Word to the Wise
Saturday, January 12, 2013 - Saturday after Epiphany, or Jan. 12
[1 John 5:14-21 and John 3:22-30]"He must increase; I must decrease."
The words of John the Baptist in response to the concerns of his disciples about Jesus' ministry show his faith, but his disciples don't appear to have gotten the message. They seem to think that Jesus is competing with John. John reminds them of what he previously said and then utters the simple but profound statement, "He must increase; I must decrease." If we accept the probability that the Gospel of John also reflects situations existing at the time of the writing, then it seems that the disciples of John the Baptist were still active many years after his and Jesus' deaths. The gospel is anxious to clarify and settle the question of Jesus' identity.
At the risk of reading something into John's words that might not be there, I still believe that the simple statement, "He must increase; I must decrease." is good advice for all preachers and those who work in the church. We need to remember who it is that we represent and about whom we preach or for whom we serve. As St. Paul says, "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus...." The temptations to power or pride are considerable and the tendency to let ourselves "increase" at the risk of "decreasing" Jesus is all too well documented. The message is more important than the messenger. John the Baptist knew this and has given us all an example and some very good advice. AMEN
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