Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will: 16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
In other words, as long as the truth is proclaimed, it is all good. The Big Idea here is that *As we acknowledge Jesus’ rightful place as Lord we’ll focus less on ourselves and rejoice in the privilege of making disciples for Him.
II. The Solution: A Christ follower will remember that it is all about Jesus (3:27-30).
27 John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Whatever we have, whatever good is in us, is from Him (v.27). Paul asked the Corinthians, “And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor 4:7). In the song “My tribute” the singer says “All that I am, and ever hope to be, I owe it all to thee.” To God be the glory. Pride and a competitive spirit have no place in God’s mission. It is Jesus who is building His church! That is essentially John the Baptist’s answer in John 3:27-30. He had previously testified that he is not the Christ (1:20), “I am not the Christ.” There is only one “I AM,” and it is Jesus. John came to prepare the way, and to announce the arrival of the new age predicted by Isaiah (1:23; cf. Isa 40:3). Most pointedly he said,
26 John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:26-28).
And then immediately following we read in John 1:29-31,
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."
John had a remarkable grasp of what God was doing, and of his role in His plan. He understood the preexistence of Jesus, the purpose of His coming, to “take away sin,” and John understood his own role in announcing Him to the nation and the world. Back in our context, in 3:28 he says, “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.'” There is only one Jesus, by grace we have a part in his story (v.28).
In the previous chapter, John 2, at the wedding in Cana, we reflected a little on the imagery of the church as the bride of Christ. In that scene a wedding celebration at Cana became the occasion of the first “sign” publicly done by Jesus, and it pointed forward to another banquet, the marriage supper of the Lamb. Here John says,
29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice.” (3:29).
Jesus is the bridegroom, we should rejoice as his bride is being readied (v.29). In the last book of the Bible, also written by John, we read in Rev 21:9. "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." In John’s vision, the New Jerusalem, descending from heaven, the church perfected and completed, is described as the bride of Christ. Here in John 3, John the Baptist describes the experience of the friend of the bridegroom, let’s say the best man, rejoicing to stand near and hear the bridegroom’s voice. John understood his calling, and he faithfully pointed others to Jesus.
“He must increase, I must decrease.” He must be acknowledged as greater, I must become less (v.30). The word translated “must” almost always is used in contexts expressing divine necessity. This is the way it has to be says John, this is God’s plan. He understood that his ministry was transitional, and that he rejoiced in seeing crowds turning to Jesus, the One to whom John pointed.
What is God saying to us in this passage? The Big Idea in this paragraph is that *as we acknowledge Jesus’ rightful place as Lord [of the church and Lord of my life] we’ll focus less on ourselves and rejoice in the privilege of making disciples for Him.
What would God have me to do in response to this passage?
1) It is always good to turn the Scripture as a mirror on ourselves. It’s a good time for an attitude check. Is Jesus a part of my life, something, someone, I value and give attention to, or is He at the very center of my life? Can we say like the Apostle Paul, “For me to live is Christ…”? Does that sound radical? It may, but it is normal, healthy, Christianity. He must increase, I must decrease.
2) John the Baptist understood that God had a plan, and that he had a specific role in it. What was true of John is also true of us. God has made us who we are, He has placed us where we are, not only in our church, but also in our family, our neighborhood, our school or workplace. As a policeman my dad said he was always on duty, ready to step in if needed. As a Christian, we are on duty 24/7… our manner of life, our speech, our attitude is all part of our testimony… we are living letters, seen and read of men. That is convicting, Lord less of me, more of Jesus… please! He must increase, I must decrease.
3) Perhaps you can take John’s Gospel and read it with a friend, and help them to know the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The outlines and study questions in the bulletin can be a guide. Disciples making disciples, that is God’s plan! AMEN.
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