Sermon Tone Analysis

3:22-30

I. Jesus and John the Baptist.

Read this in the context of Nicodemus, and the continuing issue of Jesus’ identity and authority.

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing.

23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).

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.

32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.

33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.

34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.

36 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.

A. John Witnesses to Jesus’ Uniqueness

John the Baptist stands as a witness again to the identity of Jesus.

John the Baptist had a powerful ministry, so much so that many thought he was the Messiah, even though he explicitly denied that.

The NIV Application commentary says John the Baptist’s statement “He must increase, but I must decrease,” is the main point of this passage.

John affirms Jesus’ heavenly origin.

Jesus’ heavenly origin.

John the Baptist affirms Jesus’ heavenly origins as greater than himself:

a

Just as Nicodemus must be born “from above” (3:3), so now the Baptist becomes a witness to Jesus as one who is “from above” (3:31).

Jesus has descended from heaven (3:12–13), bringing heavenly gifts of the Spirit and rebirth; he is a messenger who reveals what he has seen and heard in heaven’s precincts (3:31–32)

Just as Nicodemus must be born “from above” (3:3), so now the Baptist becomes a witness to Jesus as one who is “from above” (3:31).

Jesus has descended from heaven (3:12–13), bringing heavenly gifts of the Spirit and rebirth; he is a messenger who reveals what he has seen and heard in heaven’s precincts (3:31–32)

Jesus and his disciples had a baptizing ministry, though says that Jesus himself did not baptize.

Another incidence of “eyewitness” testimony, though Jesus is the eyewitness of things in heaven.

The NIV Application commentary says John the Baptist’s statement “He must increase, but I must decrease,” is the main point of this passage.

Miriam had questioned Moses’ authority, God set her straight and said “I speak more directly to Moses than I do to any other prophet.”

Now, John is saying “Jesus not only speaks directly to God, His words are the very words of God.”

So Jesus is even higher than Moses.

B. Jesus vs. John the Baptist (not really a conflict)

In this passage, his followers are jealous of Jesus, and trying to defend their own teacher’s fame.

He shuts them down, but apparently it didn’t totally work.

From study of history and other passages of Scripture, we find out that some people continued to follow John the Baptist even after he died, rejecting Jesus as the true Messiah.

Nicodemus was a ruling Jew, John was a Jewish prophet, together they both stood as a witness to Jesus, even if Nicodemus started out skeptical.

Just as Nicodemus must be born “from above” (3:3), so now the Baptist becomes a witness to Jesus as one who is “from above” (3:31).

Jesus has descended from heaven (3:12–13), bringing heavenly gifts of the Spirit and rebirth; he is a messenger who reveals what he has seen and heard in heaven’s precincts (3:31–32)

Another incidence of “eyewitness” testimony, though Jesus is the eyewitness of things in heaven.

the Baptizer is treated not merely as a historical person, but he is also employed as a character symbol who is to be contrasted directly with Jesus.

He is witness; Jesus is the Light (1:7–8).

He is voice; Jesus is the Word (1:14, 23).

He baptizes with water; Jesus baptizes with the Spirit (1:33)

Since John the Baptist is a prophet, like an Old Testament prophet, we can almost see the prophets standing alongside him saying “Jesus is different!”

Building God’s Name:

John’s disciples didn’t like him being brought lower than Jesus, but that’s exactly what John wanted.

This is an example to us all about how we’re supposed to defer to God.

Many scholars believe the “image of God” from means our subordinate rule of the earth under God’s authority, in other words, building God’s name.

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they were motivated to be more like God; rather than simply bearing His image, they wanted to be God.

Similarly, the tower of Babel incident shows what happens when mankind unifies to build their own name rather than God’s.

Humanity was never intended to bring glory to itself, it’s a perversion of our purpose for existence.

Miriam had questioned Moses’ authority, God set her straight and said “I speak more directly to Moses than I do to any other prophet.”

Now, John is saying “Jesus not only speaks directly to God, His words are the very words of God.”

So Jesus is even higher than Moses.

Conclude section I. on John and Jesus:

John is a witness to Jesus’ Identity: Compare this passage to the first part of chapter 3: Nicodemus was a ruling Jew, John was a Jewish prophet, together they both stood as a witness to Jesus, even if Nicodemus started out skeptical.

John shows us how deferential we should be to Jesus, building his name rather than our own.

II.

Baptism:

Jesus and his disciples had a baptizing ministry, though says that Jesus himself did not baptize.

Many readers ask: how can these people be baptized before Jesus’ resurrection?

We believe that Baptism includes faith in Jesus’ resurrection, and at this point he hadn’t been resurrected yet.

The NAC suggests this:

he wanted the reader to understand precisely that baptism was affirmed by Jesus.

But as this story unfolds, it is certainly not the baptism of John the Baptist that seems to be advocated.

Yet the interweaving of the lives of Jesus and the Baptizer is how the evangelist clarified for his readers important theological distinctions between the two.

in other words: John wants you to know that Jesus affirms baptism, even if the baptism in the story isn’t exactly the same baptism he’s talking about.

3:31-36

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.

32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.

33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.

34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.

36 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.

3:31-36 don’t really fit the narrative.

It’s like extra commentary on the previous sections.

the pace of the Gospel of John is pretty different from Paul.

We’re used to sitting and analyzing, and you can do that here, but John is sometimes written with a more liturgical purpose in mind.

It’s meant to be read in a worship service, something our tradition has drifted away from.

verse 31:

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.

Jesus cannot be compared to earthly teachers, he is above all.

Jesus cannot be compared to earthly teachers, he is above all.

This is the most common error made about Jesus in our day.

in the past, many would say Jesus was all divine, but not fully human.

Today, Muslims say he was a human prophet, and liberal scholars say he was just a human teacher.

Even some Jews try to say Jesus was just an errant Jewish Rabbi.

The Gospel of John destroys these theories.

Earthly teachers speak in an earthly way, but when Jesus speaks, it is divine revelation.

verse 32: