Final Witness of the Baptist

Today's Reflections

Final Witness of the Baptist 

http://graceandspace.org

Jn 3:22-30

²²Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. ²³John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, ²⁴for John had not yet been imprisoned. ²⁵Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings. ²⁶So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.” ²⁷John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. ²⁸You yourselves can testify that I said [that] I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. ²⁹The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. ³⁰He must increase; I must decrease.”

Reflection:

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. John the Baptist characterizes himself in the Gospel as the bridegroom’s friend or the best man of Jesus, the bridegroom. The bridegroom’s friend is happy when the bridegroom takes center stage and takes the bride to his home. John is happy that Jesus is now taking the center stage. It is now time for him to go gradually, so as not to steal the spotlight from Jesus, or even to compete with Jesus for attention.

Our constant preoccupation should be to make sure that people are led to Jesus and that Jesus should win their hearts. He alone can fill their hearts, and he alone can save them, not we. It should be honor enough that we are able to prepare the hearts of people for the coming of Jesus, the real bridegroom, into their hearts.

Do not seek to rival the bridegroom, Jesus.