'He Must Increase, But I Must Decrease'
In John chapter 3 (part of our Bible reading for this week), some disciples of John the Baptist come to him to report that Jesus is baptizing people — “and all are coming to Him” (verse 26). It was starting to look as though Jesus would make more disciples than John (see John 4:1), and some of John’s followers and friends found it troubling.
But John wasn’t troubled. His mission from God was to prepare the way for the Messiah. “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven,” he said. “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him’” (verses 27-28). And now that the Christ was here, it was no cause for jealousy or bitterness, but for rejoicing.
Have you ever been to a wedding where one of the attendants or relatives or guests wanted to be the center of attention instead of celebrating the bride and groom? What an embarrassing spectacle. John was not in for any such pettiness. “He who has the bride is the bridegroom,” he said, “but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full” (verse 29). While John had exerted a huge influence and made many disciples, none of it was for bringing glory to himself. He was simply fulfilling his role in God’s plan. He also knew that plan called for his work to give way to that of the Messiah: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (verse 30). And John was satisfied with that.
John the Baptist is often (rightly) noted for his courage and boldness. But here he shows another vital quality: humility. As Dan King wrote, “John is at peace with himself…and his closing words in this Gospel portray also a man at peace with God and His all-wise plan. Would that more of us could bow to the will of God with this same dignity and grace!” (John 67).
Let John’s attitude remind us…
…That discipleship is aimed at glorifying God, not myself.
…That evangelism is aimed at pointing people to Jesus, not to me.
…That worship is about honoring God together, not drawing attention to ourselves.
…That the blessings and successes of others are cause for rejoicing, not resentment.
…That just because my role in God’s kingdom is different from someone else’s, it does not make either of us unimportant.
…That if I do my best and God’s will is carried out, then I can take satisfaction in that and praise Him for it.
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