Regarding Humility

I was reading through John 3 the other day when I came across two very interesting conversations. You may or may not recognize both, but I’m sure you’ve read at least the first. The first conversation is between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Jesus tells Nicodemus the famous line, “For God so loved the world…” You know the rest.

However, there is another intriguing conversation that happens later in the same chapter that holds perhaps equal weight.

This is found in John 3:22-36.

The Baptizer, named John, was confronted by the Jews, as well as his own disciples.

“Rabbi,” they said, “He who was with you (Jesus) beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified – behold He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”

Now at first glance, perhaps we might think that John’s disciples are excited about people coming to Jesus. After all, John said Jesus would come, He came, and now people were following Him. It was perfect.

The disciples were not happy, however, because they had missed the point of John’s ministry.

Before Jesus’ ministry began, everyone had been coming to John to be baptized. Now Jesus was the one with all the followers. He had all the attention John had once had, and the disciples were upset.

Let’s put this in today’s context.

Let’s say someone comes up to you and tells you that someone in your town is going to start a food and housing shelter for the homeless, and that it is your job to start a temporary one in the meantime. You get some of your buddies together and make it happen.

You build a small shelter where the homeless can eat and sleep, and you tell each of them that very soon someone is going to build a huge, permanent place for them to stay and eat.

Well, a long time passes and soon everyone knows you as the guy who helps the homeless. Hundreds of people come through your doors, and you and your buddies feel pretty good.

Then out of the blue someone else comes, builds a way bigger place, and nearly everyone who is homeless leaves your place and goes to the new place.

It’s a nicer place, sure. The food is better, the rooms are more comfortable, and it is big enough to fit everyone in need. You know it’s better this way.

Your buddies come up to you and say, “Hey! That guy just came in and stole our business. What’s up with that? We were the big shots. People looked up to us. We were doing a good thing, helping people. Who is this new guy anyway?

Well in John 3, the new guy was Jesus. The name meant nothing to the disciples, but John understood. John’s ministry had been to baptize and proclaim Jesus. But John’s ministry was not meant to last forever. Jesus’ ministry was.

Now John could have still agreed with his disciples. He could have complained, pouted, or even neglected to finish God’s calling on His life.

He didn’t.

Here is what John told his disciples instead:

“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but ‘I have been sent before Him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The example John uses here may sound a little strange, but bear with it for a moment.

The point of the example is this. The wedding day is not about the best man, it’s about the bride and groom. The best man doesn’t stand in the front and shout, “Hey look at me! I’m the best man! I’ve stuck with the groom his whole life!”

No.

It’s true that the best man has done his part for the groom, but when the wedding roles around, even the best man stands in the background.

John knew that.

And then John interjects one of the most powerful verses in the entire Bible.

“He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.”

John understood the necessity of Jesus’ increase. What is most powerful here is the second usage of the word “must.” John wasn’t saying that he supposed his popularity would die down after Jesus’ picked up.

John was saying that it was completely necessary for he himself to decrease so that Jesus might increase.

Present Day

What does that mean for us?

What does such humility look like?

Let me give you a visual.

Think of the old time scales. The ones where you add something to both sides to make sure they are even.

On one side you have Jesus and on one side is you.

You want to show Jesus in your life. You want Him to “increase.”

How do you do so?

You add humility to your own life. You add humility on top of humility on top of humility until you hit rock bottom and Jesus is raised as high as possible.

Jesus is always exalted in humility.

The more pride, the less Jesus.

The more humility, the more Jesus.

Now if you are having trouble believing, accepting or understanding this, let me give you one last example.

Jesus.

When Jesus was on earth, He wanted to exalt the Father (God).

In Luke 22:42, Jesus is praying moments before He is arrested.

He says, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but yours, be done.”

Jesus knew the pain (both physical, emotional and spiritual) that would accompany His death. And just like you or me, He would have rather not gone through that. But more than His own desires, He wanted what the Father wanted. He wanted to exalt God, and the best way He knew how was to humble Himself, more than any person in the history of the world ever had or ever would humble themselves.

This alone is enough to make us humble ourselves. But God is gracious, and offers a promise to those who humble themselves.

Matthew 23:12 says that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Exaltation always comes through humility, both for ourselves and others.

Ultimate exaltation, however, isn’t the reason we are to be humble.

It can’t be.

The temptation to exalt ourselves would be too great in this life. After all, it is so easy to exalt yourself.

Jesus said that we are to take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23).

In order for us to carry that much humility each day requires a goal, a purpose much greater than self-exaltation.

We carry our cross for the Creator of the world, just as Christ did. We carry our cross for something bigger than ourselves, for a grand story that is still being told. We carry our cross to show the greatness of God.

But when the cross becomes unbearably heavy, and we no longer think our part of the story is important enough for the trouble; it is then that we are reminded that glory awaits just beyond death’s gates.

He must increase. I must decrease.

And when we exhale for the last time on earth, and inhale for the first time in Heaven, we will understand. We will see the grand story in its fullness, and we will be exalted together with Christ.

1 John 3:2

God Bless