JOHN 3
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they 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.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 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. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.” 31 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. – John 3:25-31
JOHN 3 HUMBLE YOURSELF SO GOD CAN INCREASE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
For those who belong to God, Jesus modeled humility
He left his divinity and became human to save humanity
The world follows a system where pride dominates
Its focus is on the cravings and lust of the flesh
So, if you are a servant of Christ, you must decrease
Let all you do be about his glory so God can increase.
This account happened among the disciples of John the Baptist (precursor and cousin of Jesus). Prior to this account, John had been baptizing many people in the Jordan river together with his disciples. On this day, John’s disciple became envious of the following that Jesus was garnering. So, just like any of us who are entitled after doing something good, they expected John’s following not to dwindle since they have been popular already until this Jesus came in the picture. Isn’t this automatic with us humans? We work hard for something we want and believe in and when it grows, we forget the purpose of that calling. We become proud of what we have done and gloat over that achievement. We enjoy the position, the success, the expertise of the skill, the adulation we get from such work. We forget that the gift given to us by God is not for our increase but for God to be glorified. When John’s disciples felt threatened by Jesus’ group’s popularity and following, they came to him like childish kids reporting that threat to their group. Envy is a tactic of the devil to create divisions, doubts and confusion. John’s disciples showed so much insecurity and immaturity. But John was solid in his prophecies about the coming of Jesus and was given revelation that the coming of the Messiah was at hand. His perspective was so different from those whom he taught. He declares the sovereignty of God when he said verse 31 “He who comes from above is above all. He who comes from the heaven is above all.” What a glorious revelation! John didn’t listen to their insecurities but instead, he pointed them to the One and only glorious Son of God, Jesus. Because of his humility, Jesus later calls him the greatest of all prophets in Matthew 11:11 when he said “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
REFLECTION
· Why can someone not truly worship and praise God when he lacks humility?
