Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, 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. 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 3:25-30 English Standard Version
John the Baptist was a servant first. He was sold out for the mission, and selfless in his desire to see it fulfilled. A mark of the ministry of John the Baptist was his repeated deference to the ministry of Jesus Christ. In response to the questions posed by the Levites and priests, he responds that he is not the Christ, Elijah, nor the prophet. He goes on to state that the one who comes after him, whose way he is sent to make straight, is one whose sandals he is not worthy to unstrap.
In the section of Scripture quoted above, we see John in discussion with his disciples. He is sharing with them his joy in the arrival of Jesus Christ. There is not a tinge of competition or jealousy evident in his comments. What is evident is the genuine joy of a servant who has faithfully completed the task set before him. John saw his mission as simply pointing others to the one who was greater than himself. He was called to make such a case for Jesus, that all who followed him would gladly leave and follow Christ when He arrived. And this would be perfectly alright with John. In fact, it would make his joy complete.
Unfortunatley, this is not the picture that can be seen across a wide section of contemporary Western Christianity. It is almost as though we find ourselves in competition with Jesus Christ for disciples. We are in a tug of war to determine whose name will have the greatest impact. Gone in many sectors of the Church is the notion that motivated John the Baptist; the notion that leads a leader to believe that in order for Christ to increase, I must decrease. Instead we make our names the prominent one on the marquee and in the marketing materials we use. Men and women are told that “we” have a word that will change their lives. Our pictures and likenesses are trademark protected, and our sermons have become “intellectual property”. We seek to gather unto ourselves disciples, those who will submit to our counsel, authority, or covering.
What is glaringly missing from all of this is our deference to Jesus Christ. It is as though we have forgotten that “our” words cannot save or truly bless anyone. It isn’t us that men and women have come to see. We are simply the friends of the bridegroom, and many of us are trying to seduce His bride away from Him. In order to do this, we tell them a little about the bridegroom but spend most of the time ensuring that our image is seen as equal to His. In so doing, we intimate that we are an acceptable substitute for the real thing. With a wink and a nod we say, in essence, “I know the bridegroom so well that you can’t really tell us apart”, hoping that people will eventually forget that they initially were betrothed to another.
What is the remedy for all of this? Repentance! Stop exalting ourselves. Stop assuming that the ministries that we have been charged to carry out belong to us. Stop believing that we can in any way, great or small, bless the people. They have come to see Christ! Knowing Him as well as we should, we should be the greatest cheerleaders for Jesus as the answer. Knowing ourselves as we should, we should be the first one willing to deflect all accolades away from our own actions.
There are too many cultic ministries, built on the personalities of their leaders in existense today. There are too many leaders willing to take the praise upon themselves under the guise of being “anointed”. We can all take a lesson from John the Baptist. Its time to repent!
