Becoming Less

May 2, 2025 | Read and Think About John 3.22-36

It has been some months since John the Baptist came on the scene preaching and baptizing.  Strikingly, Jesus had come to John the Baptist to be baptized, and only then did he begin his public ministry. By this point, Jesus has been performing miracles and teaching the teachers about the Kingdom of God and being born again. 

And now we have a full view of the shift in John the Baptist's own ministry. Whereas before many had been following John the Baptist, Jesus now is the One who is “trending,” so to speak.  How will John the Baptist respond?  Will he grieve the loss of influence?  Will he miss the rush of people coming to him to be baptized and receive his insights on how to live?  Will he be jealous of the One “everyone is going to?”

Far from it. In verses 27 to 30 of the passage, John the Baptist gives his motivation in life, the true source of his joy: "He must become greater, I must become less."

What a counterintuitive path to joy and peace in this life.  In a previous post (The Major Difference), we read the words of Jesus, saying:  “the one who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In this post, in John the Baptist, we have a living example of one who humbled himself and was exalted, in this life and certainly in the next.  Becoming less was joy to him on this earth, knowing that Jesus Christ was being magnified. 

• Peace be with everyone!