João 3
Samuel Johnson · Citado em PreceptAustin
João 3
Johnson - The Messiah's Year of Obscurity) Jesus may have been "obscure" but He was not inactive - John records Jesus' early interaction with John the Baptist (John 1), the miracle of Water to Wine at a wedding (John 2), the Temple cleansing (John 2) and giving Nicodemus knowledge by night (John 3)! This period unique to the Gospel of John extends from about John 1:19+ through John 4:44, 45+. It is also known as the EARLY JUDEAN MINISTRY because most of the events occurred in Judea. Note however that some of the events in John 1:19-4:54 took place in Samaria and even Galilee, but Jesus official ministry in Galilee did not begin until after John was taken into prison. Below is another diagram from Dr Irving Jensen to help you visualize this somewhat confusing chronology. Click the chart and you will be able to readily distinguish the SHADED areas referring to Jesus' Ministry in the Gospel of Mark (charts of Matthew and Luke while not identical are similar). Note the left side of the diagram is UNSHADED and is a depiction of the TIME GAP or YEAR OF OBSCURITY of Jesus' ministry lasting about 12-14 months and described only in the Gospel of John. John Phillips gives an interesting breakdown of the book of John by geographic location and by years (keeping in mind that the years are approximations)... A.D. 27 The Calm Year Judea (John 1:1-42) Galilee (John 1:43-2:12) Judea (John 2:13-3:36) Samaria (John 4:1-42) Galilee (John 4:43-54) A.D. 28-29 The Crowded Year Judea (John 5:1-47) Galilee (John 6:1-7:9) Judea (John 7:10-10:21) Galilee (between John 10:21-22) Judea (John 10:22-39) Perea (John 10:40-11:16) A.D. 30 The Closing Year Judea (John 11:17-20:31) Galilee (John 21:1-25) A general survey of these periods shows that the first period was comparatively quiet and lasted a year, the Lord alternating his ministry between Judea and Galilee. When Herod Antipas put John the baptist in prison (Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14; Luke 3:19-20; John 4:1-4), the Lord departed to Galilee where he presented himself not as a king but as a prophet. His ministry was designed to draw public attention to himself. The first five chapters of the gospel of John all have to do with this year of comparative calm and tranquility. Apart from these chapters we would know little about the year between the Lord's baptism and the imprisonment of John the baptist. The silencing of John the baptist was the Lord's signal to begin preaching, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," reiterating the message of the baptist (Matthew 4:12-17). Although the next two years were crowded years, John's gospel practically ignores them. Chapter 6 is the only place where John mentions this period. The next watershed came when at Caesarea Philippi Simon Peter made his messianic confession (6:68-69) and the Lord began to disclose to his disciples that he was going to be crucified (Matthew 16:13-20). The last six months of the Lord's life were darkened by the shadow of the cross. Much of this busy time was spent in Perea. In John's gospel, chapters 7-21 have to do with events after Caesarea Philippi. These general movements in the Lord's life are sketched only in a general way but they help us get the feel of what was going on. (Borrow Exploring John) John 3:25 Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification. NET John 3:25 Now a dispute came about between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew concerning ceremonial washing. GNT John 3:25 Ἐγένετο οὖν ζήτησις ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν Ἰωάννου μετὰ Ἰουδαίου περὶ καθαρισμοῦ. NLT John 3:25 A debate broke out between John's disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing. KJV John 3:25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. ESV John 3:25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. NIV John 3:25 An argument developed between some of John's disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ASV John 3:25 There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purifying. CSB John 3:25 Then a dispute arose between John's disciples and a Jew about purification. NKJ John 3:25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. NRS John 3:25 Now a discussion about purification arose between John's disciples and a Jew. YLT John 3:25 there arose then a question from the disciples of John with some Jews about purifying, NAB John 3:25 Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings. NJB John 3:25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew about purification, GWN John 3:25 Some of John's disciples had an argument with a Jew about purification ceremonies. BBE John 3:25 Then a question came up between John's disciples and a Jew about washing. disciples. Jn 1:35 about purification Jn 2:6. Nu 19:7. Mt 3:11. Mk 7:2-5, 8. Lk 11:38. Heb 6:2, Heb 9:8-10, 13, 14, 23. 