John the Baptist, born to be the herald of the Messiah, preached for years in the desert, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3 and being the “voice of one crying in the wilderness,” preparing the way for the Lord Jesus Christ.
During this time, he lived very modestly, wearing a tunic of camel hair and a leather belt—a description identical to that of Elijah, according to... 2ⁿᵈ Kings 1:8 (indicating, as the angel Gabriel said, that he would walk according to the spirit of the Old Testament prophet, something confirmed by Jesus in Matthew 11:14) — and their diet consisted of grasshoppers and wild honey (Mark 1:6 e Matthew 3:4).
There is no doubt that it was a hard life: throughout his ministry and preaching, he attracted many people with the teachings he spread—announcing that the Savior had arrived and would soon reveal himself—so he needed to train disciples to help him baptize, but he also ended up displeasing many, especially Herod and his companion, Herodias, who, as is well known, conspired until she succeeded in taking his life.
However, after all this hard work, what was his reaction when his disciples told him that the name of the one he had baptized was becoming more prominent than his own, and that the disciples of the one he had announced were baptizing more than John himself?
His words were:
To which John clarified:
“"A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.".
You yourselves are witnesses to what I said: I am not the Christ, but I was sent as his forerunner.
The bride has the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom who stands and listens to him,
She rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.
Therefore, this satisfaction has already been fulfilled in me.
"He must increase, but I must decrease.".
This statement directly refers to the culture of the Ancient East, the time and place where these events occurred: on the wedding day, the groom would go to meet his friends, who would accompany him to the bride's house for the subsequent celebration of the ceremony, but their role was secondary — only to prepare and announce the party — while the main character was the groom, who invited them to participate in his joy and the celebration.
When he arrived, everyone else present had the role of sharing in their friend's joy, but this joy happened because of his presence, not his friends': he was responsible for everything happening, while the others were, all the time and so to speak, "executives in a supporting role".
Similarly, after so long announcing and preparing the way for the Messiah, John rejoiced to see that his task was finished and that, as he said, "his joy was now complete": just as the friend of the bridegroom withdrew from the "spotlight" so that the bridegroom could appear and take center stage, John recognizes that he must decrease so that Jesus may increase.
The Heavenly Bridegroom of Christendom, the Lord Jesus himself, must occupy the heart of everything, making Himself the source of all glory and satisfaction, revealing what his messengers have announced.
Even if the fullness of this does not exist on Earth, belonging to Christ is something that surpasses and has infinitely more value than any human honor or decoration, even that of being a messenger of the good news of Salvation: those who “prepared the way” did not do so to satisfy their own pride, personal vanity, or glory, but for Him who died and rose again for them!
We have further examples of this detachment from earthly glory and vanity in Scripture: Moses felt no jealousy when two other elders, Eldad and Medad, received the Spirit of prophecy, telling Joshua that it would be wonderful if all the people were prophets and not just him (Numbers 11:25-29Paul tells the Corinthians that he and Apollos were servants through whom they had been brought to the faith, but that the growth came from God.1ˢᵗ Corinthians 3:5-7).
The Greatness of Jesus Christ
Given this, what sense or anything worthy of approval can there be in the attitude of someone who tries to make a name for themselves using God's name?
We have so many cases of people who lead Christian communities and go so far as to fight amongst themselves over the exclusive "ownership" of a simple sign...
There are also many others capable of "sabotaging" a servant's ministry, just to take the people he leads for themselves.
And it is absolutely impossible to find in the Scriptures a way to approve of such attitudes: these are the people who are trying to make their name greater than that of Christ!
These are the ones who want to grow by making Him diminish.
For many, there is a lack of understanding and a failure to live in accordance with the Spirit which Paul demonstrates when he writes the following from inside a prison cell:
It is true, however, that some proclaim Christ out of envy and rivalry, while others do so with good intentions.
These people do it out of love, knowing that I was put here for the defense of the Gospel;
But those others proclaim Christ only out of selfish ambition, without sincerity, imagining that they can increase the suffering caused by these chains of mine.
But what does it matter?
The important thing is that, in any case, whether for nefarious or noble reasons, Christ is being proclaimed, and for that I rejoice.
In truth, I will always rejoice!
For the greatest evangelist of all time, not even the motive mattered, not even if Christ was preached by those who hated him, motivated by personal vanity: what mattered was that Christ was preached!
He had within him the same understanding — "He must increase, but I must decrease" — that dwelt in John the Baptist.
The glory of witnessing for Jesus Christ is not something anyone should expect to receive… at least not in this world!
On the contrary, the preacher's name must always be subject to that of the Savior, for the Glory belongs to Him, who will share it with His servants in eternity.
Until this day, may the name of everyone who bears witness to the name of Jesus always be overshadowed by the name of Him who sent Him.
May each of us decrease so that Christ may increase, for eternal life in His presence is infinitely better than any earthly honor.
In the Bonds of Calvary
ORIGINAL TITLEYour sin will find you out.
FRONT MAINTENANCE
Theology is free, but the infrastructure to keep it alive against the tide of the gospel industry has its costs. This project rejects sponsors and automated ads so as not to pollute your reading with profane content.
If this content has strengthened your faith—or angered the righteous heretics—and you wish to see this collection grow, use the option below. It's safe, straightforward, and maintains the independence of this voice.
The content of this dedicated space is intended for various possible communications, such as polls to determine the next "“Debates with Intelligenc-AI”...and any other subjects not directly related to the Gospel: this purple box will be gradually added to articles and studies as they are revised and will present the same message in all of them, but always updated: what you are reading now may already be totally different from what was here last week.
If you want to know the full history, my intention is to keep it recorded in Threads… follow me there!
Paraphrasing the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:23-24May grace and peace be with us all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, now and forever!
Português do Brasil 
English 
Español de Argentina