There are times when people seem to be depending on you or praising you more than they ought, and you need to direct them to trust in Someone greater than yourself. Unfortunately, sometimes we’ll be full of ourselves when we speak. In this passage, we’ll see how John the baptizer, called “Rabbi” by his followers, dealt with it.
John 3:21-24 introduces the setting and the characters. The time is prior to John’s imprisonment, and his followers were baptizing at the Jordan river, just south of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus and His disciples were further south, in Judea, also baptizing.
With this backdrop, some of John’s disciples were disputing with the local Jews about matters of purification, v. 25. At this time, there were water pools scattered around the cities where the Jews could immerse themselves each day to be cleansed. The Essenes out in the desert did this several times a day. We know the dispute must have taken some twists and turns, because his disciples returned to “Rabbi John” to ask about Jesus and baptism, v. 26.
I would like more of my conversations to make their way to the subject of Jesus, wouldn’t you? Jesus was proving to be a controversial figure. Unfortunately for the disciples, they were putting Him into too small a box of their own making. How many of us do the same with our denominational distinctions? “Jesus agrees with us, not with you. Jesus would do it our way.” We have all fallen short. We could all use a grander vision of our Savior and Lord, and of grace and faith and love.
The baptizer’s mind was on other matters entirely, and the followers got an earful. He did not address their concerns directly. He saw their defective perspective and lowered himself in humility and lifted up Jesus: “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him’ ” (v. 28). What John did was not because he had a special knack; he was empowered as a lowly agent of the God above. Perhaps he was hinting that his followers were not to think themselves as special people on the basis of their ties to John. The Corinthians had this problem: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:11-13). This identification with the leaders God raised up is mark of immaturity.
In contrast, Jesus is the Christ, the one the Scriptures promised would come and save. Jesus is the bridegroom who joins Himself to Israel with a vow, “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” (v. 29). So the disciples should increase in their appreciation of Him, not of John, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (v. 30.”
Jesus must increase. This is imperative for every Christian. He must increase. There is no limit to the greatness we can ascribe to Jesus. We ascribe too much to his agents, who only want to point us to Jesus. We are commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
He came from above while John is from earth–therefore Jesus has a thousand-fold more authority than John. “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” (v. 31). Jesus spoke with confidence of the kingdom of heaven, and not one person understood what He meant, “And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony” (v. 32). What Jesus said came from God. So those who believed His testimony of Himself are saying that God is true, not a lie, “He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true” (v. 33).
Jesus was sent by God, and His sending was unique. He came with the fullness of the power of the Spirit and of the indwelling of the Father. Col. 2:9 tells us, “In Him dwells all the fullness of Godhead bodily.” He could say what nobody else could say, that the words He spoke came from the Father in Him; to hear Him speak is to hear the Father (John 14:10). Only He could say, “I do always those things that please Him” (John 8:29), because He does not seek His own will, but the will of the Father (John 5:30). Yet we persist in seeking our own wills, don’t we?
One study Bible mentioned that some scholars suggest that from v. 31 to the end of the chapter is no longer John speaking (there are no punctuation marks in Hebrew or Greek), but the author was adding commentary on what was said. That’s an interesting way of looking at it.
At any rate, the inspired Scriptures continue: “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand” (v. 35). Jesus is sovereign over all creation. He rules over our lives–as much as we give Him permission to.
God has given so much to us. Paul told the Corinthians, “all things are yours” (1 Cor. 3:21). He told the Romans, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:). The heavenly Father’s grace is enough to supply our every need in our participation in the kingdom work.
We have everlasting life if we believe, because we will share all the things of Christ without limit. And for those who do not believe? If someone rejects the incalculable riches of the grace of God, which includes mercy through the Son of God, God counts that person as unspeakably wicked in heart, and His wrath is ready to pour out, v. 36. Only God’s mercy holds His wrath in check. Only unbelief prevents a breeze of graciousness from gently floating that person along in the love of God.