1 Peter 3:21 John 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Therefore - By extension, here's how the dots connect. Therefore introduces the necessary conclusion (inference) to complete the "cause-and-effect" relationship with what precedes. Doing this shows the "seamless unity" of premise and extension that exists between sentences and paragraphs. In this case John had just describe baptizing in John 3:22, 23, so this led the disciples of John to discuss baptism, the two ministries baptizing concurrently and was probably about the benefits of John’s baptism against those of Jesus’ baptism. There arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification - Discussion is probably a bit "soft" for the Greek word signifies more of a dispute, an argument, a debate, a quarrel or a controversy rather than a simple discussion. In other words the Greek word usually describes a forceful expression of differences of opinion without necessarily having a presumed goal of seeking a solution and thus implies a conflict as opposed to a discussion. As Godet says "The occasion of the following discourse was a discussion provoked by the competition of the two neighboring baptisms." The Greek word for on the part of is the preposition "ek" which indicates the source of the activity as coming out of John's disciples. Stated another way John’s disciples were the instigators. The Jew is not specified as a follower of Jesus or John. The phrase about purification does not refer to purification is general, that is the old Jewish rules and rituals but centers on the issue of baptism (Jesus and John's baptisms). The specify issue that is under dispute is left unstated. Lenski proposes that "All we can gather from the complaint of the Baptist’s disciples in v. 26 is that the Jew maintained the superiority of Jesus’ Baptism over that of the Baptist, which the disciples of the latter refused to admit as it would also involve that men should leave the Baptist and go to Jesus." (Borrow The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel) J R Michaels observes that "At this point we learn that John still had disciples of his own (as in Mk 2:18; 6:29; Lk 5:33; 11:1; Mt 11:2), even though at least two of them had gone off to follow Jesus (Jn 1:35–40+)." (Gospel of John).
João 3:30
Johnson adds that John says Christ increasing and John decreasing… … is the vital conclusion of all that John’s talking about and I’d like to spend just a few moments on it because these simple words, “He must increase but I must decrease,” seven little words, are extremely important for understanding the source of joy. First of all, John knows Jesus’ place. “He must increase.” That really is the place of our Lord, He must increase. Henry Drummond has spoken of "Otherism" as the joy of living for others. The Apostle Paul when he exhorts us to rejoice says, “Rejoice in the Lord.” (Php 4:4-note)… I’m frequently in Christians’ homes and see placards on the walls of their homes expressive of their faith. One that I’ve seen in this country more than once is a little plaque on the wall that says, “The Secret of Joy.” And then underneath, “God first, others next” and underneath that, “self last”. The secret of joy, God first, others next, is Drummond’s "Otherism", self last. I think that’s expressed here, “He must increase.” Our thoughts concerning Him must take the preeminent place. By the way, this little word must occurs three times in this chapter, and in these three instances, life is summed up. Because we are told, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness; even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,” (Jn 3:14) that’s the necessity of the Cross. There is no life apart from the Cross. If you’re hear this morning and you’ve never believed in the Lord Jesus Christ you don’t have life. The only way in which we can have spiritual life is to receive it as a gift from God by virtue of the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ who died upon that cross (Jn 3:15). “He must be lifted up,” “that whosoever believeth in him may not perish but have everlasting life.” (Jn 3:16) Now the next must is just as important. Jesus said, Jn 3:7, “Marvel not that I said unto thee ye must be born again.” He must be lifted up for atonement to be made, you must be born again to enter and see the Kingdom of God. (See also Phil Newton's sermon on Jn 3:1-8 Does "Must" Really Mean Must?) And then the Christian life is simplified into three little words, “He must increase.” Those are three beautiful musts aren’t they? I know you’ve heard preachers preach on the three musts of John 3. Well that’s what they are and they do speak volumes. Paul put it another way, he said, “that He might have the preeminence.” So, “He must increase,” and John knows the secret of joy is to recognize that first. Then secondly he says, “But I must decrease.” John knows Jesus’ place, but John also knows John’s place. “I must decrease.” James Denney once said something that I think expresses a very important truth. You’ll sometimes find this on little churches in the Highlands of Scotland. Near the pulpit there will be a sign that says, “No man can give at once the impression that he himself is clever and that Christ is mighty to save.” We don’t want to share the glory with Jesus Christ -- He must increase, I must decrease. And finally, John knows John’s disciples’ place. Now he says above in John 3:28, “You yourselves bear me witness that I said I’m not the Christ but I’m sent before him.” I’m the friend of the bridegroom, I stand and hear his voice, it’s the bridegroom to which the bride is attached. And so my task is to attach you to him if I can through the preaching of the word. Now you know I think this as I say must have been rather difficult for John because he’s the older, experienced preacher now. He’s not a whole lot older then our Lord in years, but he’s had his time of popularity and now people are drifting away from him and are going to be following the Lord Jesus Christ and so it was difficult for him. It’s difficult for an older minister to give up things. When the time comes, when he must do it, it’s