Maybe you've seen the stickers, the t-shirts, maybe you have heard many sermons on the verse... but there are seven words found in the Gospel of John that have become one of the most looked up, favorited, memorized verses in all of scripture.Sure, I don't think it will replace John 3:16 any time soon, but John 3:30 is perhaps one of the hardest verses to truly put into action. What does it look like to take the words of John the Baptizer so seriously that it becomes our life motto, our driving force, even our goal for all of life?
Let's give some context.
Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem after the Passover festival and right after Jesus had the conversation with Nicodemus. They went into the Judean countryside where Jesus spent some time baptizing people.
Well, John the Baptizer had moved from where he originally was baptizing, John tells us,
At this time John the Baptizer was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism. (This was before John was thrown into prison.) A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing. So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.”
John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”
“He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”
John the Baptizer was so focused on getting people to see Jesus and focus so much on listening to His words that he didn't want to have any part of the spot light. He wanted everyone to go towards Jesus. He wanted to fall out of prominence so much that nobody even thought of him any more.
He told his followers to stop following him and to go follow Jesus.
He was a vocal witness to Jesus' true identity.
He understood his own feebleness as a mere human.
He was joyful at the success of others.
He was pained at the fact that so few believed what Jesus said.
John the Baptizer was passionate both in his words and his actions about pointing people to Jesus.
John used every part of his life to put Jesus front and center.
This is especially hard for us to do though isn't it? We care too much about popularity, about getting the credit for good things we do. We want the, "Adda boy!" and "You go girl!". We want to be glamourized and we crave our ten seconds of fame.
We desire influence. We desire meaning. We want significance.
The eample of John is so counter to all of those things.
John found his identity not in the things he did, but what God called him to be: a preparer.
John found his influence in losing people to Jesus.
John found his influence in how many people he could push towards the God-man, Jesus.
John found his meaning in highlighting Jesus.
John found his significance... in losing significance.
How about us?
Are we willing to do what John did? Not just "for the greater good" but for real impact. For truth. For eternal weightiness.
What can you do this week to put Jesus front and center, not only in your own personal life, but also for those who you influence?
How can you practice what John did... becoming less and less so that Jesus could become greater and greater in people's hearts, and people's minds?
"He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less."
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Nathan Bryant
Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our causes.
Christ's Kingdom is bigger than our boundaries.
Follow him on Twitter: Follow @nathanpbryant
Nathan's Website
Follow him on Twitter: Follow @nathanpbryant
Nathan's Website
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