Humility Illustrated John 3:22-36

©Copyright October 25, 2020 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

After the powerful story of Nicodemus in John 3 we now return to the story of John the Baptist that was begun in chapter 1. I have asked myself, “Why?”

The Nicodemus story ends with these words,

But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” (3:21)

I wonder if John the apostle went back to John the Baptist because he is a sterling example of a person who has the right attitude toward Jesus. John the Baptist had an outstanding faith and we can learn a great deal from Him this morning.

22 Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people.

23 At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism. 24 (This was before John was thrown into prison.) 25 A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing. 26 So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.”

The story is familiar. One day you, your business, or even your church is popular and on top of things. You are leading rather than following. At school, you are finally in the “in” crowd. However, as we all know, these times are often short-lived. It seems the next day someone comes along as the new "hottest" thing around and you begin to diminish in importance.

John the Baptist was the guy to whom everyone was running. He preached like no one had ever heard before. He gathered around him a group of disciples. People flocked to be baptized by the preacher in the wilderness. Then one day John's disciples learned Jesus and His disciples were also baptizing, and attendance was growing at the gatherings with Jesus and diminishing with John.

John's disciples came to him with this news. They felt like they should defend his reputation and legacy; he deserved better. They should fight to stay on top. I suspect they thought they should come up with some kind of plan to regain their prominence. Today we would find a way to "re-brand" or change our "vision for the church" or maybe you would even change the name of the church. The goal would be to regain our prominence.

We can learn a great deal from the example of John the Baptist. This is a picture of what the proper response to Jesus should look like. In our text we see a rare illustration of humility.

The Humble Servant

We learn several things from John’s approach to his role in the ministry of Christ,

First, John was pleased to serve in whatever way God desired

27 John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. 28 You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ 29 It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows.

In Psalm 84:11 the Psalmist writes,

A single day in your courts

is better than a thousand anywhere else!

I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God

than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

11 For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.

He gives us grace and glory.

The Lord will withhold no good thing

from those who do what is right.

I love this passage. "I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked." John was not interested in being the "top guy." He was interested in being the faithful guy! He was willing to do whatever it was that God gave Him to do.

We spend too much time ranking each other. We want to know who is more important, who carries the most influence. Even Christian magazines have issues devoted to the fastest growing churches in the world. It is all about status. We are missing the point!

Anything done for the Lord makes it into a great task. Anything we do faithfully in obedience to the Lord is a position of honor. John was not concerned about the applause of men. He didn't care whether other people remembered Him . . . his only concern and desire was for God to say, "Well Done, my good and faithful servant."

There are people who work at the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court who are not known, but they are thrilled to work where they work, even if they are unnoticed. This is the attitude we should have in serving the Lord. It doesn’t matter where or how we serve; it is an honor to serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

John found joy in pointing people to Jesus. To drive this home, he used the illustration of the friend of the bridegroom. William Barclay explains what this job involved.

The friend of the bridegroom, had a unique place at a Jewish wedding. He acted as the liaison between the bride and the bridegroom; he arranged the wedding; he took out the invitations; he presided at the wedding feast. He brought the bride and the bridegroom together. And he had one special duty. It was his duty to guard the bridal chamber and to let no false lover in. He would open the door only when in the dark he heard the bridegroom’s voice and recognized it. When he heard the bridegroom’s voice he let him in and went away rejoicing, for his task was completed and the lovers were together. He did not grudge the bridegroom the bride. He knew that his only task had been to bring bride and bridegroom together. And when that task was done he willingly and gladly faded out of the centre of the picture.[1]

John the Baptist said, "Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success." He rejoiced at the chance to introduce people to His Messiah; the Savior of mankind. He is not there to exalt himself, he is there to effectively point to another. He knows he is not the one who can save others. When Jesus received praise and honor it brought joy to John. His work was bearing fruit. There is nothing a spiritual leader should desire more than to see someone "get it" and grasp hold more fully to the reality of God's mercy and love.

John knew when it was time to get off the stage. John sums it up with these words.

30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

The spotlight is intoxicating. Once you are there you want to stay there and bask in the glory that comes from others. The thing is . . . our job is to introduce the "main act." Suppose you were introducing a band and you enjoyed being on stage so much that you started doing a standup routine or sang some songs of your own. You would fail at your job and the crowd would become very restless.

One of the important lessons I’ve learned as a Pastor is: it is not always about you. There are times when you need to let silence do its work, there are times when you need to let someone else lead, there are times when you need to let a group discuss things while you remain quiet, there are times when you need to let someone share their hurt without trying to “fix it” or give advice. These are tough, but important lessons to learn.

It is hard to see your work eclipsed by another. That is what John had to do. However, John the Baptist understood what his role was. His job was to point people to Jesus and then get off the stage.

Think about it in terms of sports. Sometimes athletes work hard so someone else can succeed. A player may sacrifice his own at bat to advance a runner. A blocker will collide with an opponent to give his teammate the opportunity to score. The people who sacrifice themselves do not get credit, but they understand this. They rejoice when the team wins or when the person they are helping succeeds.

In like manner, our job is to help the Kingdom of God to advance. It cannot advance as long as we keep trying to turn the spotlight to us.

A Clear Picture of Jesus

Many scholars believe these next words are the commentary of the apostle John. Perhaps his desire was to show why John the Baptist kept pointing to Jesus.