sometimes very difficult to do. And I can appreciate the struggles that John might have had. But we must remember in the Lord’s work, the important thing is not the worker, the important thing is the work that God is doing. Thomas Chalmers was one of the greatest of the Scots, very prominent in the Free Church responsible for a great deal of the spiritual stamina of Scotland in the 19th Century. And Mr. Chalmers once said, “Who cares for the Free Church?” He was one of the greatest of the free churchmen himself. “Who cares for the Free Church compared with the Christian good of Scotland? Who cares for any church or denomination or group or fellowship or party compared with Christ? Get the movement out of sight, magnify Jesus, He must increase, the movement decrease. The movement rises, does its work, passes away into the limbo of forgotten things. The Christ to Whom it points goes on, widen your horizons.” How true, people sometimes think of Believers Chapel as something that is the significant thing. No, no Believers Chapel is not the significant thing; it’s what God is doing that is the significant thing. He must increase, I must decrease. One of the greatest encouragements of the ministry of the word of God is that the Lord Jesus Christ carries on his work. How do you think the apostles felt when Jesus left them? They would probably have said, “Look, we don’t have a chance now, he’s gone.” But the facts are that the Holy Spirit came and indwelt every one of them. And Jesus himself had said, “It’s expedient for you that I go away, for the Comforter will not otherwise come.” The important thing is to remember the first place that Jesus Christ has. He must increase, we must decrease. When William Carey was dying, he turned to a friend and said, “When I’m gone, don’t talk about William Carey, talk about William Carey’s Savior. I desire that Christ alone might be magnified.” That’s a Biblical viewpoint it seems to me. Well, what is the secret of joy? Well according to John the Baptist, it’s putting Christ first, others next, self last. I have one complaint about preachers, they often don’t tell us, like I think it was E. Stanley Jones who said, “They don’t tell us the how.” How can we put him first? Well, you look through a passage like this and you look for some clue, what is it that enabled John to say what he said? “This my joy therefore is fulfilled.” Here is a man who has joy in the midst of very difficult circumstances, what is it? Well I suggest to you that it’s found in one little clause in John 3:29, “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom.” Now here he describes himself, “The friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him.” That’s how he describes himself, “I’m a person who stands and hears him.” I suggest to you that’s the clue to John’s securing the relationship to the Lord that enabled him to rejoice at the crowd leaving him and following the Lord Jesus Christ. How in the midst of apparent disappointment, he found great joy in it. A Nigerian preacher once said, “You can’t place a load on a running donkey.” Well that’s the third world’s way of saying what you need to do is to get off by yourself and be alone with the Lord for a while. That’s how John managed to accomplish what he accomplished. All that time that he spent in the desert was very important; out there he came to know the Lord God. And so he stood and heard him. As Paul puts it in 2Cor 3:18, “But we all with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image by the Spirit of the Lord from glory to glory.” Our responsibility is to look, his responsibility is to transform. And so as we look into the Scriptures and meditate upon them, he works his great transforming power. To put it in another figure, an illustration as our Lord did, he came to Bethany one day where Mary and Martha and Lazarus lived. They met him at the door, Martha immediately went into the kitchen and you could hear the dishes and the pans and pots making their noises, for she was preparing something for the Lord and Mary went over and sat down at Jesus’ feet. And the text says, “She went on hearing his word.” (see Lk 10:38, 39, 40, 41, 42) Martha became disturbed, came out, she was upset. She said, “Lord, do something about Mary.” And he said, “Martha, Martha, you’re careful and troubled about many things, but just one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, and furthermore, it shall not be taken away from her.” So Mary was sitting at his feet and hearing his word, and she was growing in likeness to the Lord Jesus Christ. Something was transpiring in her while Martha’s in the kitchen serving. It’s alright to serve. Later on in the 12th chapter of the Gospel of John, Martha’s still serving but there’s no word of rebuke there (Jn 12:2, 3). It’s perfectly alright to serve, but service must flow out of fellowship with him. So to stand and hear him, to sit at his feet and hear his word, to look into the mirror, these are the things that lead to the transformed life. Our responsibility is simply to look, simply to stand, simply to hear. And we’ll know the secret of joy in measure. I suggest to you if it’s not that, then it also is the order of those words in John 3:30. Maybe it’s both, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” There is a logic here because as he increases necessarily I decrease. For the more I am occupied with Him, like the red oaks in the spring when the sap begins to rise in those red oaks, those dead leaves that have been hanging onto the tree