Series on John’s Gospel (5)

He Must Increase!

John 3:22–36 “After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. (This was before John was put in prison.) An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less. “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

Introduction

Uriah Heep, one of Charles Dickens characters in David Copperfield claimed to be “very umble”

Speaking of this humility he said, “I am well aware that I am the umblest person going…My mother is likewise a very umble person. We are both persons of an umble disposition.”

These lines show how obsessively Heep advertises his humility—which is exactly what makes it suspicious. Indeed Dickens describes Uriah as having “a way of writhing himself into all sorts of shapes.” A metaphoric way of telling us that Uriah Heep was was a slithering and slimy conman.

Uriah, in truth was was false and manipulative, not truly humble — BUT pretending to be humble. And David Copperfield proved to be a good judge of character when he said, “I had never liked him, and I never liked him now.”

Uriah Heep practiced performative humility — humility used to gain advantage, power and control and this contrasts strongly with what we see in John the Baptist when he says, “He must increase and I must decrease!”.

One of the hardest spiritual challenges we face is learning how to step back and get out of the way so that Christ can step forward and the control in our lives.

We live in a world that rewards visibility, recognition, and influence. Yet Jesus calls us to the opposite posture: humility, faithfulness, and joyful obscurity.

The Bible says, 1 Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

Whatever I am carrying, whatever challenges I am facing, I can do it best when I surrender and remember that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”(Phil 4:13).

In John 3:22–36, we hear the final recorded testimony of John the Baptist.

And guess what? He does not make a list of his accomplishments, no! Instead he points away from himself to Jesus, showing us how he can live a life which puts Jesus at the heart of everything we do, and summed up in these words, ‘whatever future I have left to me and whatever befalls me, Jesus must increase in my life and I, John the Baptist must become less!”

This passage answers three critical questions:

Who am I?

Who is Jesus?

How should I respond?

I. Knowing Who You Are (John 3:22–28)

This passage offers us a comparison which causes tension - a comparison between John the Baptist and Jesus and a tension when John’s disciples are upset because Jesus ‘is baptising, and everyone is going to him.”

A brief explanation here: This was an argument “between two ministry teams regarding the popularity of one of the leaders. Jealousy seemed to be the motive...Two different baptismal groups, headed by two different leaders, baptizing in two different cities—both claiming messianic connections. Two things seem important in the text: (1) John’s ongoing baptism was hardly competitive because he still proclaimed Jesus and presumably attracted even more people to the Lamb, and (2) although verse 23 talks about Jesus baptizing, we learn in John 4:2 that he supervised the activity and the disciples themselves did the baptizing.”(Gangel).

And we also need to note that arguments about the validity of John’s baptism continued many years after Jesus’ resurrection(see Acts 19:1-4) for John’s baptism was not “Christian baptism since it took place before the crucifixion, resurrection, and coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. According to Morris, “More probably it represents a continuation of the ‘baptism of repentance’ that was characteristic of John the Baptist. Both Jesus and his first disciples had come from the circle around John, and it may well be that for some time they continued to call on men to submit to the baptism that symbolized repentance … The tense of the last two verbs is continuous and we might give the force of it as ‘they kept coming and being baptized’ ” (Morris, p. 237 - Gangel. John).

So the voice we hear from John’s disciples is the voice of their insecurity.

John has been the dominant voice in their life but his fame is shifting, the attention is moving elsewhere and this will have implications for them as well.

Their concern isn’t primarily theological, even though it had been a at first been prompted by “an argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.” Their concern is personal. The theological arguments had been and would be ongoing - for example, according to the Dead Sea Scrolls, religious communities at the time were interested in the finer points of ceremonial purification, both in terms of why it was to be done; whom it was to be done to and how it was to be done. This became quite petty and led to many arguments. John the Baptist was not interested in such arguments and neither was Jesus for though a different matter, when it was pointed out to Jesus, “Master … we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us” (Luke 9:49). Jesus replied, “Do not stop him … for whoever is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:50). Competition of this nature is never encouraged by Jesus nor John.

Competitiveness sadly can be rife in church life - And I get this! We may struggle with envy sometimes; with challenges when we become less popular; less influential, etc and we might even be tempted to deflect this on others, and justify it on theological grounds, particularly those who are taking our limelight, -BUT we need to examine ourselves at this point as this may be ego rather than real concern.

We would do well to notice that envy or jealousy over someone else’s popularity, especially in ministry, can never advance God’s kingdom but only diminish our spiritual lives.

John responds to this tension with clarity and humility: “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.”

The word heaven in this context refers back to God, since throughout this Gospel John saw everything as coming from the hand of the Father.

This acknowledgment kept John the Baptist both grounded and humble. He is aware of God’s sovereignty, of his own unworthiness, and of the pre-eminence of Christ in all things.

“This response by John almost becomes a standard Christian principle: man can receive only what is given him from heaven...it applies to us, who dare not exercise authority or leadership in ministry beyond what God has gifted us and called us to do.”

And so, he reminds his followers that: “I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of him.” John never forgot either who he was, nor who he wasn’t. His peace came from embracing his role, not envying someone else’s.

John teaches us something crucial: our calling and giftedness comes from God, our desire for fame, recognition that leads to competitiveness does not!

It’s important we get this! KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Know WHAT you are! And be content to be the PERSON GOD made you to be!

Comparison will always distort our calling. Parents compare their families. Churches compare attendance. Christians compare influence.

But peace comes when we accept what God has entrusted to us, not what He has given to someone else.

II. Rejoicing in Christ’s Supremacy (John 3:29–30)

To emphasise his point, John illustrates with an image that we can all relate to: “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”

John’s use of the Wedding illustration is instructive and appropriate because it draws from the Old Testament imagery of God as the husband of Israel, his bride, whom He delights in! (Isa. 54:5; 62:4; Jer. 2:2; 3:20; Ezek. 16:8; Hos. 2:19). This same theme is also taken up in the New Testament to describe the relationship between Jesus, our Messiah and His church. (see 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:32; Revelation 19:7–8).

The link with what has gone before in the context reminds us that if we are more intent on winning people over to our side, rather than Christ’s then we risk causing the church to commit spiritual adultery, as Calvin said: “Those who win the Church over to themselves rather than to Christ faithlessly violate the marriage which they ought to honour.”

This is so instructive when Christians become partisan: “The disciples of John the Baptist were obviously concerned to protect the popularity and prestige of their teacher, and they wanted the Baptizer to counter Jesus’ growing popularity by taking some affirmative action on his own behalf. Disciples of teachers are often more zealous for their teacher’s perspectives than the teachers themselves, and thus history is replete with many examples of the excesses of disciples, as in the case of the Arminians and Calvinists” (Borchert, p. 190).

John likens himself to the friend who attends the bridegroom—

As the friend who attends the bridegroom John emphasized his delight and joy rather than jealousy over Jesus’ arrival and instant popularity. William Carey, had that same spirit when he said to a friend as he neared death, “When I am gone, don’t talk about William Carey; talk about William Carey’s Saviour. I desire that Christ alone might be magnified.”

John knew who he was and he knew who Jesus is and He rejoiced in His supremacy! His job is not to be the centre of attention, but the one who prepares what is necessary to ensure the wedding takes place and a great time is had by all, especially the bride and the bridegroom. This is their day and they must be seen to be the most important people in the room, which is why we have this wonderful declaration from John: “He must become greater; I must become less.”

“He must become greater; I must become less.” - This is not false humility. This is joyful surrender.

John is not bitter or resentful, no he says, to slip away into the shadows, having done my job as a witness to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”(John 1:29) well that’s my joy - “That joy is mine, and it is now complete.”

And this is what connects this passage with what has gone before, When a person is “born again” and transformed by the Spirit of God, then Jesus becomes greater and I become less!

And this becomes a continuous determination of the heart of a believer - I as a born again believer must fade into the background and Jesus must increasingly shine through me, which is why John uses the present continuous tense verb literally means “I must continuously decrease, He must continuously increase”.

John’s joy is complete because Jesus is taking centre stage.

Christian humility is not self-hatred—it is Christ-centered joy.

John the Baptist was no Uriah Heep! True humility points away from self to Jesus; it rejoices in another’s exaltation and it content without recognition.

While Uriah Heap draws attention to self whilst hiding ambition or bitterness and seeks power while denying it to others. A humility that wants to be noticed. We become like the Greeks of John 12, “Sir we would see Jesus!” Let Him be my all, in all!

We should never feel threatened when Jesus works through someone else!

What matters most is not what we do; the recognition we get? We need to be so transformed by the Spirit that we rejoice when Christ is exalted, even if we are unnoticed?

As Paul puts it in Philippians 1:15-18 “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.”

True spiritual maturity celebrates the success of Christ’s mission, not our personal recognition.

III. Recognising Who Jesus Truly Is (John 3:31–35)

John shifts from personal testimony to theological proclamation - “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

John’s Gospel states 23 times that Jesus is sent from God! and much of this is seen in these few verses:

• Jesus comes from above; he is sent from God (vv. 31, 34). • Jesus is above all; he has all things in his hand (vv. 31, 35). • Jesus speaks things he has seen and heard from the Father (vv. 31, 34). Note: rhema not logos —a message offered by a living voice. • Jesus gives the truth to those who receive him (v. 33). • Jesus gives the Spirit to those who trust in him (v. 34). • Jesus is loved by the Father for he is the Son (v. 35). • Jesus can communicate life which is everlasting (v. 36).

And this is why, according to John it is right the HE BECOME GREATER for in contrast with John:

He is from above and is above all  - unlike John “who is from the earth and belongs to the earth”

He is the true eye witness of God who “testifies to what he has seen and heard, - unlike John who is a sent messenger

He is the one who directly speaks God’s words with an “authority” that caused people to marvel “No one ever spoke the way this man does” (John 7:46) - Unlike John, who although a great preacher, was nonetheless lacking in comparison to Jesus in terms of his divine unction and power.

