John 3:22-36. Jesus Must Increase
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptised. 23 Now John also was baptising at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptised. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptising, and everyone is going to him.”
27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”
31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God] gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
President Mobutu of Zaire was an arrogant man. Every day, just before the evening news on television, he had a clip inserted showing himself descending from heaven on a cloud.
Contrast this with the sort of person God esteems.
“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:2
Many schools, colleges and established families have a motto that they hope will epitomise their members. My school had the motto ‘Schola Bedfordiensis Floreat’, which means ‘The scholar of Bedford flourishes’. My college motto was more altruistic, ‘Quaerere Verum’ – ‘Seek the truth’.
Many mottos are inward looking and centre on ourselves. Socrates great motto was, ‘Know thyself’. Aristotle’s motto was, ‘Happiness depends upon ourselves’. Shakespeare’s was, ‘Above all, to thine own self be true.’
However John the Baptist’s motto beats them all.
“He (Jesus) must become greater, I must become less.” John 3:30
This motto is all the more remarkable if the context is examined.
1. THE BACKGROUND OF JEALOUSY v. 22-26
Jesus had already attracted a large following of people. He had started preaching and his disciples were baptising people. At the same time John the Baptist was preaching and baptising at Salim, by the river Jordan. He also had a strong following. There were therefore two popular preachers, both involved in teaching and baptising. A heated argument took place between followers of John and a certain Jew. It was something to do with ceremonial washing. Possibly the Jew was saying that baptism was essential for salvation and John’s disciples were saying that it was just a sign of what really mattered, repentance to God.
Whatever the cause of this argument, other deep concerns then come to the surface. As a result some of John disciples came to John and complained about Jesus’ activities,
“Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan – the one you testified about – well, he is baptising, and everyone is going to him.” John 3:26
We are not told how they expected John to react. Did they expect him to arrange for a bigger and better band with more contemporary music to draw the crowds? Should he order more posters or fliers to be taken around the towns?
In Manchester there are now two large, successful but rival football clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City. Man. United have a great tradition of success. Man City have also loads of money and have attracted top players. Can you imagine Alex Ferguson of Man United saying to his players?
“They must become greater, we must become less.”
Selfishness is a fearful force within us all. We live in a world full of jealousy and sin, yet people have such a poor understanding of what sin is. The writer and Christian apologist, C.S.Lewis, was referring to the twentieth century when he said,
“The barrier I have met is the almost total absence from the minds of my audience of any sense of sin.”
Don Carson, an outstanding Christian teacher and theologian, was talking about the problems he found when sharing the Christian message in our universities today. He said,
“They know how to sin well enough, but they have no idea of what constitutes sin.”
John the Baptist’s response demonstrated what a clear understanding he had. He recognised three important facts.
2. JOHN’S PLACE IN GOD’S PLAN v. 27-29
John was clearly a humble man. He replied to his disciples complaints by saying,
“A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him’.” John 3:27-28
John is clear that he is just a witness, a forerunner, a spotlight or the announcer of the main event. In essence he is saying, ‘My role is just to introduce God’s Messiah, God’s chosen king.’ John then illustrates this with the analogy from a wedding.
“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens to him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine and it is now complete. He must become greater. I must become less.” John 3:29-30
The role of the best man at a wedding is to make sure that the whole occasion goes well. He is thrilled when his friend, the bridegroom, arrives to find everything in place and the guests having an enjoyable time. Nothing is worse than a wedding where someone upstages the bride and groom, whether the vicar, a hysterical mother or particularly the best man in his speech!
John the Baptist knows his place. His joy comes from giving Jesus centre stage, his satisfaction comes when Jesus is honoured.
“That joy is mine and it is now complete.” John 1:29
In a similar way we all need to recognise our role in God’s world. God has chosen us to serve him as his ambassadors, wherever we are. The gifts we each have are gifts from God. The opportunities we have are allowed us by God. Even our successes are attributable to God. It is very dangerous to believe that any success I have is due to my abilities and hard work. Everything we have is a gift of God and, like John the Baptist, we should let ourselves be used to enhance the reputation of the Lord Jesus.