all through winter finally begin to fall off. And the manifestations of the old life leave as the sap of the new life in Christ becomes predominant in the life of a Christian occupying with Him. Now, it seems to me that John is one of those magnificent individuals who has really come to know what it is to spend time with the Lord. I like what our Lord said about John, he said to the crowds, “What did you go out to see when you went out to see John? Did you go out to see a prophet? Yes I tell you he was a prophet but he was more than a prophet, he’s the forerunner.” (Mt 11:9) But then he said also, “I tell you, among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. Notwithstanding he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater then he.” (Mt 11:11) “He was a burning and shining light,” John says. “And you were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.” (Jn 5:35) Yes they rejoiced in John’s light, and he rejoiced in what happened because he stood and heard him. And if we are to know true spiritual joy, it will not be found except in the relationship that we enjoy with Jesus Christ. May God help you to make one of the aims of your life fellowship with him. You cannot enjoy that apart from the Scriptures. Let me just give you a simple suggestion. This week, spend some time each day in the reading of the word of God, and meditation upon it, reflection upon it (see Primer on Biblical Meditation). Open to one of the gospel accounts, put yourself in the place of the men with whom our Lord met, be there with them, reflect upon the things. Remember that Nigerian preacher who said, “You cannot put a load on a running donkey.” Stop! I’m not calling you donkey’s you understand. But stop, and give yourself to acquaintance with him. You’ll be different next week. (Read his full sermon The Secret of Joy) (Bolding and color added for emphasis) J C Ryle… a faithful minister will always exalt Christ. We read that when John saw the state of mind in which his hearers were, he told them of a coming One far mightier than himself. He refused the honor which he saw the people ready to give him, and referred them to Him who had the "winnowing fork in his hand,"--the Lamb of God, the Messiah. Conduct like this will always be the characteristic of a true "man of God." He will never allow anything to be credited to him, or his office, which belongs to his divine Master. He will say like Paul, "we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." (2Co 4:5) To commend Christ dying, and rising again for the ungodly--to make known Christ's love and power to save sinners, this will be the main object of his ministry. "He must increase but I must decrease," will be a ruling principle in all his preaching. He will be content that his own name be forgotten, so long as Christ crucified is exalted (1Co 1:23, 2:2, cp Ga 6:14-note). Would we know whether a minister is sound in the faith, and deserving of our confidence as a teacher? We have only to ask a simple question, Where is Christ in his teaching? Would we know whether we ourselves are receiving benefit from the preaching we attend? Let us ask whether its effect is to magnify Christ in our esteem? A minister who is really doing us good will make us think more of Jesus every year we live. (Luke chapter 3) (Bolding and color added for emphasis) Puritan writer Thomas Brooks… Luther used to say, "that a minister must take heed of bringing three dogs into the pulpit, namely, pride, covetousness, and envy." The friends of the bridegroom must not woo and sue for themselves—but for the bridegroom. Dispensers of the gospel are the bridegroom's friends (Ed: We are actually His Bride, but we are also His friends), and they must not speak one word for the bridegroom and two for themselves, as has been the trade of many weak and worthless men. It is the greatest glory of a minister in this world to be high in spiritual work and humble in heart. Vain-glory is a pleasant thief; it is the sweet spoiler of spiritual excellencies. (Vain-glory = undue, excessive, ostentatious pride and elation in one’s own achievements) Paul was very humble in the exercise of his ministry: none so high in worth as he, nor any so low and humble in heart as he. Though he was the greatest among the apostles—yet he accounts himself "less than the least of all saints;" yes, he counted it not only his duty but his glory, to be a servant to the weakest saints: "To the weak I became as weak;" "Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not," 1Co 9:22, 2Co 11:29. (from The Unsearchable Riches of Christ - subsection HOW ministers are to preach Christ to the people) (Bolding and color added for emphasis) I MUST DECREASE: eme de elattousthai. (PPN): Ac 13:36,37 1Co 3:5 2Co 3:7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Col 1:18 Heb 3:2, 3, 4, 5, 6 John 3 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries The antithesis of John's attitude is that expressed by Diotrephes… 3John 1:9 I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. Strauss comments: What is important is the lesson we all need to learn from the life of Diotrephes. He was a man with a personal ambition. John writes, "He loveth to have the preeminence." The word preeminence comes from two Greek words which mean, "to be fond of being first." Diotrephes was a little pope. He was actually trampling underfoot the truth of the headship of Christ over the Church. There are only two places in the New Testament where the word "preeminence" appears, here in 3John 9 and in