Jesus,
the superior glory of His person John 3v22-36.
John’s
work is almost done, and this can be considered as his swansong, just before
his light goes out in martyrdom.
Jesus
baptizing in Judea and John baptizing in Aenon, just west of the Jordan river;
the reason John was in that place was because there was “much water there”,
which gives the lie to those who advocate sprinkling. Biblical baptism is immersion to keep the
symbolic type of total immersion intact.
John’s disciples remarked that Jesus disciples were now baptising, and
perhaps they felt a little put out. The
word was that Jesus seemed to be drawing more people than John. John calms them by giving them a wonderful
insight into who Jesus was, and forms the last great discourse of John as a
testimony to Jesus-verses 25-36. In the
course of this he presents some very fundamental truths.
I
received a gift from heaven, He is the giver
v27-28
“A
man can receive nothing except it were given him from above. Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said I
am not the Christ, but that I am sent before Him.”
This
is a comprehensive and far-reaching statement that applies to all whether
converted or not. What applies
generally, therefore, is true in the spiritual realm also. James recorded that “Every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variableness, nor shadow cast by turning”-James 1v17. This is a hugely interesting subject, that
all talents and gifts given to men for the good of mankind come from above and
we should accept that all are God-given. The principle applied to this context is
probably best understood as John saying that any ability he has, and the
success he has had with it, come from heaven.
He is the Messiah, I am just the forerunner.
He
is the bridegroom, I am the invited guest v29
“He
that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom which
standeth and heareth Him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice:
this my joy therefore is fulfilled.”
In
the western, modern world, the bride is the focus of attention; in the east it
was the bridegroom. By this analogy John
is proclaiming that all this will end well in wedded bliss in the future, and
John is happy to be a friend of the groom.
He acknowledges that the followers of Christ will be closer to Him than he.
He
is the future, I am the past v30
“He
must increase and I decrease.”
Just
as the light of the moon recedes at the rising of the sun, so my role will
diminish and His increase. My work is
almost done, His is just begun and will go on growing and flourishing without end-refer
Isaiah 9v7, Acts6v7, Ephesians 2v21.
He
is from heaven, we are all of the earth v31
“He
that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly and
speaketh of the earth: He that cometh from heaven is above all.”
He
is above all, He is from above, and is over all. Solomon reminded the people of due reverence,
“God is in heaven, and thou upon earth”-Ecclesiastes 5v2. Jesus said to the Jews, reminding them who He
was, “Ye are from beneath, I am from above: ye are of this world, I am not of
this world”-John 8v23. This makes Him
superior in rank to every other person, as the later New Testament declares
times without number.
His
testimony is superior to everyone else v32-33
“And
what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth: and no man receiveth His
testimony. He that hath received His
testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.”
He
is from above, and He has seen and heard things which are beyond this earth-something
like what Paul experienced in 2nd Corinthians 12v4, where he refers
to “unspeakable words”. John uses
hyperbole to say that no man receives His testimony, then says , “he that
received His testimony”. He is saying
that the testimony of Christ is not discerned naturally and so only a few
respond. Jesus made it clear to even the
topmost teacher in Israel that the things of heaven could only be understood by
the power of the Spirit in the soul of man.
The few who discern are fully persuaded of the truth, which is the
meaning of “set to his seal that God is true.”
The seal of an eastern king could only be broken by one of equal status-refer
2nd Corinthians 1v22 and Ephesians 1v13-14 and 2nd
Timothy 2v19, for the unbreakable guarantee of God to all believers. His word is superior to the patriarchs and
the prophets, the final word of God to men-Hebrews 1v2.
In
Him resides all the fulness of Deity v34
“For
He whom God has sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit
by measure unto Him.”
Men
have received in their time portions of inspiration from the Spirit of God; He
received the Spirit from above without measure, in Him resides all the
plenitude of all the attributes of the infinite God. He is the fulness of God, when He speaks God
is speaking, He is unlimited in His Deity, and therefore is unrivalled by
anyone on earth. He was sent from God,
He spoke the words of God, and He possesses all the fulness of God.
He
will rule the earth for His Father God v35
“The
Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hand”
The
Father’s love gift to the Son is that He has given all things into His hand. This thread that He will inherit all things
runs through scripture from Genesis 25v5; Psalm 2v8; Matthew 28v18; John 13v3; John
17v2; Hebrews 1v2, and many more. The
Son inherits all, rules over all, controls all; so shall be fulfilled in the
kingdom of God, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”-Matthew 6v10. God has invested everything in His Son.
He
is the arbiter of the eternal destiny of all v36
“He
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth upon Him.”
So
important is He that our attitude to Him alone determines our eternal destiny,
which has already been declared as “perish”-bereft eternally from God; or
everlasting life-to dwell in all the goodness of God forever. In modern, crude language, without Christ we
are losers, with Christ we are winners, and that forever. In Him hangs our eternal state, and we make a
deliberate choice for better or worse.
Those who choose to live in this life without Christ shall be without
Him forever.
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