Addition by Subtraction

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”—John 3:30

When Jesus appeared on the scene in His public ministry, He came into contact with the ministry of John the Baptist. They were the same age, but John had been in the ministry for quite some time and had already developed quite a following. He had made a name for himself. Even the king knew him. He was a folk hero, treasured for his rigorous ministry of non-conformity, living on the fringe of society. His voice was the one calling in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. Even before his birth, he was preparing for Jesus’ arrival. When Jesus was in Mary’s womb and John was in Elizabeth’s, Mary came to visit Elizabeth. The moment that John heard Mary’s voice, he leapt for joy. From the cradle to the grave he pointed to Jesus. When John’s ministry was running on all cylinders, Jesus’ showed up. Just at the moment he had the opportunity to take his ministry into the stratosphere, he put on the brakes. He says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” His ministry wasn’t about himself; it was about Jesus. He was to point to Jesus, direct people to Jesus. Everything he did and said was about Jesus. Which is why when Jesus was asked about John the Baptist He said,  

“among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he"—Luke 7:28. 

Can you believe that? Jesus Himself, God-incarnate, the Savior of the world, said, “among those born of women none is greater than John.” Wow. Unbelievable. That’s how great John was. Yet, Jesus also said, “Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” How could he say such a thing? Does that mean that we would be greater than John the Baptist? Yes, we are. Why? Because we are beneficiaries of what Jesus did on the cross. John the Baptist died before Jesus did, so he would not be a beneficiary of Jesus’ death on the cross. To be sure, John the Baptist is in the kingdom of heaven, just as all of the Old Testament saints are (cf. Hebrews 11, Luke 13:28). But, it was after the resurrection when Christ moved all of the Old Testament believers that had died (they were at Abraham’s bosom in Sheol otherwise known as the “abode of the dead” with a chasm fixed between the righteous and the wicked) to the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. 1 Peter 3:19, Luke 16:19-31).

John the Baptist’s ministry was to point people to Jesus. He wanted himself to become less, so Jesus might be seen more. How do we point to Jesus? How do we decrease so that Jesus might increase? We die to ourselves. When Jesus died on the cross, we entered into His death by faith. As Galatians 2:20,  

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

When we come to know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, it’s no longer about us. It’s about Him. Everything we do points to Him. He is the one present in our attitudes; He is the one who gives us the ability to forgive others when they sin against us. He is the one that enables us to die to sin and live to righteousness. He is the one that sets us free from sin. He is the one that enables us to do everything to His glory. And that means everything. Whether it’s parenting, work, making dinner, changing diapers, studying, working out, eating, drinking, dying, or having sex (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:31). It’s all done to His glory. He is the one that gives us strength to teach our families. He is the one that enables us to die to our own desires and passions in order to pursue His will.

Jesus was John’s purpose and He’s ours as well. He is our reason for being and the Great Lover of our souls. May we ask God to make John the Baptist’s words our own. May His presence so increase in our lives that people see Jesus in us. May the name of Jesus pour forth from every facet of our being in order that many people will come to know Jesus through us. Amen.