Colossians 1:18 (note) where we read, "And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence." Diotrephes thought more highly of himself than he did of Christ. He could not say with John the Baptist, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Someone has said, "Diotrephes is the father of a long line of sons who have not learned to distinguish between love for Christ and His Church and love for their own place in it." It is told of Dr. Lee Robertson that he wrote an article on Diotrephes for a denominational paper, and the editor told him that twenty-five officials in the church stopped the paper to show their resentment against being personally attacked. These are the offspring of Diotrephes who reject the authority of Christ and take it to themselves. (Lehman Strauss Commentaries – The Epistles of John: Devotional Studies on John's Three Letters) ILLUSTRATION FROM PAUL'S LIFE CHRIST INCREASING PAUL DECREASING! It is interesting to see this same unselfish, increasingly humble spirit in another of God's great ambassadors for Christ, the apostle Paul. As Jesus became more and more preeminent in his heart and ministry, his self assessment was progressively "decreasing"! May our matriculation in the school of faith and affliction cause each of us to go toward "the rear of the class" rather than toward the "front of the class" (in our own estimation)! 55AD 1Cor 15:9 The least of the apostles 61AD Eph 3:8 The very lease of all saints 63-66AD 1Ti 1:15 Foremost of sinners I must - The word must is added by the translators for clarity. Decrease (1642) (elattoo) has 3 meanings: (1) to make less, make lower, cause to be lower in status, dignity or position (as He 2:7 and He 2:9 both quoted from the Lxx of Ps 8:6); (2) to become less important or diminish in status as used here in Jn 3:30; (3) in the passive/middle voice elattoo means to be worse off and so to be in need (Lxx = 1Sa 2:5, 2Sa 3:29, Ps 33:11). Two other NT uses of elattoo… Hebrews 2:7-note "YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; Hebrews 2:9-note But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. Elattoo - 11x in the Septuagint (LXX) - Num 26:54; 33:54; 1Sa 2:5; 21:16; 2Sa 3:29; Ps 8:6; 33:11; Jer 37:19; 51:18; Ezek 24:10; Dan 6:13 1 Samuel 21:15 "Do I lack (Heb = chaser = needy, lacking; Lxx = elattoo) madmen, that you have brought this one to act the madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?" Some of John's disciples apparently failed to fully comprehend what John had said about being the friend of the Bridegroom (and what he had taught about baptism) and so later in Acts we encounter a group of disciples who continued to follow John's rather than Jesus (Acts 19:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). There is always a temptation among men to follow a man rather than the Man Christ Jesus. Not only was Jesus superior to Judaism, but He was also superior to the movement that centered about the man John the Baptist. We need to be very wary of following and esteeming any human man above the God Man. The preeminence and exaltation of Christ has always been God's plan, and thus a good benchmark with which to evaluate all ministry is does the preaching, teaching, etc result in "Jesus increasing and self decreasing"? If not, perhaps a serious reappraisal of the goals of that ministry is in order! It is notable that the imprisonment of John was the ultimate "decrease," for this brought a permanent end to John's public ministry. John wanted men to forget him and see only the King. James Boice… This should be our pattern (Jn 3:30). If we are to witness for Jesus Christ, we must first of all forget ourselves—our likes, our dislikes, our needs, our personal interests, our free time, even at times our work or our ambitions—and we must think first of the other person and of his need for the Savior. (Php 2:3, 4-note) What is it that will make a person forget himself in order to point to Jesus? Only an awareness of Jesus’ worth and glory! Some years ago an African convert became a great witness to Jesus in spite of the fact that he suffered from the painful disease known as elephantiasis. This is a terrible thing in many tropical countries. It causes the skin of a person to become coarse, thick and enlarged. This poor Christian had elephantiasis in his legs, so it was extremely difficult for him to walk. Nevertheless, he thought nothing of making his way around the village to introduce others to the one who had transformed his life. After a period of several months, during which he had visited all of the huts in his village, this man began to take the gospel to another village that lay two miles away through the jungle. Every morning he started out painfully on his monstrous legs, and every night he returned, having visited as many of the homes in the second village as possible. After visiting these homes he remained in his own village for several weeks before becoming restless again. He asked the missionary doctor if another village which he knew of and had visited as a child had heard the gospel. The missionary said it had not. The African Christian wanted to take the good news there, but the missionary advised against it because the village lay more than 12 miles away over dangerous jungle paths. The burden so grew upon this Christian that one day he slipped away quietly before dawn. The missionary learned later that the elephantiasis convert had arrived in the new village some time after noon, his legs bruised and scratched, and had begun immediately to tell the people about Jesus. He went to everyone in the village. Then at last, when the sun was sinking low in the sky, he began his dangerous trip back along the jungle paths toward home. At midnight he arrived, bleeding and almost unconscious, at the house of the missionary doctor who tended to him and dressed his feet. Here was a man who had been sent by God to point men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was effective because he had forgotten himself in serving his King. (Reformation and Revival Vol 2. 