And they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, he baptises, and all come to him.
Word reaches John that the crowds are now going to Jesus instead. The way his visitors report that news tells us as much about them as it does about Jesus.
The report grows out of an argument in the previous verse about ceremonial washing. Watch what happens to that first question.
It is interesting that no one directly answers the question raised in verse 25 between John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. No doubt the Jews connected baptism with purifying, for baptism does imply cleansing. But this outward cleansing is only a symbol. It points to the need for a deeper, spiritual cleansing. There is no doubt that John knew this. But instead of speaking to him directly about this, they inform him that the Lord Jesus had been baptizing, with many coming to Him. No doubt John's answer does take care of the purifying question too, for it points to the One who alone could truly accomplish purification for people's souls.
They greet John with a title of respect — one that belonged to Jesus as well.
A title of respect among the Jews, meaning 'master, teacher'... It was applied to the Lord, though often translated 'master'... According to the Jews the levels of honour rose from Rab to Rabbi, and from there to Rabban or Rabboni.
Their headline — that Jesus was baptizing — was not exact. The Gospel corrects it later. What matters more is where John looked for his answer.
Now this was a mistake, for "Jesus Himself did not baptize, but only His disciples." But this is not the point here. What strikes me is John's way of settling all questions, right or wrong. He finds a perfect solution for all in the presence of his Lord.
An argument with a Jewish opponent had not shaken these men. Something else did. Commentators differ on who brought the news. Some say John's own disciples. Others say Jews who saw a chance to stir him up.
A Jew's reasoning did not ruffle them. Their souls could not help feeling the moral superiority of John's call and his baptism of repentance, in the faith of the coming Messiah. But the nearness of Jesus disconcerted them, and so did the fact of His attractive power, veiled as it then may have been. Their appeal to their master took the form of zeal for one who had been quick to acknowledge the dignity of Jesus when He came to John for baptism.
Notice how they describe Jesus: not by who He is, but by His link to John — the one who was with you, the one you testified about. That turns the true order of value upside down.
They make John the important man, and Christ the secondary person. "See," they say to John, "how He treats you." John reminds his disciples of his own testimony about Christ.
The sting is in the last phrase: all are going to Him.
Their object was clearly to stir up a spirit of jealousy in him. They told him, in effect, that the tide of his popularity was running toward his Master, and that he himself was being deserted.
That instinct has an older source, and it is aimed here at the two people it could least fit.
Here they try to set up that horrid, awful spirit of rivalry between the forerunner and the Master, and the devil is the prime mover in it.
John had already called himself only a voice. Now the news put that claim to the test.
Here was something designed to test the heart of the Baptist. Could he bear to lose all his disciples? Was he prepared for desertion? Was he really up to the height of his own words? Was he merely a voice, a nothing and a nobody? These were fair questions, for we all know it is one thing to talk humbly and another thing to be humble.
- Occasion — A dispute about ceremonial washing turns into a report about Jesus baptizing. John's reply points to the One who can truly cleanse.
- Distortion — The messengers define Christ by His link to John. That makes John the important man and Christ the secondary one.
- Bait — "All are going to Him" aims to stir jealousy. It tells John the crowd has drained away to his Master.
- Test — John had said he was nothing but a voice; losing his followers now measures whether he meant it.
- Answer — John settles every question, right or wrong, in the presence of his Lord.
John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it be given him out of heaven.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am sent before him.
John's own followers came to him upset: crowds that once came to the Jordan were now going to Jesus (v. 26). His reply points back to what he had said all along. He never claimed the Christ's place.
What his disciples felt as loss, John treats as the very thing he had announced from the start.
What he was not, and what he was, he here restates. He was the messenger before the face of the Christ, His forerunner... A subordinate place, therefore, was his. His star had begun to fade. Yet he was not jealous... How fitting it was that the Baptist should speak like this, and to his own disciples! Party feeling was crushed at once; rising jealousy was nipped in the bud.
John's answer puts God and himself each in the right place. That is why he can watch his own work shrink without a struggle.
It was lowly, yet wise as well. As truth always does, it put both God and ourselves in the right place. So we come to recognise His sovereign disposal of all things. Each of us grows content with his own lot. And, we may add, we do the duty that flows from it with quiet firmness. For there is no greater error than the thought that our own will is really strong. Even if it were so, obedience is stronger still... If he was eclipsed as the morning star is by the dawn, it was to fulfil his mission, not to fail in it. He, the servant and forerunner, had never claimed to be the Master, as they could all confirm, if they would.
John does not produce fresh proof. He calls on the memory of the men standing in front of him — they had heard him say it. A witness who envied the One he pointed to would contradict his own message.
God had sent John for a purpose. All he needed to do was fulfil that purpose. He was not to envy another man because of that man's work, since God had plainly given it. This was especially true of Him who is the eternal Son of God. Had not John told them plainly that he himself was not the Christ, but was sent before Him? Is he to be envious of the One to whom he bears witness, whose glory is so great?
"I am not the Christ" would be an empty thing to say if nobody had thought otherwise. The disclaimer measures how high people's estimate of John had climbed.
The Jews send priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask who he is. John replies, "I am not the Christ." He is not "that prophet" either — the prophet promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-18. Such was his worth in the eyes of men that he had to announce that he is not the most noted person in Israel. Except Christ, there was never in this world a greater than he.
The second half of the verse is John's whole job description.
The coming of the Messiah was of deep importance, and enormous issues hung on it. So God in His great mercy appointed a forerunner to prepare the way for people to receive Him. This gracious arrangement left those who refused Him with no excuse at all... His whole business therefore was to prepare men for the Christ. It is true that he himself attracted much attention. The whole country was talking about him. But with every enquirer he sought to turn attention away from himself and fix it on his more glorious Master and Lord. "I am not the Christ." "Behold the Lamb of God" (John 1:20, 29). This is, after all, the proper function of every true servant of God in every age.
Others were trying to turn John and Jesus into rival causes.
The Jews raised questions between themselves and John's followers. They tried to make John and Christ the leaders of opposing factions and parties. That gave John an occasion to show where his heart was, and how entirely Christ had settled all questions for him. Notice how he hides himself behind the Christ of God, and how he makes little of himself in order to make much of Jesus.
- Received — each person's lot is God's own arrangement, so John is content with his.
- Recalled — John answers jealousy by quoting himself. His own disciples had heard him say he was not the Christ.
- Renounced — men rated John so highly that he had to say plainly, "I am not the Christ."
- Sent — his one task was to go ahead and prepare people for Christ. He turned every enquirer away from himself.
- Hidden — with the crowds moving on, he hides behind Christ, making little of himself to make much of Jesus.
He that has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices in heart because of the voice of the bridegroom this my joy then is fulfilled.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
He must increase, but I must decrease.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.