Final Testimony of John, Part 1 (John 3:22–30)

Series: John: Life in Christ’s NameText: John 3:22–30

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: January 1, 2023

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: AM Service

Introduction

What would mark success in our ministry this year? There are a lot of ministers out there who care about little more than the numbers. How many people came? How many raised their hand? How many walked the aisle? The old adage is that they’re counting “nickels and noses” — how many people are in the pews and how much money was in the offering plate. It’s not that God commands us to never keep accounting, but it’s fraught with dangers for the minister who wants to point to these numbers as a sign of his success in ministry.

Success in ministry in something entirely different than what the world expects, and that’s what we see when we return briefly to John the Baptist. His disciples believe John should have an issue with what the Messiah is doing because of the overlap of their ministries. However, he instead exalts in the Lord and redirects his disciples to where their view should be.

Here, we see John willingly decreasing before the Lord. First, we see his system decreasing. Second, we see his ministry decreasing. Third, paradoxically, we see his joy increasing. Let’s consider the first of these.

First, we see his system decreasing (vv. 22–25).

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized— for John had not yet been thrown into prison. Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification.

We read that this happened after what we read, after the events in Jerusalem and with Nicodemus. The text says that “Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea.” Now, that might be confusing since they were already in that region. Other translations, though, render this “countryside” (HCSB; NIV). One textual commentary notes that this means into “the country districts outside of Jerusalem.” The MacArthur Study Bible calls this “the rural areas of that region.” Other commentaries say this is “north from Jerusalem” or “northeastern direction toward the Jordan river” or “somewhere in the Jordan plain not far from Jericho.” So, the exact location isn’t clear, but “countryside” might be the best understanding.

He was “spending time with” His disciples there. As another commentary notes, this term implies “a considerable period of time … probably several months.” We’re not told specifically if He’s teaching them during this time, but the simple noun “disciples” implies that they are always learning from Him, as we should all be.

The word “baptizing,” though, implies more discipleship. In John 4:1, we read that Jesus was “making and baptizing more disciples than John,” so this is part of the discipleship process. In the next verse of that chapter, we read that Jesus wasn’t personally baptizing, but directing His disciples to baptize. That’s why, incidentally, we encourage those who repent and trust in the Lord to come and be baptized with water. It’s an outward sign that associates you with the Lord you claim, and we as fellow disciples of the Lord baptize those who come to Him.

If there’s any question as to the kind of baptism Jesus was conducting here through His disciples, note the next verse. We read that “John also was baptizing.” This means that Jesus’s baptisms were largely like John the Baptist’s.

John was baptizing “in Aenon near Salim.” We’re not exactly sure where this is. The word “Aenon” is Hebrew, and it means “springs.” Of course, this verse also says “there was much water there.” A location that seemed to spring up in the commentaries — pun intended — was that this was six or so miles south of Beth-Shan, east of Samaria. This was an area considered to be part of Judah in the first century. People obviously knew where this was, because they were coming to John, repenting of their sins, and being baptized there.

We then have an interesting comment in v. 24: “for John had not yet been thrown into prison.” We see here a comment that evidences just what the author of this Gospel is trying to accomplish. If one were only to read the other Gospel accounts, the impression there would be that John the Baptist disappears into Herod’s dungeon at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry. That’s not what the other Gospels say, but one could come away with that impression. For instance, in Mark 1, we read about John baptizing Jesus and then the temptation, and in the very next verses, vv. 14–15, we read, “Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” That doesn’t preclude that there was ministry in Judea before John got arrested, so it’s not a contradiction; it’s just limited to Jesus’s northern ministry.

So, the Apostle John here fills in more information. He writes that there was a Judean ministry for Jesus, and it coincided with that period of time between the Lord’s baptism and John the Baptist’s arrest. It happened to take place in roughly the same area as John the Baptist’s ministry, and it may have even been a few months in length.

Now, some saw conflict between what Jesus was doing and what John the Baptist was doing, so the next verse says, “Therefore there arose a discussion,” or, more accurately, a dispute. Of course, this is life in ministry! An unnamed Jewish person even confronts John’s disciples on purification. By the way, some of your Bibles might read the plural there, particularly the KJV and the NKJV, but it seems the singular “Jew” is better. So, this unnamed Jewish person wants to know what’s special about John’s baptism, why he (or she) should get it in addition to or instead of Jesus’s baptism.

