22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
27 To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.
31 “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
John Piper says...
Nicodemus was baffled by the Christ-exalting sovereignty of God in the new birth. John saw it and loved it: “Nobody leaves me and goes to Jesus unless it is given him from heaven (verse 27). And there they go—away from me to Jesus—so this is the work of heaven. This is the glorification of the Son, the Shepherd, the Bridegroom, the sovereign voice. He increases, and I decrease. And this is the fullness of my joy.”
John the Baptist comes into play again here as a transition between the Old Testament economy and the New Testament.
John the Baptist was a full fledge Old Testament style prophet. He had to be, in order for people to listen to him. And Jesus' ministry had to intersect with John's ministry so that John could point to Jesus as the Messiah and for there to be a full transition between the two.
It took probably about 6 months over overlapping ministry, as John's followers slowly began to go over to Jesus' ministry, and in this case, a crumbling ministry was a huge success because that's exactly what John's purpose was - to point people to Jesus.
John MacArthurs says this about the bridegroom reference...
In Hebrew weddings it's very interesting. The shoshpen(?) or the friend of the bridegroom took the hand of the bride. Not for long. His job was to put the hand of the bride into the hand of the bridegroom, a little ceremony that ended up the marriage. And then they were sent into the bridal chamber, the party was over, everybody went home. That was the climax of the wedding. When the shoshpen took the hand of the bride, placed it in the bridegroom's hand and his job was done, he just faded out. That was it. And John says that's me. Jesus Christ is pictured here as the bridegroom, Israel like a bride. John says I've taken the hand of the bride, put it in the hand of the groom, I'm done, goodbye. I'm going to sit around and say, "Oh, I want to be the groom." I want to go, I'm done and it's my joy to do that. The best man doesn't stand around crying, at least not normally. It may have happened. But he did his job.
Now notice it says this, very, very interesting, it says, "He rejoiced greatly because of the bridegroom's voice." Do you know the bridegroom in a Hebrew wedding couldn't speak until he had received the hand of the bride. And when he spoke, that signified the union. John says I put the hand there, I heard Him speak, I'm leaving. That's the end of my ministry.
Isn't that a beautiful picture?
The old covenant is fading away to make room for the new.
And then John gives them 5 reasons why Christ is supreme
Christ is supreme because He had a heavenly origin. Christ is supreme because He knows what He knows firsthand. Christ is supreme because His testimony agrees with God. Christ is supreme because He was sent from God with the full Holy Spirit presence.... Christ is supreme just because God said so and gave Him all the supremacy.....
And so the transition is complete. John fades away. Jesus moves in to the full light. The world's greatest man has reached the end of his life. He exalts the Lord Jesus Christ, fades into the background, soon to lose his life, a life physically lost, spiritually a life that counts for God for all eternity. He fades out. But John doesn't fade away before he gives an invitation. Every great sermon always has an invitation. We saw it in Christ's message to Nicodemus, we see it here in John the Baptist's message. Here's the invitation, verse 36, he can't resist this invitation. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." I don't need to explain that, that is obvious. You believe on Christ, receive Him, put your faith in Him, invite Him to take over your life, you have the gift of everlasting life but "He that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him." There's the choice.
What you do with Jesus Christ is up to you. The choice, eternal life or the wrath of God. The key, believing in Christ. Tomorrow's scripture focus: John 4:1-26
1 comment:
Very interesting to read about the transition from John's ministry to Jesus'. I never paid much attention to that before.
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