(John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ’, but, ‘I have been sent before him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He most increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.” ~ John 3:27-31).
Sometimes or should I say often times we as humans want things that have not been given to us, often times we want recognition and that recognition is not granted us. We seek after the things we want and forget what has been given to us, we desire the things that someone else has been given and forsake what we have been given. John the Baptist is a great example of humility in action. He had gone out before Jesus and started his ministry; people from all over Judea were coming to him. Jesus with His disciples came into the land of Judea and began Baptizing and all were coming to Him now instead. John doesn’t say, “Let’s form a church committee and figure out how to be more relevant in our society”; instead he recognizes the work of God in the people leaving him and instead are going to Jesus.
John tells his disciples that “you heard me say that I am not the Christ” but “I have been sent before Him.” John was the herald of Christ, he was there to pave the way for Jesus and prepare people’s hearts to except the Savior. So often times in the ministry of men, we measure success by numbers. How many were in Sunday school this morning, how many were in church service? All of that means nothing unless those people come to a saving faith in Jesus. John was here to point people to Jesus; we His slaves are here to point people to Jesus. I write this blog every week in the hope that it will lead people to Jesus, I don’t want anyone following me; I don’t want readers for the sake of having readers. What I am here to do is the same thing John did, point people to Jesus.
In the gospel accounts of Jesus we find much reference to weddings, because a marriage is the ultimate picture of two becoming one. In a 1st century Jewish wedding, the best man (the friend of the bridegroom) did most of the talking until he placed the hand of the bride into the bridegrooms hand and then the bridegroom spoke. When the bridegroom spoke, the best man was quite and listened; after the bridegroom spoke the wedding was over. John references his ministry to this wedding and acknowledges Jesus as the bridegroom, he had put the bride into the hand of Jesus, and Jesus the bridegroom was now speaking, and all should listen. So John tells his disciples that he wasn’t sad that people were going to Jesus instead of him, he was joyful, because that is exactly what he wants; that was the purpose of his ministry. John also tells his disciples that he (John) is of the earth and Jesus came from heaven. Yes John spoke of repentance and turning back to God, but repentance in itself cannot save a man, what saves a man is to trust in Jesus!
Thank you and God bless you,
Mike Peek