Eventually I will stand before the judgment seat of God. How embarrassing it would be if my life had been spent putting myself in the centre and I had stolen the limelight from Jesus. It is therefore important that we each ask ourselves,
“Is my focus more on extolling my achievements and skills than on Jesus and his love for other people?”
This is also important for us, when we feel low, insecure, eclipsed by others or feel generally useless about ourselves. If my focus is on Jesus, and using what I have to serve him, and not on myself and my problems, then everything changes. It is very liberating to recognise that we have all been given a place in God’s big plan.
Please don’t overlook the little word ‘must’ in verse 30,
‘Jesus must become greater, I must become less.’
This word is not optional for those who believe in Jesus – it is essential. Jesus must receive the glory from my life.
3. THE INCOMPARABLE GREATNESS OF JESUS CHRIST v. 31-35
Many scholars consider that verses 31 to 36 are a commentary by John the apostle on what has gone before.
These verses describe the heart of the gospel and extol Jesus.who is so worthy of the highest honour. Jesus came into this world from God, from heaven. He is completely different from everything that is of this world even from John the Baptist.
“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.” John 3:31
We may admire deeply heroes of our day, such as David Cameron, David Beckham, Alastair Cook, Rory McIlroy, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and the like, but compared to Jesus these are insignificant. Dust returns to dust.
Remember how John’s record of the gospel starts,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made . . .” John 1:1-3
‘The Word’ is the name given to Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. He personifies the Godhead. He verbalises what God wants us to know, hence he is called ‘The Word’.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. .“ John 1:14
How can people be certain about Jesus? After all, he lived two thousand years ago. People have claimed that crop circles are caused by UFOs and extraterrestrial beings. What is the evidence? Jesus certainly claimed to be God. Many people, even his enemies, confirmed that he did astounding miracles that have never been repeated. He was condemned to death by the Sanhedrin for blasphemy because he claimed to be God’s Messiah. He lived a heavenly life on earth – so much so that even his enemies could not accuse him of any sin. He was unique. His disciples were convinced that he rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion just as he had foretold – so much so that they gave their lives in order to convince the world about Jesus. He fulfilled the 330 prophecies in the Old Testament that give details about the Messiahs birth, lineage, life and death. He started a church that rapidly spread throughout the known world against much opposition– without there being the miracles and the resurrection this is very hard to explain. The content of what Jesus taught is exceptional and resonates with our spiritual instincts. People who have followed him personally find their lives, morals and purpose changes.
Many people have been convinced about Jesus simply by reading about his life and what he said.
“For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God. . . “ John 3:34
Jesus’ whole life demonstrated the Spirit of God in its fullness.
“ . . . for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” John 3:34-35
Here we have another glimpse of the Trinity, the Father, Son and Spirit working together in perfect harmony. Jesus has come from the Father in heaven. He is full of the Spirit of God. He alone teaches with the direct authority of God. He alone acts with divine power; everything is in his hands.
No wonder John the Baptist said,
“He must become greater, I must become less.”
William Carey, the great Baptist missionary, who became the father of modern missions, said something similar,
“When I’m gone, don’t talk of William Carey, talk of William Carey’s Saviour. I desire that Christ alone be magnified.”
At the beginning of John chapter 3 we met Nicodemus. He first came to Jesus at night, perhaps as an enquirer, perhaps rather ashamed. When we next meet him is clearly sympathetic. The Chief Priests and Pharisees were angry that no soldier had dared to arrest Jesus as they had ordered. They retorted,
“Has any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed in him? No!” John 7:48
At this point Nicodemus, who was one of their own number (a Pharisee) spoke up.
“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?” They replied, ‘Are you from Galilee too?’” John 7:51
By the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, Nicodemus’ love for Jesus is obvious. He openly aligns himself with him. Jesus had been executed as a blasphemer and a threat to society, and yet Nicodemus, along with Joseph of Arimathea, wants to give him a proper burial (John 10:39-40). It was Nicodemus who brought around seventy five pounds in weight of spices and the two of them wrapped up Jesus’ body, with the spices, using strips of cloth. This was a very large amount of spices for one burial; such a weight would be used in Royal burials.