31 “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. 32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! 33 Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. 34 For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. 36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

There is good reason for us to get off the stage. Jesus is greater than anyone or anything else. Let’s stop at that statement and hear it again: Jesus is greater than anyone or anything else. He should always be in the spotlight in our lives. Let’s look at why.

First, He came from Heaven. Jesus was God become man to dwell among us. As we have said a few times already in John, the Son of God did not originate in Bethlehem. He is eternal. He only took human form in Bethlehem.

Second, He was sent by God. God became man because He cares about us and wants to have a relationship with us. The Son of God acted as God’s messenger and our redeemer.

He speaks God’s Words. Jesus told us the only person who knows what God really thinks is the One who has seen God. Only Jesus has seen God. The Son of God and God the Father are both one (with the Holy Spirit). Therefore Jesus speaks the Word of God because . . . He IS God. John pointed out that anyone who takes the time to really listen to Jesus, will know that God is real.

Jesus is the key to our salvation. Over the last several weeks we have hammered on this point: Jesus is the ONLY way to be made right with God. He alone has made a sufficient sacrifice to pay for our sin. He gave his life (of infinite worth) as a trade for those God had created. John tells us that God put everything in the hands of Jesus and anyone who believes in God’s Son (this is not a purely mental belief . . . this is a “I’m all in and ready to bet my life on Jesus” belief) will have eternal life.

John also pointed out the flip side we don’t want to think about. Those who do not listen to the Son, those who are indifferent, or hostile, will not experience this eternal life and joy in God’s presence but remain under God’s judgment. This is the judgment that is talked about as eternal torment or the weeping and gnashing of teeth.

There is a very clear division here. The fact that people don’t like it, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Everyone has to make a choice about Jesus. You can embrace Him or push Him away but there are consequences to each choice. If you reject the only way to be saved, if you only have a superficial relationship with Christ, you cannot complain to God about the fact that you are facing eternal judgment.

John the Baptist kept the spotlight on Jesus because He is the one who deserves that spotlight.

Conclusions

There are a few takeaways in our text. First, let’s stop complaining about the job God has given us to do and instead work well as an offering to the Lord. We should not envy others who may seem to have a better or bigger job in the work of His Kingdom. Envy should have no part in the Christian life. Envy destroys and provokes conflict. Instead of worrying about how someone else is doing their job, it is better to do our job in a way that honors the Lord.

Second, see the contrast of true humility. We live in a world that rewards arrogance. Heads of companies, political leaders, and celebrities frequently possess massive egos. The Bible however, says there is something better than the applause of the crowds. There is something better than "being on top." That something is pointing to, and honoring the Lord who alone is worthy of such adulation and worship. We must learn to desire to be faithful more than we desire to be noticed. Our job is not to advance OUR cause but HIS.

The more clearly we see God, the more humble we should become. Humility is not something you “decide to be.” It is the byproduct of seeing God more clearly.

Let me suggest some key steps toward Humility,

1. Learn to compare yourself to Jesus rather than to others. As long as we use Him as our standard of measurement, we will not have room for any feelings of superiority.

2. Reflect often on the cost of salvation. Realizing Jesus gave His life for us should melt any pride and strip away any arrogance in our hearts. When we understand we are saved by grace and not because of what we have done or learned, arrogance should depart.

3. Understand your role in God’s Kingdom. We are laborers. We all have been given a job to do. That job is determined by the Lord. We work for Him.

I‘m always concerned when I am around an arrogant or self-righteous person (I’m also annoyed, but that is beside the point). An arrogant Christian should be an oxymoron. In order to come to Christ, by definition, we must humble ourselves seeking mercy and grace. I am fearful that the arrogant and self-righteous person who claims to be a good Christian may not actually understand what following Christ means.

Third, see John the Baptist as a good model for our lives. John spent his life looking for Jesus and when he found Him, he pointed Him out to everyone else. He didn’t lose his focus. He knew what he was looking for. He was focused.

Dr. Boice tells a story about going to an amusement park as a boy. Inside one of the buildings was a giant barrel. It was about seven or eight feet in diameter and 30-40 feet long. It was on its side and slowly spinning. The challenge was to walk through the barrel without being upended.

One of the people who was with the group was fascinated by the barrel and gave it a try. He went 3 yards into the barrel when his feet got higher than his center of gravity and he went down. The person wanted to try it again.

Before he did so the man who controlled the barrel said there is a secret to getting through the barrel. He said, “Do you see that mirror on the other side?” He said yes. “What do you see in the mirror?” He said, “I see you.”

“That’s right,” the man replied. “You see me. Now this time when you walk through the barrel forget about the fact that it is turning. Don’t even look at the barrel. Instead look at me in the mirror. That way you will have a true sense of the vertical, and you will be able to adjust the speed of your steps to keep from falling.”

The man walked through the barrel without incident.

Boice concludes:

The secret of walking through the barrel was to keep one’s eyes on the man who runs it. It is the same spiritually. Who is it who runs the affairs of this life with all its ups and downs, all its crises, joys, and disappointments? The answer is: God! Who has it all under control? God! How, then, is the Christian to walk through this life without losing his balance spiritually? The answer is: By keeping his eyes upon God![2]

It is good advice for all of life . . . Keep your eyes on the Savior. It will keep you balanced, it will lead you to humility, and it will remind you that the spotlight is supposed to be on Him, not us. And the surprising thing is this: you will not feel like you have missed out on anything! In fact, you will discover a surprising joy in living. Why? Because you will have found Jesus and you will discover He is who you have been looking for all your life. He is everything.

[1] William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of John, vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1975), 143–144.

[2] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 256.