When we lived in Russellville Haddon had an incredible pediatrician. He was very laid back but also very detailed and meticulous with how he checked up on our son but also on how we should do things. It was a relief to go to him as new parents. At one check-up, in particular, it was time to start moving Haddon away from the bottle. This is not easy for some people, but he gave us some good instructions that worked. There was a specific training straw cup that we could use for a bit. We were to put something that he would find yummy in that cup, like apple juice. It was something he’d never had before but continues to drink to this day. We could squeeze the cup and work liquid up the straw so it would be easy for him to get the first drink. But, this cup was only to be used for a very short time. It had a specific purpose and that was to get him from drinking out of a bottle to drinking other liquids out of a cup. Then we were able to hand Haddon a strawed cup that he would use for a year or more.

That transitionary cup served its purpose over the course of a few days. And, after that, we didn’t return to it. Though we valued what it accomplished for us, I never regretted buying it or having used it, its purpose was very short term and it was at that point retired.

There are a lot of things that are this way in life. Training wheels are a short term transitionary object that we use and are grateful for but don’t use afterward. The same could be said for other things in this life as well, but there are simply some things that are transitionary in this life that lead us to something better.

John the Baptist is himself a transitionary person in the history of redemption. He is the last of the Old Testament Prophets but finds his part of the story written down in the New Testament. His role is to preach and baptize in preparation for the coming Christ. He stands here as the transition from pre-Messiah to the time of the Messiah.

John the Baptist is going to here reveal, once again that Christ is superior. Jesus is greater than all that had come before. We have already seen some of these given to us successively. Look at how John has already shown us that Christ fulfills and surpasses Old Testament Judaism.

• Jesus fulfilled the dream of Jacob’s Ladder (John 1:51)
• Jesus provides the new and better wine (John 2:1-11)
• Jesus displaces the temple for a new and better temple (John 2:12-15)
• Jesus fulfills prophecies of “water and spirit” seen in the new birth (John 3:1-21)
• Jesus’ death is to be the ultimate antitype of the snake “lifted up” in the desert. (John 3:14-15)

Now, John is going to show us that Jesus’ baptism is superior to John’s baptism.

Don’t get complacent in this discussion. This discussion does not lie in a place 2,000 years ago. It means something to us today. Christ is also superior to all things we find in the here and now. Christ is greater. I hope that there is a constant refrain running through your head of Jesus is greater. Christ is greater.

“After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison).

Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabi, he who was with you across the Jordan to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” (John 3:22-27 ESV)

God Reveals Christ’s Greatness To Us (John 3:22-27)

It seems that the weather and normal changing of the seasons pushed both Jesus and John the Baptist to the same location for their preaching and baptizing. They were both in the Judean countryside at Aenon near Salim. And the reason given for this is simple and pragmatic. It is “because water was plentiful there” (John 3:23). Though it seems to be rather inconsequential that things worked out this way, it is good for us for we get an opportunity to read of the greatness of Christ through a discussion that happens when John’s disciples see the baptisms occurring where Jesus is preaching and baptizing.

There is an apparent argument over purification. We don’t know what this clash was but it was not really significant to the story. At this time Jews were less dependent upon Scripture for their practices and traditions. It is likely that someone took offense to John the Baptist’s message or baptism and how it affected these Jewish traditions. But whatever the discussion as about the conversation quickly changed to something else.

John’s disciples had seen the people Jesus was baptizing and noticed something quite odd. There were more people there than were following John the Baptist. Jesus was not attracting larger crowds than John the Baptist was and this fact did not go unnoticed by John’s disciples. And, it seems that their response was resentment.

John’s disciples went to John to tell them about a large number of people that were being baptized by Jesus and his disciples. John’s response was rather interesting. He said, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”  (V. 27) John was saying something that embodied a general truth. It’s called an aphorism. The interesting thing about using this aphorism in this context is that John is saying that these people are seeing that Jesus is greater because God Himself is giving them this information.

Can you imagine yourself being one of John the Baptist’s disciples who is feeling this great resentment about Jesus’ ministry and hearing this response?

It only makes sense though. John has already stated that he came to pave the way for the Christ, not to be the Christ. This is what God called John the Baptist to do and now he is seeing it come to fruition. Jesus was the Christ that John the Baptist prepared the way for. This was what he was doing all along. And John knows that God is at work causing people to see the greatness of Jesus.

We saw this in last week’s message as we discussed the conversation with Nicodemus. God makes us able to respond to the great rescue that He has provided. God opens our eyes to see Jesus as glorious. The Holy Spirit works in us to cause us to love and to worship Him.

I think that something similar to this is what John the Baptist is saying here. God brought John the Baptist to come and prepare the way for Jesus. Now God was revealing the greatness of Christ to people in Israel.

