After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized —John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison. Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:22-30, NRSV)
This really sounds like John’s disciples are trying to start something here.
John, that guy that you baptized on the other side of the Jordan, the one you testified about is over here with His disciples and they are baptizing and everyone is going to them! What are we going to do about that?
Like the time when Jesus disciples asked if they should rain fire down from heaven.
We don’t like it when someone else is getting the looks, and getting noticed and people are not coming to us or acknowledging us anymore.
We want the limelight!
But John tells them, that we can get nothing that isn’t given to us and this is what is supposed to happen, and in this, we should find our joy, for He must increase while I decrease.
Jesus needs to be more prevalent in everything and I must fade into the background.
Are you ready for Jesus to increase and for you to decrease?
aSacredRebel 