The Bridegroom: Jesus Christ (3:22-30)

The Bridegroom Jesus Christ (3:22–30)
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Herod arrested John the Baptist and put him in prison, but before that, his work was similar to that of the Lord Jesus. John's job was to point people to the Lamb of God and tell them to trust Him. He didn't want anyone to follow him. But when two well-known preachers do the same thing, it's easy for both friends and enemies to get into a fight and compare themselves to each other.

It looks like some of John's followers started the fight. It started out as a religious issue—the issue of purification—but it quickly became personal. John 3:25 says it was some of "the Jews" who brought up the question. Could this unnamed Jew have been Nicodemus? We can't say for sure, but it's possible.

The Jews thought it was essential to be pure (Mark 7:1–23). They had to keep themselves ceremonially clean to serve God and make Him happy, according to the Old Testament law. Sadly, the Pharisees made the law so hard to follow by adding so many extra rules, which often led to frustration among the people and a sense of hopelessness in trying to achieve true purity.

John's followers were putting him in a position where he had to compete with the Lord Jesus without even knowing it! "All men come to him!" It sounds like a cry of despair in John 3:26. It's interesting that four of the Bible's most important figures faced comparison and competition: Moses (Num. 11:26–30), John the Baptist (John 3:26–30), Jesus (Luke 9:46–50), and Paul (Phil. 1:15–18). A leader's followers can often be more of a problem than his critics!

What did John the Baptist do about this argument? He started by saying that he believed that all ministry and blessing come from God, so there can't be any competition (John 3:27). Paul would have agreed with this (1 Cor. 3:1–9; 4:1–7). God gives us our gifts and opportunities, and He alone deserves the praise.

Then John gave a wonderful example. He said that Jesus was like the groom and he was like the best man (John 3:29). The best man was done with his job once the bride and groom were together. It would be very foolish for the best man to try to "upstage" the groom and take his place. John was happy to hear the Bridegroom's voice and know that He had taken His bride.

John the Baptist was happy in the Lord even before he was born (Luke 1:44). John was thrilled to be the voice that announced Jesus as the Word (John 1:23). John the Baptist was the witness who pointed to the Light, which was Jesus (John 1:6–8).

The idea of the Bridegroom would have meant a lot to the Jews because Jehovah had a "marriage covenant" with them (Isa. 54:5; 62:4ff.; Jer. 2:2; 3:20; Ezek. 16:8; Hos. 2:19ff.). Sadly, Israel had broken her promises, so God had to put her away for a while. The church, which is the bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:1–3; Eph. 5:22–33), is what God is calling out for today. The Bridegroom will come one day to get His bride and take her to heaven (Rev. 19:6–9; 21:9ff.).

The final verse in this section may be familiar to many. John wrote, "He must increase, but I must decrease." In this chapter, the word "must" is used in three important ways. There is the "must" of the sinner (John 3:7), the "must" of the Savior (John 3:14), and the "must" of the servant (John 3:30).