"We must increase, but I must decrease."
(JOHN III. 30.)
"Where is the lore the Baptist taught,
The soul unswerving and the fearless tongue?
The much-enduring wisdom, sought
By lonely prayer the haunted rocks among?
Who counts it gain
His light would wane,
So the whole world to Jesus throng?"
KEBLE.
The Moral Greatness of the Baptist--Thoughts on Envy--Christian
Consecration--The Baptist's Creed--The Voice of the Beloved
From the Jordan Valley our Lord returned to Galilee and Nazareth. The
marriage feast of Cana, his return to Jerusalem, the cleansing of the
Temple, and the interview with Nicodemus, followed in rapid succession.
And when the crowds of Passover pilgrims were dispersing homewards, He
also left the city with his disciples, and began a missionary tour
throughout the land of Judaea.
This tour is not much dwelt upon in Scripture. We only catch a glimpse
of it here in the 22nd verse, and again in the address of the apostle
Peter to Cornelius, where he speaks of Christ preaching good tidings of
peace throughout all Judaea (Acts x. 36, 37). How long it lasted we
cannot tell; but it must have occupied some months, for He tarried from
time to time at different points.
It is not likely that our Lord unfolded his Messianic character, or
taught with the same clearness as in after days. For the most part, He
would adopt the cry of the Baptist. Of the commencement of his
ministry it is recorded: "Jesus came, ... preaching the Gospel of God,
and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent ye, and believe in the Gospel'" (Mark i. 14, 15). But his deeds
declared his royalty.
Wherever He went He was welcomed with vast enthusiasm. The scenes
which had occurred a few months before to inaugurate the Baptist's
ministry were re-enacted. The progress of the heaven-sent Teacher
(John iii. 2) was accompanied by immense throngs of people, who,
wearied with the tiresome exactions of Pharisee and scribe, turned with
eagerness to the humanness and holiness of the True Shepherd. It is
said that cattle, sick and harried with the voyage across the Atlantic,
will show signs of revival as they sniff the first land breezes laden
with the breath of the clover fields.
During all this time the Baptist was continuing his preparatory work in
the Jordan Valley, though now driven by persecution to leave the
western bank for Aenon and Salim on the eastern side, where a handful
of followers still clung to him. "John was not yet cast into prison,"
but the shadow of his impending fate was already gathering over him;
and so he was baptizing in Aenon, near to Salim, where the Jordan
sweeps out into broad sheets of water, eminently suitable for his
purpose. Thither they came and were baptized. The morning star
lingers in the same heavens with the sun, whom it has announced; but
its lustre has paled, and its glories are shorn.
It would appear from the R.V. (ver. 25) that a Jew, probably an
emissary of the Sanhedrim, brought tidings to that little circle of
true-hearted disciples of the work that Jesus was doing in Judaea, and
drew them into a discussion as to the comparative value of the two
baptisms. It was acknowledged that Jesus did not, with his own hands,
perform the rite of baptism, probably for reasons afterwards cited by
his great apostle (iv. 2; compare 1 Cor. i. 14-17): but it would be
administered by his disciples, at his direction, and with his
countenance, and therefore it could be reported to the Baptist by his
disciples, who came to him with eyes flashing with indignation, and
faces heated with the excitement of the discussion: "Rabbi, He that was
with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness, the same
baptizeth, and all men come to Him" (ver. 26).
It was as though they said, "Master, is it not too bad? See how thy
generous testimony has been requited! In the day of thy glory thou
wert too profuse in thy acknowledgments, too prodigal in thy
testimonials. Now this new Teacher has taken a leaf out of thy
programme; He too is preaching, baptizing, and gathering a school of
disciples." But there was no tinder in that noble breast which these
jealous sparks could kindle. Nothing but love dwelt there. He had
been plunged into the baptism of a holy love, which had burnt out the
selfishness and jealousy, which were as natural to him as to us all.