He is the one given the Spirit without limit - Unlike John, who though was “greater” than anyone “born of women”(Matt 11:11) was nonetheless limited due to His sinful and fleshly nature! Note: “The idea that the Spirit was not given in a limited or measured way (Ek Metrou, 3:34) is here applied particularly to Jesus because of his unique relationship within the godhead. But that idea of the unlimited Spirit is applicable to believers in a derivative sense by the act of Jesus in passing on the Holy Spirit (cf. 20:22)” (Borchert, p. 194).

In summary, John is making it clear, using a slightly less complicated translation by Eugene Petersen here: “The One who comes from above is head and shoulders over other messengers from God. The earth-born is earth-bound and speaks earth language; the heaven-born is in a league of his own. He sets out the evidence of what he saw and heard in heaven. No one wants to deal with these facts. But anyone who examines this evidence will come to stake his life on this: that God himself is the truth” (The Message).

John is clear here: Jesus is not just another teacher or prophet, He is the Son of the Living God and He is uniquely loved by the Heavenly Father - “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.” This is a statement of authority, intimacy, and divine approval.

And yet, tragically, John reports that “no one accepts His testimony” - another reminder of John 1:11 “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”

One should have expected a wholesale acceptance on the part of the people to the coming of the Messiah. They had waited four hundreds of years for this moment and already there were enough signs, including that of John the Baptist himself as the forerunner and preparer of the way, but as Isaiah predicted, and John’s own personal experience revealed, almost no one responded!

But for the few who did receive Him and affirmed God’s truth, John 1:12–13 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

And we who entrust ourselves to Jesus are likewise loved by the Father and “placed…in His hands.” And we are SAFE!

What a thought is this! If Jesus truly has everything in His hands, then:

Our future is safe

Our obedience matters

Our trust must be complete

You cannot reduce Jesus to a helper, advisor, or moral example. He is Lord.

IV. Responding with Faith or Rejection (John 3:36)

The passage ends with a stark challenge - “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life for God’s wrath (Grk orge - settled disapproval) remains on him.”

This final verse in chapter 3 is a fitting climax to the ministry of John the Baptist.

It is transitional as it suits the fading out of the Old Testament prophet who must “continuously decrease”, while the preaching of New Testament heralds continuously increase with this stark message!

Evangelism is the proclamation that God’s Son has come to earth to die for the sins of humanity and that rejection of that gift leads to judgment and wrath. The message is profoundly simple yet still obscure to millions two thousand plus years after John introduced Jesus to the world.

We cannot sit on the fence when it comes to Jesus. Neutrality is not an option. We are either for Him or against Him!

To believe in the Son is not mere intellectual agreement—it is trust, surrender, and allegiance.

To reject the Son is to remain under judgment, not because God delights in wrath, but because life is found only in Christ.

“Whoever rejects the Son has forfeited eternal life and receives instead the wrath of God. This is what the Bible means when it says life is in the Son.”(Gangel).

Have you believed in Jesus? Are you trusting in God the Son?

Are you living as though He truly reigns? This is not just about a moment of belief, but a purpose of my life.

My faith is weak you say! I struggle to beleive! Then pray, “Oh Jesus I believe! Help me in my unbelief. Become MORE as I become LESS!”

Conclusion:

One last thought! John the Baptist fades from the spotlight in this passage—but he fades faithfully. He shows us:

How to live without envy

How to rejoice without recognition

How to decrease without losing joy

And his final message to us echoes across the centuries down to us today: He must become greater. I must become less.

This is the ultimate formula for progress in the Christian life! It represents a life lived in total surrender to Jesus. If we fail to do this, Jesus will not be diminished in any way. He does not become less because we refuse to make Him more. It is we who diminish by refusing to surrender to Him. Surrender isn't losing, it's making room for God to do greater things in your life.

As Augustine said in one of his sermons: “He must increase, but I must decrease: that is, He must give, I must receive; He must be glorified, I must confess. Let man understand his own place, and confess unto God...You understood yesterday a little, today you understand a little more, tomorrow you will understand much more: the light of God itself increases in you; so it is as it were God increasing,...Just as if a person’s eyes were receiving cure from...blindness, and he were beginning to see a little glimmering of light, and the next day should see more, and the third day much more, it would seem to him that the light was increasing: yet the light is perfect, whether he see it or not. So fares it also with the inner man: he makes progress indeed in God, and God seems to be increasing in him; but indeed the man himself is diminishing, that from his own glory he may drop down, and rise into the glory of God.”(Augustine: Homilies in the Gospel of John. Homily xiv)

So, in my daily life there must be less of self, less of sin, less me, less of mine and more of Jesus; more love, more obedience, more grace.

Let us pray, “Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you today. May there be less of me and more of you Lord! Let my pride fade so Your glory shines, Jesus. Let my plans bend to Your purpose for me. Empty me of self, so I may be filled with You. Please become greater, that I may become less. Amen.