'After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned. Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings. So 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.” John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said [that] I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease (Jn. 3:22-30).”'
Jesus himself was not baptizing but his disciples (Jn. 4:2). John and his disciples were performing ritual cleansings not Christian Baptisms because the full efficacy of the Sacrament of Baptism would not be realized until Christ was resurrected. The baptisms by Jesus’ disciples were also not Christian Baptisms. It appears as if the Evangelist is trying to show the relative success of Jesus over John which John ascribes to God’s will. John again says that Jesus is greater than he (Jn. 1:15) and tells his disciples that his mission is almost complete. Jesus, the bridegroom, is the most important person at the wedding that is to come, and the Church will become the Bride of Christ. John’s joy is complete because he has seen the Messiah who has begun to act in the world to make all things new (Rev. 21:5) therefore it is time for him to ‘decrease.’
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of new life earned for us by the blood of your only begotten Son. May we forever increase in the knowledge and love of Christ so that we will not be strangers when we stand face to face before him. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References:
Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, & Roland E. Murphy, (Eds.). (1990, 1968). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentis Hall, Inc.
Jose M. Casciaro, Santiago Ausin, Gonzalo Aranda, Claudio Basevi, Vincente Balaguer, Francisco Varo, James Gavigan, Brian McCarthy & Thomas McGovern (Eds.). (2017). The Navarre Bible - New Testament. Dublin 8, Ireland: Four Courts Press.
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