It was as when a spark falls into an ocean and is instantly
extinguished. Thus his reply will ever rank among the greatest
utterances of mortal man. The Lord said that of those born of woman
none was greater than John; and, if by nothing else, by these words his
moral stature and superlative excellence were vindicated. He seemed
great when his voice rang like a clarion through Palestine, attracting
and thrilling the mighty throngs; great, when he dared to tell Herod
that it was unlawful for him to have his brother's wife, uttering words
which those palace walls must have been startled to hear; great, when
he baptized Him for whom the world was waiting, and who was declared to
be the Son of God with power; but he never seemed so great as when he
refused to enter into those acrimonious altercations and discussions,
and said simply, "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him
from heaven."
I. JOHN COUNTED INFLUENCE AND POSITION AS DIVINE GIFTS.--What
startling differences obtain among men--Peter and John, Calvin and
Melancthon, John Knox and Samuel Rutherford, Kingsley and Keble! Each
of these has left his imprint on human history; each so needful to do
his own special work, but each so diverse from all others. We are
sometimes tempted to attribute their special powers and success to
their circumstances, their times, their parents and teachers; but there
is a deeper and more satisfactory explanation. Adopting the words of
the Forerunner, we may say--They had nothing that they had not received
from heaven, by the direct appointment and decree of God.
It was thus that the Baptist reasoned: "Whatever success and blessing I
had are due to the appointment of Him who sent me to preach his Gospel
and announce the advent of his Son. Every man has his work and sphere
appointed him of God. If this new Teacher meet with such success, we
have no right to be jealous of Him, lest we sin against God, who has
made Him what He is. And if we have not the same crowds as once, let
us be content to take this, too, as the appointment of Heaven, glad to
do whatever is assigned to us, and to leave all results with God."
This is a golden sentence, indeed!--"A man can receive nothing, except
it be given him from heaven." Hast thou great success in thy
life-work? Do crowds gather around thy steps and throng thy
audience-chamber? Do not attribute them to thyself. They are all the
gifts of God's grace. He raiseth up one and setteth down another.
Thou hast nothing that thou hast not received; and if thou hast
received it, see to it that thou exercise perpetually the faculty of
receptiveness, so that thou mayest receive more and more, grace on
grace. The river in its flow should hollow out the channel-bed through
which it flows. Be thankful, but never vain. He who gave may take.
Great talents bestowed imply great responsibility in the day of
reckoning. Be not high-minded, but fear. Much success can only be
enjoyed without injury to the inner life by being considered as the
dear gift of Christ, to be used for Him.
Hast thou but one talent, and little success?--yet this is as God has
willed it. He might have given more had He willed it so; be thankful
that He has given any. Use what thou hast. The five barley loaves and
two small fishes will so increase, as they are distributed, that they
will supply the want of thousands. Do not dare to envy one more
successful and used than thyself, lest thou be convicted of murmuring
against the appointment of thy Lord. Here, too, is the cure of
jealousy, which more than anything else blights the soul of the servant
of God. To an older minister, who has passed the zenith of his
popularity and power, it is often a severe trial to see younger men
stepping into positions which he once held and has been compelled to
renounce. He is mightily tempted to disparage their power, and condemn
them by faint praise; or, if he praise, to add one biting comment which
undoes the generosity and frankness of the eulogium. Why should this
younger man, who was not born when his own ministry was at full tide,
now carry all before him, while the waves are quietly withdrawing from
the margin of seaweed they once cast up! Thoughts like these corrode
and canker the soul; and there is no arrest to them, unless, by a
definite effort of the Spirit-energised will, the soul turns to God
with the words: "A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from
heaven. I had my glad hours of meridian glory, and have still the
mellow light of a summer sunset. It was God's gift to me, as rest is
now; and I will rejoice that He raises up others to do his work. I
will rejoice that the Kingdom is coming, that Christ is satisfied, that
men are being saved; this shall be my joy, and it shall be fulfilled."
