PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
22 After
this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he
spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now
John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water,
and people were coming and being baptized. 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 baptizing, 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. (John 3:22-36, NIV)
REFLECTIONS:
When I read this passage, specifically
verses 29-30, my mind naturally turns to my own wedding day. Kate and I
exchanged wedding vows on Saturday, March 13, 2010 in Portland, Maine at the
Church of the Holy Spirit. We were surrounded by a huge contingent of Kate's
family and friends, and a smattering of my family and Spicewood friends, two of
which were Pastor Greg and Sky Streety.
For those unfamiliar with my story, Greg and
his family had played a huge role in my in my initial meeting of Kate. For
years, I had simply waited contently for God to mysteriously bring a woman into
my life, trusting that he would bring the right woman into my life at the right
time. Throughout those years, Greg had repeatedly urged me to be more proactive
in trying to meet prospective ladies. After all, we lived out in the boonies,
and if I was ever going to meet someone I had to do something. Again and
again, he had mentioned the possibility of online dating. But that was a
nonstarter with me. I wouldn't even consider the option. In my mind, online
dating was for losers, guys who lived in their mother's basements and played
video games all day. And, there was no way that I was that lame. (Apparently,
it never dawned on me that I was living in my parents' spare bedroom.)
After years of prodding and encouraging,
Greg and his family had had enough. Essentially, they threatened to create an
eHarmony account on my behalf if I didn't do so myself. They were insistent
that I begin to do something to find a wife. To make a long story short, after
feeling "released" to do so by God, I secretly signed up for eHarmony
and was soon matched up with Kate. We went through the initial phases of
getting to know one another, began dating, and very quickly fell in love. All
the while, I had kept my dating life hidden from Greg and his family.
Eventually, the truth came out and I shared my "secret" with the
Blands and our Life Group friends. I'll never forget the look on Greg's face,
when I shared with him about my affection for Kate. It was priceless.
Fast forward several months, to the time
when Kate and I were getting married. Because of his friendship and the
motivational role he had played in my meeting of Kate, I had asked Greg to be
my "best man" in our wedding party. (Because of our friendship and
the years we had spent in ministry together, I had asked Sky to be my
"next best man."). Not only was Greg going to be my best man, he was
going to play a role in the wedding ceremony, sharing bits and pieces of our
"love story" with Kate's friends and family. Unfortunately, just as
the wedding ceremony was about to get under way, Greg got sick. In fact, he got
so sick that he had to miss the entire ceremony. Talk about a bummer!
Thankfully, he was able to return for the pictures and the wedding reception,
in which he offered a very nice blessing and prayer.
When I look back through our wedding
photos, I am always struck by the look on Greg's face. In virtually every
photo, his face is filled with excitement and joy on my behalf. Take one look
at those photos, and you can see that Greg is delighting in my happiness. He
was "full of joy" because I was experiencing the fulfillment of a
lifelong dream—the dream of being united with my bride.
………
That's the image that John the Baptist
draws on when he cheerfully speaks to his followers about the success that
Jesus' ministry seems to be having. It appears that John's disciples are
jealous of Jesus, and they expect John to be jealous, too. At this stage of the
game, nobody knew that John would soon be put in prison by Herod, and would
lose his head not long after that (Matthew 14:1-12). His disciples seem to have
expected that his prophetic ministry would continue on into the future. And,
now, they are disturbed that someone who had once been part of their movement
was starting to have a successful ministry independent of John. John's response
surely catches his disciples off guard. He essentially says: "Of
course Jesus' ministry is successful, that's the way it's supposed to be.
Jesus
is the one who is carrying forward God's purposes." John had
fulfilled his assigned task. He has served as a forerunner to Jesus, announcing
that the Messiah was at hand. And now that Jesus is on the scene and his
ministry is beginning to expand and increase its influence, John is overjoyed. John
is like the bridegroom's friend—the "best man." He rejoices at the
sight of Jesus' ministry. He has no intention of trying to steal the bride at
the last minute. No, he delights to step back so that Jesus might step forward,
so that Jesus might receive all the glory he is worthy of receiving. "He
must become greater; I must become less."
………
The picture of the bridegroom with his
bride is not just a convenient illustration, showing that John is happy about
the success of Jesus' ministry. According to the Old Testament, the Messiah was
to be seen as the ultimate bridegroom, the one who would come and make Israel
his bride. And behind this idea, of course, is the equally important idea that
the one true God would betroth Israel to himself as his bride (Isaiah 61:10; 62:5; Hosea 2:14-23). No one can be certain, of course, if John the Baptist had this
picture in his mind at the time; but there can be no doubt about John the
evangelist's intention that his audience would think of it.
