After this, Jesus and his
disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them
baptizing. 23 John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there
was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, 24 for
John had not yet been imprisoned. 25 Now a dispute arose between the
disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings. 26 So they came
to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to
whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.” 27
John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given
him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said [that] I am
not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. 29 The one who has the
bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens to him, rejoices
greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. 30
He must increase; I must decrease.” 31 The one who comes from
above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of
earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven [is above all]. 32 He
testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33
Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy. 34 For
the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of
the Spirit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to
him. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever
disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.
After the visit from Nicodemus where Jesus said that spiritual rebirth was essential for entering the kingdom of God, laid the foundation for understanding his divine mission, and how salvation can be attained, Jesus and his disciples went to Judea and spent some time baptizing. Jesus himself was not baptizing but his disciples were (Jn. 4:2). JBap and his disciples were performing ritual cleansings, not Christian Baptisms because the full efficacy of the Sacrament of Baptism would not be realized until Christ was resurrected. John’s Baptisms were for the repentance of sins in preparation for the coming Messiah (Mt. 3:1-3) whose coming inaugurated the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 4:17).
A jealous dispute arose between JBap’s disciples and a Jew (some Jews) concerning purification rites. Some scholars think that the dispute was between John’s disciples and Jesus and his disciples. JBap’s disciples told him that Jesus was drawing larger crowds and becoming more popular than he was. JBap had not yet been imprisoned which means that Jesus’ ministry began before JBap was imprisoned (Mk. 1:4; Lk. 3:19-20; Mt. 4:12). JBap, in his humility, told his disciples that it was God’s will. JBap knew that his divine mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah (Mt. 3:1-3) and that Jesus, the Messiah (Jn. 1:34), was greater than he was (Jn. 1:15). He compared himself to the best man at a wedding and told his disciples that he was satisfied with his role as precursor and that his mission and joy were almost complete. Jesus’ role must increase, and JBap’s role must decrease. John’s role was fully diminished when he was beheaded, and Christ’s role grew infinitely on the Cross.
Verses 31-36 are a reflection on the authority and testimony of Jesus. The one who is from heaven is over everything on earth and in heaven (1 Cor. 15:47) and can testify with authority to the things he has seen and heard, but few accept his testimony. Those who do accept Jesus’ testimony can attest that God speaks the truth and is trustworthy. The Divine messenger speaks the words of God and God gives the Spirit in its fullness. God loves the Son (Mt. 3:17) and has given everything over to the Son (Jn. 13:3; Mt. 11:27)). Belief in the Son leads to salvation (1 Jn. 5:13), but unbelief leads to eternal damnation (Mk. 16:16).
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of new life earned for us by the blood of your only begotten Son on the cross. May we forever increase in the knowledge and love of Christ so that we will be reconciled with you when we stand before him in judgment. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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