How much misery, heart-burning, and disappointment would be saved if,
at the beginning of life, each of us inquired seriously what that
special work in the world might be to which he was called, and for
which he is fitted. Then, instead of being poor imitations, we might
be good originals. Instead of spending our time in going off on side
issues, we might bend all our strength to the main purpose of our
existence. God has meant each of us for something; incarnating in us
one of his own great thoughts, and equipping us with all material that
is necessary for its realization. We may probably discover its meaning
by the peculiarities of our mental endowments or the advice of friends;
by the necessity of our circumstances or the prompting of the Holy
Spirit. Otherwise we must be content to go on making each day
according to the pattern shown us--not as a whole, but in detail--sure
that some day each bit and scrap, each vail and hanging, will find its
place, and the tabernacle of our life stand complete.
Every name is historic in God's estimate. The obscurest among us has
his place in the Divine plan, his lesson to learn, his work to do. The
century opening before us can no more dispense with us than an
orchestra with the piccolo. A pawn on God's chessboard may take a
knight, or give check to a king. "We are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before prepared (R.V.), that
we should walk in them" (Eph. ii. 10).
II. JOHN CAUGHT SIGHT OF A FULLER AND RICHER IDEAL THAN HIS
OWN.--Tidings had, without doubt, been brought to him of our Lord's
first miracle in Cana of Galilee. We know that it had made a great
impression on the little group of ardent souls, who had been called to
share the village festivities with their newly-found Master; and we
know that some of them were still deeply attached to their old friend
and leader. From these he would learn the full details of that
remarkable inauguration of this long-expected ministry. How startled
he must have been at the first hearing! He had announced the
Husbandman with his fan to thoroughly winnow his floor; the Baptist
with his fire; the Lamb of God, holy, harmless, and separate from
sinners. But the Messiah opens his ministry among men by mingling with
the simple villagers in their wedding joy, and actually ministers to
their innocent mirth, as He turns the water into wine! The Son of Man
has come "eating and drinking"! What a contrast was here to the
austerity of the desert, the coarse raiment, the hard fare! "John the
Baptist came neither eating nor drinking." Could this be He? And yet
there was no doubt that the heaven had been opened above Him, that the
Dove had descended, and that God's voice had declared Him to be the
"Beloved Son." But what a contrast to all that he had looked for!
Further reflection, however, on that incident, in which Jesus
manifested forth his glory, and the cleansing of the Temple which
immediately followed, must have convinced the Baptist that this
conception of holiness was the true one. His own type could never be
universal or popular. It was not to be expected that the mass of men
could be spared from the ordinary demands of daily life to spend their
days in the wilderness as he had done; and it would not have been for
their well-being, or that of the world, if his practice had become the
rule. It would have been a practical admission that ordinary life was
common and unclean; and that there was no possibility of infusing it
with the high principles of the Kingdom of Heaven. Consecration to God
would have become synonymous with the exclusion of wife and child, of
home and business, of music and poetry, from the soul of the saint;
whereas its true conception demands that nothing which God has created
can be accounted common or unclean, but all may be included within the
encircling precincts of the Redeemer's Kingdom. The motto of Christian
consecration is, therefore, given in that remarkable assertion of the
apostle; "Every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected,
if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified through the
Word of God and prayer" (1 Tim. iv. 4, 5).
John saw, beneath the illuminating ray of the Holy Spirit, that this
was the Divine Ideal; that the Redeemer could not contradict the
Creator; that the Kingdom was consistent with the home; and the
presence of the King with the caress of woman and the laughter of the
child, and the innocent mirth of the village feast. This he saw, and
cried in effect: "That village scene is the key to the Messiah's
ministry to Israel. He is not only Guest at a bridegroom's table, but
the Bridegroom Himself. He has come to woo and win the chosen race.
Of old they were called Hephzibah and Beulah; and now those ancient
words come back to mind with newly-minted meaning, with the scent of
spring. Our land, long bereaved and desolate, is to be married. Joy,
joy to her! The Bridegroom is here. He that hath the bride is the
Bridegroom. As for me, I am the Bridegroom's friend, sent to negotiate
the match, privileged to know and bring together the two parties in the
blessed nuptials--blessed with the unspeakable gladness of hearing the
Bridegroom's manly speech. Do you tell me that He is preaching, and
that all come to Him? That is what I have wanted most of all. This my
joy, therefore, is fulfilled. 'He must increase, but I must decrease.'"