Incidentally, this is a moment that evidences the Jewish authorship of this Gospel. A Gentile writer coming along later, trying to imitate the Apostle John, wouldn’t necessarily think to include strife concerning the intricacies of Hebrew theology. This was a question about purification and baptism.

Now, before we get into that conflict, we must back up and consider the context that God is laying out for us, both historically and in this letter. Back in John 2:1–11, we read about the wedding feast at Cana and the miracle that the Lord performed there — taking water filling ceremonial cleansing jars and transforming it to wine. We noted that this was a sign of the coming Messianic kingdom, where the Lord would fill His people with joy, pictured by free-flowing wine. Jesus is replacing the old.

We continued to see that theme. In 2:12–25, we saw Jesus challenging the present temple system. Part of it was that the system was being twisted with the sales going on there, but there was more to it than that. Jesus wanted to restore the temple because of how it pointed to His coming work as the ultimate sacrifice and the reason why men could be brought close to God the Father. He would be creating a new temple through His body, one not made with hands — one comprised of living stones. Jesus is replacing the old.

Then, we get to this chapter, and we saw Jesus calling Nicodemus to be born again. In 3:1–21, Jesus said this rebirth would come through water and spirit. We saw that was a clear reference to the New Covenant promises. With that being the case, that means that Jesus is saying the Old Covenant is coming to an end. More to the point, by comparing Himself to the serpent Moses lifted up in the wilderness, He is saying that He will specifically be the one who inaugurates the New Covenant. As we read in Hebrews 8:13, “When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” Again, Jesus is replacing the old.

With that said, Jesus is bringing in something greater than John the Baptist. The baptism that Jesus is about to bring — the baptism of the Holy Spirit — is what the water baptism symbolizes. John was pointing people toward repentance before the Messiah, while the Messiah is receiving the repentant and promising them new life. There’s Jewish purification, but Jesus is replacing the old, and that includes the baptism that John the Baptist is providing.

For this divinely-appointed moment, the ministries of John the Baptist and the Messiah overlap. Now, when any overlap occurs in ministry, some men, limited by their perspective, view it as a threat to their own ministries, as the disciples here clearly do. The question here seems to have troubled them, and they see this as a moment of tension rather than blessing. So, they come to John, as we see next.

Second, we see his ministry decreasing (vv. 26–28)

And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’.

Because of this dispute, they — John’s disciples — come to John the Baptist. They greet him respectfully, as Rabbi. This is as Nicodemus greeted Jesus (John 3:2), though Jesus did warn against enjoying such titles (Matt. 23:7). Such flattery can, in fact, be the prelude to confrontation.

We see that with their words. They say, “He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified.” They won’t deign themselves to name Him, knowing very well that they speak of Jesus. They continue: “behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” They emphasize the “you” in the original language and exaggerate the issue, as though this is a problem that should really concern the Baptizer.

There is often conflict, even in ministry, when it appears that one ministry is doing better than others. There are fellow pastors I have sweet fellowship with, but there are some that have seemed uncomfortable, almost as though I was challenging their legitimacy. It may be that it is personal conviction, and it may simply be due to the struggle most men have with personal validity.

Here, the disciples voice their issue to John the Baptist. Before we are too hard on them, we must remember that they are the disciples, the learners, and John is the teacher. All disciples should feel confident to bring their opinions before God’s teachers, even unpopular or challenging opinions, so they can receive proper instruction. Sometimes, preachers and teachers get unnecessarily angry with such questions, when they should instead welcome them.

John patiently replies. He begins, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” In the Greek, John uses a double negative, which actually serves to intensify in that language. He’s saying there’s no way we have anything that we haven’t received from God (1 Cor. 4:7) and no one can take glory unto himself (Heb. 5:4).

In v. 32, we have him seem to condemn man for not receiving the testimony, while he here says it must first come from heaven. In one verse, he’s simply focusing on the sovereign origins of divine knowledge, while in the other, he focuses on human responsibility. Here, he simply affirms what Jesus later says in John 6:44, that “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

More to the point, he’s also saying that God sovereignly determines ministry. John was clear about his role as forerunner. He was not just a prophet; he was fulfilling a prophetic role. In Isaiah 40:3, we read, “A voice is calling, ‘Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.’ ” Well, John said back in John 1:23, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” He’s the voice that is preparing the way.

