He Must Increase but I Must Decrease

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: John 3:22-36

 

John 3:30-31

He must increase, but I must decrease. ³¹ 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.

(NKJV)

 

All of us need to take time to pause and withdraw from the business of the day to reflect and remember why we do what we do. For those in some form of ministry, this means going back to the calling we received from God to determine if what we are doing remains true to this calling. For John the Baptist who had a calling to prepare the way of the Lord (John 1:6-9), this required checking up on whether he was willing to decrease with the emergence of Jesus on the scene or attempt to compete with Jesus. In this text we see John remaining true to his calling from God.

 

Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea with Jesus remaining with them and baptizing people (John 3:22). John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim because much water was there (John 3:23). This occurred before John was thrown into prison (John 3:24).

 

At this point a dispute arose between John’s disciples and the Jews regarding purification (John 3:25). The disciples of John and the Jews come to John but do not ask about purification. Instead, they let John know that Jesus whom John testified about is also baptizing with all now coming to Him (John 3:26). Since there is no conversation about purification, we can surmise this comment is an effort to cause contention between the disciples of John and the disciples of Jesus.

 

John answers by reminding them a man can receive nothing unless it is given to him from heaven (John 3:27). John then reminds them he had said He is not the Christ but the one sent before Him (John 3:28). John uses the illustration of the bride and bridegroom with the bride belonging to the bridegroom. John is a friend of the bridegroom who rejoices greatly at hearing the bridegroom’s voice (John 3:29). He, Jesus, must increase while John must decrease because Jesus is from heaven and above all, with John earthly, speaking earthly things. Jesus who comes from heaven is above all (John 3:30-31).

 

Jesus testifies of heavenly things He has seen with no one receiving His testimony (John 3:32), but one that receives His testimony certifies that God is true (John 3:33). Jesus, the one sent by God speaks the words of God because God has not given Him the Spirit by measure (John 3:34). God the Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand (John 3:35). John concludes by reminding them that one choosing to believe in the Son has everlasting life with those choosing not to believe not seeing life but having the wrath of God abide on them (John 3:36).

 

The Jews question the disciples of John are about purification, leading to their approaching John about the fact they Observe Jesus is also baptizing with all going to Him. John’s response to his disciples represents a great example of one in ministry humbling themselves and surrendering to God. This humility and surrender is consistent with the words he told the Jews, priests, and Levites sent to him at Bethabara (John 1:19-28). While we are not certain if the Jews approaching the disciples of John are the same ones that questioned John’s disciples, the disciples are without excuse for they heard John exalt Jesus (John 1:29-34). John knew his role in God’s plan and willingly surrendered his prominence to Jesus. All believers in Christ must be willing to do the same and not seek prominence.

 

In our media-dominated culture, celebrity preachers can quickly gain a large following. The potential wealth and fame from such celebrity status is a temptation for the pastor to place him or herself on a pedestal of fame with Jesus taking a back seat of prominence. There is nothing wrong with a minister having media exposure to increase their outreach to a lost world, but they must guard their hearts not to become prideful and allow themselves to rise to a pedestal of fame. The temptation of believers to attach to someone other than Christ is nothing new for Paul spoke out against it to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). The role of ministry must always be to bring glory to Christ by lifting Him up so all people are drawn to Him (John 12:32).

 

God entrusts all in ministry with a flock of people to nurture. Woe to the minister who uses prominence gained from their position to acquire wealth and fame. We all must remember that we will stand before God and give account for our actions. Do we want to be one who used God to acquire wealth and fame or one who spoke truth from the word of God even if it meant losing potential wealth or fame? I pray that those in ministry today would resist the temptation of wealth and fame and continue declaring the truth of God’s word.

 

I want to invite anyone reading this post who has not prayed for salvation from their sins and to make Jesus the Lord of their life through the confession of their belief in Jesus as their Savior to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May the Lord challenge, convict, and bless everyone reading this post.