1993) McDonald rightly concludes that… The entire object of John’s ministry is summarized in this verse (Jn 3:30). He labored ceaselessly to point men and women to the Lord, and to make them realize His true worth. In doing this, John realized that he must keep himself in the background. For a servant of Christ to seek to attract attention to himself is really a form of disloyalty. Note the three “musts” in this chapter: for the Sinner (Jn 3:7); for the Savior (Jn 3:14); and for the Saint (Jn 3:30). (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson) Matthew Poole… God hath indeed used me as a prophet, yea, more than a prophet, not to foretell Christ alone, but to point him to you. I have had my time, and finished my course, and God hath given me a reputation proportioned to the work he gave me to do, and to the time in which I was to work; but I must every day decay, and grow less and less, as Christ increaseth and groweth more and more. Leon Morris makes a good point that… It is not particularly easy in this world to gather followers about one for a serious purpose. But when they are gathered it is infinitely harder to detach them and firmly insist that they go after another. It is the measure of John's greatness that he did just that. (The Gospel According to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 242). A W Pink… “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). Blessed climax was this to the lovely modesty of John, and well calculated to crush all party feeling and nip in the bud any jealousy there might be in the hearts of his own disciples. In principle this is inseparably connected with what he had just said before in the previous verse. The more I “decrease” the more I delight in standing and hearing the voice of that blessed One who is Altogether Lovely. And so conversely. The more I stand and hear His voice, the more will He “increase” before me, and the more shall I “decrease.” I cannot be occupied with two objects at one and the same time. To “decrease” is, we take it, to be less and less occupied with ourselves. The more I am occupied with Christ, the less shall I be occupied with myself. Humility is not the product of direct cultivation, rather it is a by-product. The more I try to be humble, the less shall I attain unto humility. But if I am truly occupied with that One who was “meek and lowly in heart,” if I am constantly beholding His glory in the mirror of God’s Word, then shall I be “changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2Co 3:18). (Christ Magnified by His Forerunner) (Bolding and color added) Grover Gunn asks… Have you ever heard the classic Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus? Narcissus was a youth so handsome that all the girls were attracted to him, but he always ignored them. He was too self-centered to pay any attention to them. Narcissus even ignored the efforts of the beautiful nymph Echo, daughter of Zeus, to win his affections. The goddess Nemesis decided to punish Narcissus for his calloused rejection of Echo. One day when Narcissus bent over a clear pool to get a drink, Nemesis caused him to fall in love with his own reflection. He remained by the pool, staring at his own image in the water. He would not leave for anything. He was so preoccupied that he even refused food and drink. There by the pool, he eventually died. His love of self had proven to be the death of self. His self-love had been suicidal. There are many people today like Narcissus. In fact, we call them Narcistic. They are self-centered, self-absorbed beings whose prevailing passion is their own self-gratification. Their universe revolves totally around themselves. Their constant quest is to try to get the greatest amount of pleasure with the least amount of pain. Their constant question in every situation is, What's in it for me? They even view religion not as a means of glorifying and serving God but as a means of self-fulfillment and self-improvement. Rather than seeing themselves as existing for God's glory, they see God as existing for their benefit. Thus they have an ungodly sort of godliness because self and not God is at its center. The moral of the myth of Narcissus is that such self centeredness is really not in one's best self-interest. In fact, in the long run it is harmful and destructive to the self. Here is the paradox, the irony: to find true and satisfying self-fulfillment… Jesus’ increasing and the Baptist’s decreasing is a case of necessity. This is the way it must be. This is the divine plan. In the mystery of providence, history must move in this ordained direction; it is inevitable. This also is what is best, what works to the greatest good. Any other theoretical possibility is a practical impossibility in the real world. Jesus’ not increasing to the point of covenant preeminence where He is the firstborn among many brethren is simply unthinkable. Jesus’ not increasing to the point of cosmic pre-eminence where He is the firstborn over all creation is simply out of the question. As the prophet Isaiah had said about the Messiah, "He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high" (Isaiah 52:13). How can John complain when God brings this to pass?