In Malachi 3:1, we read, ‘Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,’ says the Lord of hosts.” John says here in John 3:28, “I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ ” John the Baptist sees himself as the forerunner to the Christ, the Messiah.

That means that John already sees himself as fulfilling the role God gave to him. He says in v. 28, “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ ” In the original language, he emphasizes the “I”, just as they had emphasized the “you” in v. 26. He’s responding to them directly and making them think. If he denies being the Christ, then why should his disciples expect his ministry to be greater?

He's not upset that the Christ has a greater ministry than him for two reasons. First, God ordained his ministry, and he’s evaluating his success based on faithfulness, not numbers. Second, his God-ordained ministry is to point people to Christ, so their departing for Jesus means that he’s been successful. Far from being concerned to what some perceive as a decreasing ministry impact, he’s joyful. (That brings us to the next verse.)

Third, paradoxically, we see his joy increasing (v. 29)

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. So this joy of mine has been made full.

John uses an interesting illustration — a bride and bridegroom at a wedding. Interestingly, Jesus uses this same imagery, though talking of Himself (Matt 9:15; 25:1). Here, John is also talking about Jesus as the bridegroom. The bride would be the collective body of believers who He delivers from condemnation, which would include both Old and New Testament saints (as no one is saved outside of Christ).

John the Baptist, in this illustration, is simply the bridegroom’s friend. This role in a Judean wedding would require planning and execution. The closest equivalent we have to this today would perhaps be the best man. As one commentary notes, he “was even responsible for bringing the bride to the bridegroom to begin the wedding ceremony. Having done that, his task was completed; the focus now rightfully shifted from him to the bridegroom.” He’s happy when he hears the bridegroom begin to speak because he’s a friend and because the wedding is commencing as planned.

Now, with every illustration, there are limitations. Of course, John the Baptist himself is a believer in the Messiah and therefore will be part of the bride. However, for the sake of this discussion, he’s saying his job is to introduce others to Christ. It’s like how sometimes a person like myself is referred to as a pastor, a role where a person shepherds sheep, but the truth is that I’m also a sheep that needs shepherding. John needs salvation just like everyone else, but he also realizes his God-given role as a beggar to show other beggars where to get bread.

So, he has joy when others go over to Christ. It’s his role, after all, but it’s more than that. He loves the Savior. As such, there’s nothing that would make him happier than to know that others are going to Christ. That’s what leads John to say what he does next, and we’ll close with this verse:

Conclusion (v. 30)

He must increase, but I must decrease.

We see that, in light of the pride his disciples are showing, John demonstrates the right spirit of ministry. As an aside, I’ve read that a popular show apparently depicts John the Baptist as arrogant, contradicting Jesus and mouthing off to Him. Based on a summary I read, Jesus tries to discourage John from confronting Herod on his adultery (for some reason). John tells Jesus he plans to move forward and adds, “My followers will love it.” Here, however, we see a humbler presentation of the Baptizer would have been accurate, one where he says he must decrease (lose followers) while Christ increases.

His disciples didn’t always understand this. There were those who believed him to be the Messiah despite his clear and repeated denials. Yet, he had followers who never came to Christ, perhaps viewing Jesus as having robbed the Baptizer of needed attention. Because the Apostle John was still encountering these followers in his elder years, he writes as he does here. Sadly, as we’ve noted before, a cultic group remains in the Middle East until this day, claiming to be followers of the Baptist, and they continue to have an anti-Christian view.

Yet, John the Baptist wanted people to go to Christ. Far from being jealous of the success of Jesus’s ministry, he saw his own ministry as successful if he was losing followers to Jesus. It brought him joy to know that he was introducing the bride to the bridegroom, and he was content to watch that ministry grow.

I hope and pray that our church would be commited to the same humble ministry this year. May our goal be to point people to Christ, proclaiming the gospel undiluted with works of the law which have passed away. May our measure of success be a humble faithfulness to God’s Word, not by counting numbers. And may our fullest joy be when people come to know the Savior and grow in His knowledge and grace!