Nicodemus was willing to face the ridicule of his fellow Pharisees. He understood,
“He must become greater and I must become less.”
All of us need to understand the necessity of this motto. Jesus is incomparably great and true Christians desire his glory to increase so we, his servants, must become less.
ETERNITY IS AT STAKE
These are very serious matters.
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:36
If God loves his Son so much and has placed everything into his hands; if God’s Holy Spirit has been given to His Son without limit – then it is obvious that my relationship with God depends on how I relate to His Son, Jesus Christ.
When I was doing jury service recently one of my roles as a juror was to determine whose evidence was less that completely reliable. It could have serious consequences if we misread someone’s testimony. It is even more serious if we mistake Jesus for being an untruthful witness.
“He (Jesus) testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no-one accepts his testimony.” John 3:32
The reason why we reject Jesus is not because there is good evidence against him, it is because we do not like what he says. Such wilful stupidity will be very costly indeed.
“Whoever believes the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:36
God’s wrath is not arbitrary, but the righteous response of a Holy God when he sees his Holy Son, full of the holy Spirit, rejected for no good reason.
I love my wife very much indeed. Imagine that she goes round to visit a newcomer to the area on behalf of the church. She introduces herself and is immediately shouted at, spat on, kicked, slapped and ridiculed. Surely it would be wrong if I did not feel a righteous anger at such malicious treatment.
In a far bigger way, God sent his Son and he was rejected and murdered in a cruel way. Mankind rejected and killed the creator of the universe. So we are subject to God’s wrath.
The great news is that God is also a loving god, full of grace and mercy. He introduced himself to Moses on Mount Sinai with the words,
“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished . . .” Exodus 34:6
The wonderful news is that God has promised to all who repent and live under the authority of Jesus, that our rebellion is forgotten. The penalty we deserve has been taken by Jesus on that cross. He took the wrath of God on himself so that we can now be free, just because we belong to Jesus.
Mark Ashton was the vicar of St Andrews the Great Church in the centre of Cambridge. He had some trouble with his gall bladder and had a routine operation to remove it. Horror of all horrors, they found he had inoperable cancer. Mark was a very gifted man who had become a Christian at university, and those first five months were, he said, the best five months of his life. Before he died he wrote a short pamphlet about his imminent death. He titled it ‘On my way to Heaven’. It included the following,
“Despite the very great strength of human love, it cannot destroy death. There is only one relationship that can do that.”
It is in terms of relating to Jesus that I must understand my death. Jesus will be the same, indeed he will be more real, more true than he has ever been before. It is his voice that will call me into his presence and he himself will take me to be with him that I may be with him forever.
He is the first and he is the last, he is the beginning and the end.
It has been said that for the believer, the end of the world is more a person than an event. That is certainly true at the end of my life. My death may be the event with which this physical life on earth ends but it will also be the moment at which my relationship with Jesus becomes complete.
That relationship is the only thing that has made sense of my physical life and at my death it will be my everything.”
Mark was a man who had a real relationship with Jesus. He knew he had been given eternal life and that had started when he first trusted in Jesus Christ.
“. . . whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” John 3:36
Christian belief is nothing less than a personal relationship with Jesus.
Accepting the Christian Creed is not accepting Jesus
Acknowledging Christian truths are not adoring Jesus
We can worship religiously but not worship Jesus
We can accept Christian morals but not acknowledge Jesus
We can observe Christian traditions but not obey Jesus
We can try to live a Christian life but not have a personal trust in Jesus
May no reader of this article be satisfied with creeds, truths, morals or religious observance and fail to enter a personal relationship with Jesus for ourselves, trusting that he alone can take me to glory.
Whoever rejects a personal relationship with the Son, however nice, pleasant and ethical they may be, will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. There are just two roads,
Believe in Jesus, in which case Jesus must become greater and I must become less. His cause, his glory is now my purpose.
Magnify myself so that I become greater in this world.
We must each decide whether we will imitate Jesus, His apostles, and people like William Carey and Mark Ashton. The apostle Paul had made that decision,
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
May I ask you to decide if you will join forces with others committed to Christ. Will you help point others to the incomparable greatness of Jesus and show them how they may receive eternal life through faith in him?
BVP