… Who is the center of your universe, yourself or Jesus? Making yourself the center of your universe makes about as much sense as making the moon the center of the solar system. Putting the cold, dead, puny moon in the place of the sun would be lunacy. And it is lunacy to live a self-centered life instead of a Christ centered life. As we learn from the myth of Narcissus, living a self-centered life is a fatal mistake. He must increase, and we must decrease. (Sermon) John Phillips… On one occasion, David Livingstone, the intrepid pioneer missionary to Africa, brought some natives with him from the deep interior to the coast. There the land suddenly ended. One of the astonished Africans said, "We followed the white father through forests and across plains, up mountains and into deep valleys. The land went on and on. Then, all of a sudden, it came to an end. 'There22 is no more of me,' it said." John said much the same. "I have brought you to the water. There is no more of me, no more that I can do. Here is the end of John. Now you need Jesus. 'He must increase, but I must decrease'" (John 3:30). (Exploring the Gospel of Mark) Ron Mattoon… If we are going to be what Christ wants us to be, we must be empty of selfish desires and totally yielded to the will of God. It's the man that bows the lowest in the presence of God that stands the straightest in the presence of sin. Someone said, "Swallowing pride is good for you. It won't give you calories or indigestion." Benjamin Whichcote said, "None are so empty as those who are full of themselves." If we are to have victory in our life, SELF needs to be removed from the throne of our heart and Christ needs to be enthroned. He must increase and I must decrease (John 3:30). Butler writes that… John saw the progress of Christ's ministry and that it was time for John to fade out of the picture. The more of Christ, the less of John. In application, the more of Christ in my life, the less of self. Then we can say as the Apostle Paul said, "For me to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21-note). (Analytic Bible Expositor) Comment: Fill in the following blank with your name. Make it your passion and your prayer! The more of Christ, the less of ____________. "I" THE OLD SELF I must decrease - "I" is the Greek personal pronoun Ego. In this context John is saying that the Ego must decrease, or stated another way, it must die. It speaks of the denial of self to which Jesus called all who would be His disciples (Mk 8:34, Mt 16:24, Lk 9:23, 24,25, 26, 27, 14:33). Denial of self is synonymous with the willingness to die to self. The old "I" which continually seeks recognition and glory for itself must die daily (Lk 9:23), even moment by moment, in order for the life of Christ to be manifest in and through us (cp 2Co 4:10, Ro 8:13-note, Col 3:5-note, Gal 2:20-note). John the Baptist clearly had truly learned to die to self and thus he was enabled to triumph over the continual temptation from the old self to receive the acclaim and glory of men. His reward? Supernatural joy as he choose joyfully to point all men to Jesus. (Jn 3:26, 27, 28, 29). This struggle with self is one that all of God's children daily wrestle with, whether they are in the spotlight or behind the scenes. Self always seeks recognition from men. Roy Hession discussed the nefarious nature of our "old self" in his modern day classic "Calvary Road" (Online here) writing that if… we are to come into this right relationship with Him (Christ) (Ed: Clearly John the Baptist had come into a "right relationship" with Christ), the first thing we must learn is that our wills must be broken to His will (and that this breaking) is the beginning of Revival. It is painful and humiliating, but it is the only way. It is being "Not I ,but Christ" (Gal 2:20-note) and a "C" is a bent "I." The Lord Jesus cannot live in us fully and reveal Himself through us until the proud self within us is broken. This simply means that the hard unyielding self, which justifies itself, wants its own way, stands up for its rights, and seeks its own glory, at last bows its head to God's will (cp our perfect "Example" [1Pe 2:21-note], the Lord Jesus - "not My will, but Thine be done" Lk 22:42), admits its wrong, gives up its own way to Jesus, surrenders its rights and discards its own glory - that the Lord Jesus might have all and be all. In other words it is dying to self and self-attitudes. And as we look honestly at our Christian lives, we can see how much of this self there is in each of us. It is so often self who tries to live the Christian life (the mere fact that we use the word " try " indicates that it is self who has the responsibility). It is self, too, who is often doing Christian work. It is always self who gets irritable and envious and resentful and critical and worried. It is self who is hard and unyielding in its attitudes to others. It is self who is shy and self-conscious and reserved. No wonder we need breaking. As long as self is in control, God can do little with us, for the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22, 23-note), with which God longs to fill us, is the complete antithesis of the hard, unbroken spirit within us and presupposes that it has been crucified. Being broken is both God's work and ours. He brings His pressure to bear, but we have