A Glorious Decline Series

After Jesus cleansed the temple his ministry in Jerusalem was powerful. All kinds of healings occurred. The crowds were constantly growing. Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went north into the Judean countryside. There too the ministry flourished. They were baptizing many followers.

Not far from that location, John was also baptizing followers. John continued to preach repentance and fulfill his ministry. His disciples were assisting him and apparently got into an argument with one of the Jews about purification. We don’t know the specifics of that discussion. The Jews had all kinds of washings and rituals for ceremonial cleansing. Water baptism would naturally raise that kind of discussion. Something said during that exchange caused John’s disciples to get all upset about Jesus’ ministry. Look at their complaint to John in verse 26--"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." Notice how they refer to Jesus. They don’t call him by name—yet I’m sure his name was on everyone’s lips. They don’t refer to him as Messiah. They had heard John say he is “The Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.”[4] They had heard him say he is the Son of God.[5] None of that honor do these disciples give to Jesus—“that man”, “the one you testified about”. I think the implication is: “John, you helped this guy out. You gave him some recognition. Now instead of joining us and helping us, he’s stealing all your sheep. Everybody’s going to his meetings instead of our’s. That’s the thanks he gives you.” The Message paraphrases their approach this way, “Rabbi, you know the one who was with you on the other side of Jordan? The one you authorized with your witness. He’s baptizing too, and everybody’s going to him instead of us.”

How many know that without the Holy Spirit working grace in our hearts, that is the natural, human response we all have to that kind of situation? We want other people to succeed, but not more than us! They drew a comparison and then felt belittled by it. They got defensive. They got jealous. They got critical.

But that was not John’s attitude. John is full of the Holy Spirit. John joyfully embraces God’s plan for him.

II. The Glorious Decline of John the Baptist.

This scenario sets the stage for one of the greatest speeches in human history. Allow John’s reply to speak to you this morning. The heart of his message is found in verse 30, “He (Jesus) must become greater. I must become less.” KJV says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” The Message paraphrases it this way, “This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.”

We must hear John’s words in the context of his personality. John is not a passive person. He is not backing off just because he does not want to confront the issue. This is a man full of backbone and courage. When the prominent Pharisees and Sadducees approached him with all their prestige and pride, he looked them in the eye and said, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”[6] He confronted the powerful King Herod about his ungodly relationship with his brother’s wife. That ultimately cost John his life. John is not backing up because he is afraid to move forward. There is something far more admirable behind his response.