John
3:22–36
3:22
The first portion of this chapter described
the Lord Jesus’ witness in the city of Jerusalem. From this verse
to the end of the chapter, John describes Christ’s ministry in
Judea,
where doubtless He continued to proclaim the good news of salvation.
As men came to the light, they were baptized.
It would appear from this verse that Jesus Himself did the baptizing,
but we learn in John 4:2 that it was done
by His disciples.
3:23
The John
referred to in this verse is John the Baptist. He
was still preaching his message of repentance in the region of Judea
and baptizing those Jews who were willing to repent in preparation
for the coming of the Messiah. John
also was baptizing in Aenon ... because there was much water there.
This does not prove conclusively that he baptized by immersion, but
it certainly implies as much. If he baptized by sprinkling or
pouring, there would have been no necessity of having much
water. Immersion
best pictures death, burial, resurrection.
3:24
This verse is given in explanation of John’s
continued ministry and of the continued response of devout Jews to
it. In the near future, John
would be thrown into
prison and beheaded for his faithful
testimony.
3:25
It is clear from this verse that some
of John’s disciples became engaged in
a dispute with
the Jews about purification.
What does this mean? Purification
here probably refers to baptism. The argument was
whether the baptism of John was better than that of Jesus. Which
baptism had the greater power? Which was of greater value? Perhaps
some of John’s disciples
unwisely contended that no baptism could be better
than that of their master. Perhaps the Pharisees tried to make John’s
disciples jealous of Jesus and His current popularity.
Mark
9:40 (NKJV) 40 "For
he who is not against us is on our side.
3:26
They came to John for
a decision. They seemed to be saying to him, “If your baptism is
the better, why is it that so many men are leaving you and going to
Jesus?”
3:27
John’s reply was referring to the Lord Jesus, and means that any
success the Savior received was an indication of God’s approval on
Him. John was saying that he had never pretended to be anyone great
or important. He had never claimed that his baptism was superior to
that of Jesus. He simply said here that he did not have anything but
what he had received from heaven.
That is true of
all of us, and there is no reason in the world why we should be proud
or seek to build up ourselves in man’s esteem.
3:28
John reminded his disciples that he had
pointed out time and again that he was not
the Christ, but was simply sent
to prepare the way for the Messiah.
{ John 1:23} Why should they argue
over him? Why should they seek to form a party around him? He was not
the important one, but was simply trying to point men to the Lord
Jesus.
3:29
The Lord Jesus Christ was the
bridegroom. John the Baptist was merely
the friend of the bridegroom,
the “best man.” The bride
does not belong to the “best man” of the
bridegroom, but rather to the bridegroom
himself. Therefore,
it was fitting that the people follow Jesus rather than John. The
bride was
used here to refer to those who believed in Jesus as their Savior. It
was John's great joy to listen to the bridegroom’s voice as He
spoke His vows to His bride. His joy
was fulfilled
when Christ was praised and honored by men.
3:30
This is a must for all believers. The entire
object of John’s ministry is summarized in this verse. He labored
ceaselessly to point men and women to the Lord, and to make them
realize His true worth. In doing this, John realized that he must
keep himself in the background. For a servant of Christ to seek to
attract attention to himself is really a form of arrogance and
disloyalty.
{Note
the three “musts” in this chapter: for the Sinner
(3:7); must be born again !for the Savior
(3:14); Must see Jesus died on the cross for your
sins1 for the Saint (3:30)
Must decrease and Jesus increase.}
3:31
Jesus is the One who
comes from above and is above all. This
statement was designed to show His heavenly origin and supreme
position. To prove his own inferiority, John the Baptist said that he
himself was of the
earth and was earthly
and speaks of the earth. This simply
meant that, as to his birth, he was born a man of human parents. He
had not heavenly rank and could not speak with the same authority as
the Son of God. He was inferior to the Lord Jesus because He
who comes from above is above all. Christ
is the supreme Sovereign of the universe. It is only proper,
therefore, that men should follow Him and obey Him rather than His
messenger.
3:32
But when the Lord Jesus spoke, He spoke with
authority. He told men what
He had seen and
heard. There was no possibility of
error or deceit. Yet strange to say, no
one receives His testimony. The
expression no one is
not to be taken in an absolute sense. There are individuals who
accept the words of the Lord Jesus. However, John was saying that
the majority of mankind in general reject Savior’s teachings. Jesus
was the One who came down from heaven, but comparatively few were
willing to listen to Him.
3:33
Verse 33 describes the
few who did accept the words of the Lord as being the very words of
God. By their acceptance, they certified
that God is true. So it is today. When
people accept the message of the gospel, they take sides with God
against themselves and against the rest of mankind. They realize that
if God has
said something, it must be true.
Notice how clearly verse 33 teaches the
deity of Christ. It says that whoever believes the testimony
of Christ acknowledges that
God is true. This is just another way
of saying that the testimony of Christ is the testimony of God,
and to receive the one is to receive the other also.
3:34
Jesus was the One God
has sent. He spoke the
words of God. To support this
statement, John stated that God does not
give the Spirit by measure. Christ was
anointed by the Holy Spirit of God in a way that was not true of any
other person. Others have been conscious of the help of the Holy
Spirit in their ministry, but no one else ever had such a
Spirit-filled ministry as the Son of God. The prophets received a
partial revelation from God but “the Spirit revealed in and by
Christ the very wisdom, the very heart of God to man with all its
infinitude of love.”
3:35
This is one of the seven
times in John’s Gospel
where we are told that the Father loves
the Son. Here that love is manifested
in giving Him control over all things.
Among these things over which the Savior has complete charge are the
destinies of men, as explained in verse 36.
3:36
God has given Christ the power to grant
everlasting life to
all who believe on Him. This is one of the clearest verses in all the
Bible on how a person can be saved. It is simply
by believing in the Son.
As we read this verse, we should realize that God is speaking. He is
making a promise that can never be broken. He says, clearly and
distinctly, that anyone who believes in
His Son has
everlasting life. Those who do not
obey the Son
of God shall not see
life, but the wrath of God abides on them
already. From this verse we learn that our eternal destiny depends on
what we do with the Son of
God. If we receive Him, God gives us eternal life
as a free gift. If we reject Him, we will never
enjoy everlasting life,
and not only so, but God’s wrath
already hangs over us, ready to fall at any
moment.
INVITATION:
In closing do you believe what John has said about the Supremacy of
Jesus Christ and do you believe in Him as your personal Savior and
Lord? You can not come to God unless the Spirit of God draws you. The
Spirit of God is speaking to every heart right now. What is He saying
to you? Do you need to be born again? Do you need to surrender to
God? Do you need to start believing God's word instead of your
feelings? Do you need deliverance from
something?