to make the choice. If we are really open to conviction as we seek fellowship with God… , God will show us the expressions of this proud, hard self that cause Him pain. Then it is, we can stiffen our necks and refuse to repent or we can bow the head and say, "Yes, Lord." Brokenness in daily experience is simply the response of humility to the conviction of God. And inasmuch as this conviction is continuous, we shall need to be broken continually. And this can be very costly, when we see all the yielding of rights and selfish interests that this will involve, and the confessions and restitutions that may be sometimes necessary. (Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Roy Hession's The Calvary Road.) BE THE MOTTO OF YOUR LIFE Dave Guzik He must increase, but I must decrease: This should be the motto of every Christian, especially leaders among God’s people. Jesus should become greater and more visible, and the servant should become less and less visible. (John 3 Commentary) Is not John 3:30 another way of answering the Westminster Shorter Catechism's first question "What is the chief end of man?", the answer of course being that "Man’ s chief end is to glorify God, (1Co 10:31, Ro 11:36) and to enjoy him for ever. (Ps 73:25, 26, 27, 28) (Note the association of glorifying God and experiencing joy! How's your joy?) Robert S. Rayburn speaking about the last words recorded in this Gospel from the lips of John the Baptist (Jn 3:30) echoes some of the thoughts of Roy Hession on the vanity of the self life… We’ve had a couples' retreat over the past few days. You men, your testiness at home, your lack of a true daily interest in the happiness of your wives, your far too little engagement with your children at the level of their hearts and minds: what is that, but far too much of you and far too little of Jesus Christ. Are you willing to lay your interests down, even acknowledge your wrong before your wife, to see Christ increase? Are you willing to become less and him to become greater in your life? You women, your spirit of complaint, your incessant desire for more, your critical spirit – be entirely honest with yourselves – what is that, but far too much of you and far too little of Jesus Christ. In how many ways, in how many different ways, would your life change, your attitudes, your behavior, your speech, if it were more the aspiration and the commitment and the determination of your life that you decrease so that Jesus might increase? What things would fall away – both sins and behaviors that are not in themselves sinful but simply take up too much of your time without really advancing Christ’s interests, honor, and pleasure in your life. Over how many things in your life could it now be written: "He must become greater; I must become less." Over how many things in your life should it be written, "He must become greater; I must become less." What a perfect exemplar of the Christian John the Baptist was that day. And what a perfect honor John the Evangelist paid to his former teacher. Remember, John, the author of the Gospel, was first a disciple of John the Baptist before he was a disciple of Jesus. How John the Evangelist loved and admired John the Baptist! It was no accident that in John’s Gospel the very last words of John the Baptist, the last words we hear the great man speak, are some of the greatest words ever spoken. "He must become greater; I must become less." John's silence there after in the Gospel is the Evangelist's tribute to his former master. John did become less; it wasn't just words for him. And so those words are the last echo of John’s voice, coming down to us across the ages. The Lord Jesus said of John the Baptist, "Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John…" Put those two facts together and ponder them for your own life. And if you aspire to Christ’s approval and the heavenly Father’s approval, then you cannot do better than make the motto of your life, all day and every day, "He must become greater; I must become less!" (John 3:22-30 A Wonderful Example) (See this sermon for an interesting comparison of the life of Robert Murray McCheyne to John the Baptist) As the Puritan pastor Richard Baxter (1615-1691) lay on his deathbed, someone encouraged him with a reminder of the good which so many had received from his preaching and writings. To this accolade Baxter replied… I was but a pen in God’s hand, and what praise is due to a pen? Warren Wiersbe… Often press releases and book reviews cross my desk, along with conference folders; and at times I am perturbed by what I read. Very few speakers and writers are ordinary people. They are “world travelers” or “noted lecturers” who have addressed “huge audiences.” They are always in “great demand,” and their ministries are described in such ways that they make the Apostle Paul a midget by comparison. A Presbyterian pastor in Melbourne, Australia introduced J. Hudson Taylor by using many superlatives, especially the word great. Taylor stepped to the pulpit and quietly said, “Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.” If John the Baptist in heaven heard that statement, he must have shouted “Hallelujah!” (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor) W A Criswell… It’s like that godly man F. B. Myer of London who I suppose was one of the sweetest, princeliest, gentlest, kindest, most loving preachers that ever lived. I don’t know how many of his books are in my library. I love reading them (Ed: Recommended - Commentary on John's Gospel by F. B.