{"id":21000,"date":"2024-12-31T16:49:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T19:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retro.piorevangelho.online\/?p=21000"},"modified":"2026-05-30T19:49:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T22:49:45","slug":"that-he-grows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/piorevangelho.online\/en\/que-ele-cresca\/","title":{"rendered":"He must increase, but I must decrease."},"content":{"rendered":"

John the Baptist, born to be the herald of the Messiah, preached for years in the desert, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3<\/mark><\/strong> and being the \u201cvoice of one crying in the wilderness,\u201d 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\u2014a description identical to that of Elijah, according to... 2\u207f\u1d48 Kings 1:8<\/mark><\/strong> (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<\/mark><\/strong>) \u2014 and their diet consisted of grasshoppers and wild honey (Mark 1:6<\/mark><\/strong> e Matthew 3:4<\/mark><\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no doubt that it was a hard life: throughout his ministry and preaching, he attracted many people with the teachings he spread\u2014announcing that the Savior had arrived and would soon reveal himself\u2014so 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To which John clarified:
\u201c"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.".<\/span><\/div>