What’s Our Role?
"After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized.
Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice.
Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease."
John 3: 22-30
Do you like to come in second place?
My Dad, a longtime high school football coach is EXTREMELY competitive. I’ll never forget our conversation following one of my high school tennis matches where I hit a girl in the face with the ball (Let’s say I played tennis more to stay in shape than because I was good at it). When I hit her, my immediate response was to run up to the net and apologize... I felt SO bad! After the match, my Dad pulled me aside and told me, “Nicolet, why did you apologize to that girl?” My response, “Daddy, I smoked her in the face! I felt terrible! I didn’t mean to hit her.” He rolled his eyes and laughed, knowing that when it came to sports I didn’t inherit his competitive streak. However, when it came to academic performance and school activities, my Daddy’s competitive streak came out in me. I did not want to be second when it came to grades or involvement. This carried over into college and into the workplace. I desire to do everything I do at 110%. And if I can be honest with you, I secretly desire to be the best at everything I do. I want to be the best wife, the best Student Pastor, the best business owner, and the best family member. I don’t love second place. Ouch. Admitting that one hurts, but can you relate?
In today’s passage we see that John’s disciples get jealous. Before Jesus began his public ministry, crowds flocked to John and his disciples. So when Jesus enters the scene, John's disciples say, “Hey! Everyone is going over there to be baptized by Jesus! No one is coming over here anymore!” In our language: “Hey! That guy is getting all of the follows/likes! No one is interested in what I am doing or what I am saying, everyone is paying attention to Him!” In our culture, where attention and fame equal happiness and second place is just not good enough, we can definitely relate to how John’s disciples were feeling.
John’s response to His disciples is one of a true follower of Christ. He knew his place and he knew his role. He said, “Guys, you heard me talk about how Jesus was greater than me. You heard me say that I was just preparing the way for Him. That I was baptizing with water, but that he would baptize with the Holy Spirit.” If I may paraphrase here: John says, “I’m not jealous at all!” In fact, “this joy of mine is now complete!” And he concludes with one of my favorite verses in all of scripture: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” In a situation where John should have been jealous and upset, he resisted. He chose to put Jesus above himself. He knew his role and he was able to find joy in it. He submitted to the authority of Jesus and his Joy was made COMPLETE.
What about in our own lives? If all the attention is being taken away from us, are we still joyful? Often, we try to find Joy by being the center of attention, for being recognized or acknowledged for our hard work. We don’t like the spotlight to be taken away from us. We can find fleeting joy (or temporary happiness) in attention and applause, but at the end of the day we are left empty and incomplete. John was okay with second place. John’s joy was made complete in dying to himself and lifting up the name of Jesus. John was confident in his role and as a result he found his confidence and joy in his Savior.
Jesus gives us the fullness of joy when we posture our lives before Him, desiring to increase His name and His fame and decrease our own.
So I confessed to you my competitive nature and desire to be the best at what I do. When I look at my heart, I know that this is an area that the Lord wants to work on. Scripture tells us that God calls us to work wholeheartedly at whatever we do as if we are serving Him and not man (Colossians 3:23), and to me this elicits my best effort.
But if my desire is to BE the Best instead of to GIVE my Best to God, I have missed the point.
If I am trying to BE the Best, I will continually be striving and searching, trying to find fulfillment in the attention and praise of others. May we learn something from John today. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, may we release jealousy, envy and bitterness. Instead, would we be able to cheer for the way God is working in the lives of others and be quick to put His glory on display instead of our own. When we recognize our role, our Joy can be made complete.
Jesus knew His role and modeled this for us:
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death.” Philippians 2: 6-8
If Jesus, the only one who had the right to be the best, the only one who had the right to stand in first place, humbled himself, how much more should we humble ourselves to Him. The most beautiful thing about knowing our role is that when we submit to Jesus, we enter into freedom, life, and joy. James 4:10 promises us that when we “humble ourselves before the Lord, He will lift us up.” In fact, we find more joy in second place than in first. The closing line in one of my favorite songs, “The Cause of Christ,” by Kari Jobe Carnes puts it beautifully, “I pray it’s said about my life, that I lived more to build your name than mine.” Click to Listen: Kari Jobe Carnes | The Cause of Christ
Prayer: Lord, may it be so. Help me to build your name more than mine. I want my life to be an arrow that points straight to you. Please remove the roots of pride in my life and make me more like you. Help me to know my role and to be confident in it. Empty me of myself and fill me with your Spirit. May I decrease, and may you increase in my life. Cleanse my heart from things that aren’t of you, and make your JOY complete in me.