Again, just as we discussed last week. If you are a Christian here today then you should be incredibly grateful toward God for causing this to happen. God the Son came to Earth and accomplished salvation as He and the Father had planned long before the creation of the world. God the Son came to Earth and lived the perfect life that we should have lived. He then went to the cross and died to pay the full punishment of all those who would believe. Then Jesus rose from the dead three days later. Salvation was completely accomplished. Then, last week we saw that God the Holy Spirit works mightily in the life of a person to cause them to believe. But these are not the only means in place to help us come to faith in Christ. God placed you in the family, city, state, and country that you now exist in and don’t discount how much that matters in this discussion.

Would you have ever heard the gospel if you were in a country where the gospel has not yet come? Obviously, the answer is no. How much would you have heard of the good news if your parents were devout atheists? I’m not saying that you would never have heard, but I am saying that your chances would go down drastically. Here, God placed John the Baptist in this time in history for the very purpose of drawing people to Christ.

From God’s providential placement of us in the family and place we live, to the work of the Holy Spirit within us to cause us to believe, God has done a lot to cause us to believe.

John Revealed Jesus’ Greatness (John 3:28-30)

John the Baptist exalted the name of Jesus. We know this from every encounter we have had with him so far. John stated repeatedly that he was Jesus’ forerunner. He was the forerunner of the Christ, not the Christ himself. John’s disciples are quite perturbed about the ministry of Jesus, but not John.

“You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 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. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:28-30 ESV)

John compares himself to being the friend of the bridegroom in the wedding. The friend of the bridegroom is similar to being the best man in a wedding. This is the person who organized the details in a Judean wedding. He had many responsibilities and it was his duty to make sure that the ceremony was a success. And it brought him joy to see the bride and groom come together. That meant that he had accomplished what he was supposed to accomplish.

It is the same with John the Baptist. He came to bring others to Christ. And now that there were many people following Jesus he felt great joy. He actually said, “therefore this joy of mine is now complete.” John is aware of many Scriptures that depict the faithful within Israel as the LORD’s bride (Isaiah 62:4-5; Jeremiah 2:2; Hosea 2:16-20). Now John is rejoicing that he has done his part in bringing the faithful of Israel to Jesus. His joy, the joy of the best man, is now complete. He is now very satisfied with what he is hearing. And it leads to another comment, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30 ESV).

In the same way that the role of the bridegroom’s friend diminishes when the bride and groom are brought together, John understands that he must decrease. But he is completely happy about it because now Christ’s influence and the love for him will increase.

In a way we have the same job as John the Baptist did. We are to be people who introduce others to the glorious Christ. We share the news of Christ with our friends and God works through that message to cause them to believe in Him.

Our attitude needs to be similar to that of John the Baptist. We are humble servants of God who find great joy in introducing others to the Savior. This should, like John the Baptist, make our joy complete.

Christ Is The Greatest, Beyond All Things (John 3:31-35)

Interestingly, our author John has an aside. Our author begins to speak. John the Baptist has just proclaimed the greatness of Christ. Now, John begins to expound on this topic personally. And what he says about Jesus is glorious.

“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. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.”  (John 3:31-34 ESV)

John exclaims that Jesus came from where no one else has ever come from. He came from Heaven. Jesus is above all. He is the greatest and most glorious of all because of who He is. Jesus, we have already seen, is God the Son.

There was once a teenager wearing a shirt that had a picture of Jesus that said, “Jesus is my homeboy.” He asked me if I loved his shirt and I proceeded to give him a lecture about Jesus being God the Son and being worthy of so much more than to be disrespected on a t-shirt that way. I stand by that comment even today. Jesus is God the Son. He is above all. He is beyond anything and everything and worthy of our highest honor and praise.

This gets to the very heart of how we should think about Jesus. He is God and deserves our highest devotion and praise. He is completely and totally worthy of all of our worship and praise. And, oh by the way, not only is he worthy but he is owed all of our worship and praise. And because it is not given to him as it should be this creates a massive problem.

Which Person Are You?

In the middle of John’s exclamation of Jesus, there is a rather sorrowful turn of events. Even though Christ is great and glorious and what he testifies to is true, people did not believe in Him.

“He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.”  (The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 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.” (John 3:32-36 ESV)

Jesus is from Heaven and knows the truth. Jesus is sent from God and is himself God, yet people do not believe in Him. God the Son and God the Father had agreed long ago that God the Son would come and accomplish salvation for us in eternity past. Christ has done this and so God the Father has “given all things into his hand.” All glory and honor are bestowed upon Christ, the Lamb of God and Savior of the world. And this is the result. Those who trust in Christ have eternal life. This is the promised Messiah from long ago. He is the one who “gives the Spirit without measure”, which is one of the great promises of the New Covenant. Even so, people are not trusting in Christ. Those who do “not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

We are sinners who are rebels against God. We saw last week that God’s wrath abides on us if we are not Christians. We all have a relationship with God. The problem is that unless we are in Christ that relationship is so bad for us for “the wrath of God” lies upon us.

So, who are you? Are you a Christian? Are you in Christ? Are you one of the people who has trusted in the one who is the Savor? Or are you the one who “does not obey the Son”?

Dwain Minor