III. JOHN HAD ENLARGED PERCEPTION OF THE TRUE NATURE OF CHRIST.--It
has been questioned whether the paragraph which follows (John iii.
31-36) was spoken by the Baptist, or is the comment of the Evangelist.
With many eminent commentators, I incline strongly to the former view.
The phraseology employed in this paragraph is closely similar to the
words addressed by Christ to Nicodemus, and often used by Himself, as
in John v.; and they may well have filtered through to the Baptist, by
the lips of Andrew, Peter, and John, who would often retail to their
venerated earliest teacher what they heard from Jesus.
Consider, then, the Baptist's creed at this point of his career. He
_believed_ in the heavenly origin and divinity of the Son of Man--that
He was from heaven and above all. He _believed_ in the unique and
divine source of his teaching--that He did not communicate what He had
learnt at second-hand, but stood forth as one speaking what He knows,
and testifying what He has seen--"For He whom God has sent, speaketh
the words of God." He _believed_ in his copious enduement with the
Holy Spirit. Knowing that human teachers, at the best, could only
receive the Spirit in a limited degree, he recognised that when God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit there was no limit, no
measuring metre, no stint. It was copious, rich, unmeasured--so much
so that it ran down from his head, as Hermon's dews descend to the
lonely heights of Zion. He _believed_ in his near relationship to God,
using the well-known Jewish phrase of sonship to describe his
possession of the Divine nature in a unique sense, and recalling the
utterance of the hour of baptism, to give weight to his assurance that
the Father loved Him as Son. Lastly, He _believed_ in the mediatorial
function of the Man of Nazareth--that the Father had already given all
things into his hand; and that the day was coming when He would sit on
the throne of David, yea, on the mediatorial throne itself, King of
kings, and Lord of lords, the keys of Death and Hades, of the realms of
invisible existence and spiritual power, hanging at his girdle.
To that creed the Baptist added a testimony, which has been the means
of light and blessing to myriads. Being dead, he yet has spoken
through the ages, assuring us that to believe on Jesus is to have, as a
present fact, eternal life, the life which fills the Being of God and
defies time and change. Faith is the act by which we open our heart to
receive the gift of God; as earth bares her breast to sun and rain, and
as the good wife flings wide her doors and windows to let in the spring
sunshine and the summer air. Ah, reader, I would that thou hadst this
faith! The open heart towards Christ! The yielded will! Thou needst
only will to have Him, and He has already entered, though thou canst
not detect his footfall, or the chime of the bells around his garment's
hem. And to shut thy heart against Him not only excludes the life
which might be thine, but incurs the wrath of God.
_There are two concluding thoughts_. First: The only hope of a
decreasing self is an increasing Christ. There is too much of the
self-life in us all, chafing against God's will, refusing God's gifts,
instigating the very services we render to God, simulating humility and
meekness for the praise of men. But how can we be rid of this accursed
self-consciousness and pride? Ah! we must turn our back on our shadow,
and our face towards Christ. We must look at all things from his
standpoint, trying to realize always how they affect Him, and then
entering into his emotions. It has been said that "the woman who loves
thinks with the brain of the man she loves", and surely if we love
Christ with a constraining passion, we shall think his thoughts and
feel his joys, and no longer live unto ourselves, but unto Him.
"Love took up the Harp of Life
And smote on all its chords with might;
Smote the chord of self, that trembling,
Passed in music out of sight."
Second: we must view our relationship to Christ as the betrothal and
marriage of our soul to our Maker and Redeemer, who is also our
Husband. "Wherefore, my brethren," says the apostle, "ye also were
made dead to the law through the body of Christ; that ye should be
married to another, even to Him who was raised from the dead, that we
should bring forth fruit unto God" (Rom. vii. 4).
The Son of God is not content to love us. He cannot rest till He has
all our love in return. "He looketh in at the windows" of the soul,
"and showeth Himself through the lattice." Our Beloved speaks, and
says unto us, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." And, as
our response, He waits to hear us say:
"My Beloved is mine, and I am his;
He feedeth his flock among the lilies.
Until the day break, and the shadows flee away,
Turn, my Beloved!"