………
It seems that John the evangelist—i.e., the
writer of the Gospel—also intends us to see the way in which different
characters in the story of Jesus have to learn to play great parts without
pride and small parts without shame (hat tip to CS Lewis). As another example
of this, Peter is reminded at the very end of John's Gospel that what counts is
not comparing himself with other people and seeing his status as higher or
lower than theirs, but simply following Jesus (21:20-23).
In today's passage we see that John the
Baptist "gets it." His response adds to the evidence he's already
given about Jesus' messiahship. "Hey, I've told you all along, I am not
the Messiah. I was simply sent ahead of him, given the job to announce his
arrival. And now that he's on the scene, he must become greater and I must
become less." Rather than being selfish or miserable or jealous,
John celebrates that Jesus' influence is growing. Rather than pouting or
holding on to his place or seeking to undermine Jesus' ministry, John rejoices
that God's will is being done.
………
As an aside, some Bible translations treat the
last paragraph of today's passage as a continuation of John the Baptist's
message to his followers. But many other translations, I think rightly, view
the final paragraph as John the evangelist's commentary on the whole of the
chapter. (The same problem occurs at several points throughout this Gospel,
where a long speech seems to emerge effortlessly into the writer's comment. In
fact, yesterday's passage included a similar commentary section—John 3:16-21.)
This is a minor point, and I don't want to
get too far off in the weeds. But when we meet a passage like this, we should
take it slowly and prayerfully. It's almost as if the writer is encouraging us
to ask ourselves: "So, where are YOU in this picture?"
………
In this final paragraph John the evangelist
is contrasting "the one who comes from above"—i.e., Jesus—with
"the one who is from the earth." I don't think he is specifically referring
to John the Baptist. After all, John was "sent from God" (1:6; 1:33; 3:27). Rather, I believe the writer was referring to the multitudes of people
all around him—and all around us—who are "from the earth." Their thinking,
teaching, and living is in conflict with that of Jesus. They are contending
with Jesus and the church for the ears, minds, and hearts of people everywhere.
Just ask yourself: "Who do people trust? Who do they listen to and
follow?"
Unfortunately, all too often they trust
those whose message has no scent of heaven about it, no sign of "life from
above." Just as we saw in an earlier passage (1:10-11), most of those to
whom Jesus was sent did not—and do not—receive what he has to say. They spurn
his message of grace and truth. They reject his offer of "life from
above." Their end is one of destruction, and not because God is a bully or
an angry tyrant, but because earth—and all those who choose an
"earthly" mindset and lifestyle—will corrupt and decay. On the other
hand, anyone who receives the Word who "comes from above"—anyone who
accepts that God has spoken the truth to and through Jesus, has given the
Spirit "without limit" through Jesus, and has poured out his love
through Jesus into the world—anyone who trusts in this heaven-sent Word already
has within himself or herself the "eternal life." Such a person has
been given the kind of Life that, like the Son, "comes from above."
POINT OF ACTION:
First, a few questions to ponder:
- If a coworker gets more credit than you, how do you typically respond? Do you respond with jealousy or bitterness, or do you celebrate their success?
- In what ways might your critical or judgmental thoughts about a neighbor be tied to your jealousy of their success?
- In what ways are you prone to think more highly of yourself than should? Are you prone to gloss over your weaknesses or inflate your importance? Do you usually find an reason to excuse your struggles while at the same time highlighting the faults of others?
Take a few moments to quiet yourself before the Lord. Then,
invite the living God to examine your heart for hints of jealousy, rivalry,
vanity or conceit. After a few moments of quiet listening and introspective
examination, ask God to work within your heart to change you from the inside
out. If you struggle with a rival family member, neighbor, or coworker, ask God
to enable you to authentically express John's sentiment toward them: "He
must become greater and I must become less." Pray for God's blessing to
cover your "enemy," and ask for his grace to fill your life so that you
might honestly and joyfully celebrate the success of others.
I am Tres Sansom, and I am ready to go to Maine! Yes, I'm excited
to see family and to be reunited with our kids, but I am primarily excited to leave
so we can stop doing projects around the house. When we first sent the kids
away, I was excitedly looking to a little one-on-one time with my wife. I was
dreaming of rekindling the "honeymoon" feel of our marriage. But,
boy, was I mistaken! After dropping the kids off at the airport, Kate returned
home and presented me with a loooooong list of projects. Apparently, for some
time she had been plotting to tackle a bunch of projects once the children were
out from under our feet. So, we've spent the last week+ working nonstop on
Kate's list—cleaning, moving, rearranging, reorganizing. I hate that cursed
list!
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