What Really Matters?

One of the most underrated people mentioned in the Bible, in my opinion, is John the Baptist. Growing up, I didn’t care to hear about John, because I grew up thinking he was a weirdo. I mean, imagine being a seven year old, and learning about a man who ate locusts and wild honey, wore camel’s hair and a leather belt, and dunked people in water for a living. I mean, you can’t blame me for losing interest, right? Well, maybe that is pretty interesting. However, it was always a confusing topic. I never seemed to understand why God would use someone like that. After I have learned more about the person and nature of John the Baptist through church, online sermons, and my own study, I have realized how cool he really is. John’s purpose was to pave the way for the Messiah, and he didn’t care a bit about his image in the process. Some people refer to John as “the preparer”. In John 1:21, Jewish religious leaders, sent by Pharisees, asked John if he was the Messiah. John could have said yes, and gotten treatment as the Messiah, yet he immediately denied it, for he knew his place. John was humble enough to know where he stood before the Messiah, and knew he would not be liked for it. John was more focused on the Kingdom of God than his own personal status. Moving on to John chapter three, we see more examples of John’s humility. When there is conflict between a Jew and some of John’s disciples over the relationship between water baptism and Jewish ritual purity, John steps in. Throughout this time, John’s disciples were more focused on the baptizing and its popularity, than preparing the way and pointing the world to Jesus. John uses imagery of a bride and bridegroom in John 3:28-30 to remind them what really matters. “‘You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease’ (‭ESV‬‬)”. These verses encourage me to keep in mind where I am in all of this. Am I the bridegroom, or am I a friend of the bridegroom? If I were the bridegroom, everything would be all about me. If I were a friend of the bridegroom, my focus would be to point the world to the bridegroom. Ultimately, the key verse of the passage, and one of the most known and quoted verses in the Bible is what we need to continue to allow to sanctify us: John 3:30. We must let Him increase, but in order to do that, we must decrease. As we decrease, He will be more evident in our lives, because we will be seen less, which makes Him seen more. So...what really matters in this life? We have seen through the life and ministry of John the Baptist that humility shows when we make our lives a big fat sign pointing to Jesus. If our focus is on the growth of His Kingdom, then why should we focus on our status? Why should we worry about the growth of our business or our name? It should all point to Him, for He is the bridegroom. -Jack Hilsher

John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease (ESV)”.

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