Scripture
John the Baptist Exalts Jesus
22Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people.
23At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism. 24(This was before John was thrown into prison.) 25A debate broke out between John’s disciples and a certain Jew[1] over ceremonial cleansing. 26So John’s disciples came to him and said, “Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.”
27John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. 28You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’ 29It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. 30He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
31“He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else.[2] 32He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! 33Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. 34For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands. 36And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”
Translation notes (2)
- 3:25 Some manuscripts read some Jews.
- 3:31 Some manuscripts do not include and is greater than anyone else.
John replied, "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. John 3:27
The other day, my niece and I built a castle out of blocks. When her parents came to see what we built, she said, "Look what I did!" I almost interjected, "I helped!" But, instead, I refrained and smiled. It was quite obvious I had helped because of the castle's height. While her pride over building the castle was cute, it is not so cute when we adults take credit for what God has done in our lives.
When it comes to giving God credit, John the Baptist set an incredible example for us. You see, before Jesus' ministry began, John was paving the way for Jesus. He was baptizing people and had his disciples. When Jesus' ministry began, people began to go to Jesus instead of John. His disciples came to him and said, "Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to Him instead of coming to us" (verse 26). John replied, "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven" (verse 27). He continued explaining that he was not the Messiah but was only there to "prepare the way" for Jesus (verse 28). He said, "He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less" (verse 30). John made it clear that the only reason he had a ministry was because of God; therefore, he was not intimidated by Jesus' success. Instead, He was glad for the ministry that Jesus led. He wanted Jesus to be made known over anything else. Because of this, God was the one who received the credit for his ministry.
When it comes to your life, who gets the credit for the good things that you have accomplished and the good things in your life? Is it God, or is it someone else? God is the giver of all good gifts. Anything good in our lives is because of Him. So may we quickly point others to Him and all He has done in and through us. He is good, and He is good to us.
Moving toward action
Take a few moments to pray. In your prayer, thank God for all He has done for you. Name things specifically and one at a time. Then, as you recount all He has done in your life, say "thank you" every time. He has been so good to us.
Going Deeper
John 3:22-36
Loading saved progress…
Your place is saved in this browser. It will not follow you to another device, and clearing browser data removes it.