Thursday, October 22 –
We are
continuing our reading in the Gospel of John, in our quest to read through the
Bible in a year. If you have been with
me since the beginning, thanks. All of
our final books were authored by the disciple John. Today’s reading is from John 3:22 – 36. Please come back as my brother Ed and I share
some more insights in the passage.
“After
this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained
there with them and was baptizing. John
was also baptizing…he had not yet been put in prison” (3:22-24). John
begins this passage with Jesus and John the Baptist in overlapping ministry of baptizing. John the Baptist must have had a realization
that his ministry was temporary, but John’s disciples did not. They come to John the Baptist to complain –
in two areas, purification and competition.
“Now
a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification”
(3:25).
What
was the purification John is referring to and how does it relate to what is
going on? Purification was a major issue for Pharisees, and according to their
customs, keeping themselves ceremonially clean was necessary in order to both
serve God and please him. John’s baptism
was a baptism of repentance that symbolized the cleansing of sin from those who
received it. John was calling people to
respond to God, but the Pharisees wanted to include rituals also. We are not sure if that was all it is, but, it
led to another problem for John’s disciples – the seeming competition that
Jesus’ baptizing was creating.
“…they
(John’s disciples) 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” (3:26).
John’s response shows us the depth of his integrity and his awareness of who
Jesus was. His first point is that
anyone who serves God serves at God’s pleasure (vs 27). Secondly, John had come to be a forerunner –
someone to prepare the way for Jesus’s coming, and, made it clear from the
beginning that He is not the Christ (Messiah) (3:28-30).
“John
answered, ‘A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from
heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the
Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 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. He must increase, but I must decrease” (3:27-30).
John
is “the friend of the bridegroom”, almost like the best man at his
friend’s wedding. In the near-eastern
culture, the friend of the bridegroom prepared the wedding festivities and
acted as a host to all who came to the wedding.
He was in charge of all celebration preparations to keep it all free
from the Groom. When the Groom arrived
with his bride, the friend stood aside and joyfully watched as everything began
to unfold. The friend of the bridegroom
was in the background. It is this reason
that leads John the Baptist, in a wonderful statement of humility, “He must
increase, I must decrease”.
John
knew what his purpose was, and his identity too. He was a servant to Christ Jesus, his Lord.
John
added, Jesus is the embodiment of God’s truth, and opposing him is opposing God
(3:31-34). John saw Jesus as one whose
origin was not earthly. While Jesus was
fully man, he was not merely a man. He
had no beginning because he was from heaven, and Jesus came to take over what
John had begun – proclaim the truth of God in the Gospel.
“He
who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth
and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears
witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.
Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.
For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit
without measure” (3:31-34).
These
verses are very important for they speak about accepting and receiving the words that speak of God’s truths, which
He has given us. This is another reason why believers receive the Holy Spirit
so that we can understand these spiritual words and truths. Otherwise, we do
not have the ability to do so. In fact, God wants us to know these truths,
therefore, He gives the Holy Spirit ‘beyond measure’, that is, with no
limitations.
John’s
desire in this passage seems to once again establish the relationship within
the Trinity, or “Tri-Unity” of the Godhead.
The Father loves the world and has sent his Son into the world to save
those who believe in him. The Son is the
word, eternally existing from creation with the Father, and he bears witness to
the truth of God. The Spirit is given to
us that we might bear witness of the truth of God the Father, and God the Son,
and we come to the Son to receive “life”, for there is no other way –
“The
Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 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” (3:35-36).
Remember,
this eternal life is the key to
John’s Gospel. This goes well with the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus, because,
being born from above opens the way to a relationship with, and in Christ
Jesus. This is why John placed this here
in his gospel account. The life we desire is found in Christ Jesus, not in
ourselves. “He who has the Son of God has life.” There is no other way,
and so John adds, the same God of love and life in Christ, also has the
capacity for anger. His wrath is an
expression of his righteous character, perfect justice, and unfailing
love.
Every
Jewish person – at this time – believed in God.
But, because Jesus is the “word”, and also “incarnate” (both from John
1:1, 14), failing to trust in Christ is a choice to reject God. John the Baptist served God and saw in Jesus,
God-incarnate. He humbly gave way to
Jesus, not willing to draw attention to himself, but yielding his calling so
that Jesus would be first. We live for
Christ’s glory. The Westminster Catechism’s first question is of first
priority: Question 1. What is the chief end of man? Answer: Man’s chief end is to
glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.[1]
Peace
Comments