John 3:22-36:

It Is All About Jesus!

By Dr. Hal Harless

Foundation Fellowship of Greenville, TX

August 2, 2009

 

I.  Introduction

A.  Please turn to John 3:22. 

B.  While you are turning.... 

Once, at a formal dinner, Lady Astor said to her neighbor that she considered men to be more conceited than women.

 

Noticing that she had been heard around the table, she continued loudly: “It’s a pity that the most intelligent and learned men attach the least importance to the way they dress.  Why, right at this table the most cultivated man is wearing the most clumsily knotted tie!”

 

The words were scarcely out of her mouth before every man in the room ... reached up to adjust his tie.[1]

 

We are a culture that is stuck on ourselves.  Carly Simon's lyrics strike a responsive chord:

You're so vain; you probably think this song is about you

You're so vain; I'll bet you think this song is about you

Don't you?  Don't you?[2]

 

To a world that thinks that it really is "all about us," John the Baptist shouts, "No!  It is all about Jesus!"

II.  Exposition

A.  Background

1.  We are in the section concerning Jesus' public ministry (John 2:1-12:36a).

2.  This week, the Passover season over, and Jesus has left Jerusalem for the Judean countryside.

3.  Last week, Jesus spoke to Nicodemus of the necessity of being reborn from above and faith.

4.  This week we have John the Baptist's final testimony to Jesus Christ.

B.  Exposition: John the Baptist's final testimony (John 3:22-36)

1.  Jesus and John baptizing (John 3:22-24)

a.  Jesus and the disciples baptizing (John 3:22)

                ²² After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing (John 3:22).

 

1)  Jesus and the disciples left Jerusalem, but stayed in Judea for a time of fellowship and baptizing. 

2)  "After these things"--After the events at Passover.[3] 

3)  "Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea"

a)  Rabbis considered it a duty to "REAR MANY DISCIPLES."[4] 

b)  Disciples learned from their rabbi by following him around.[5] 

c)  They would learn from their interaction and memorizing the rabbi's sayings. 

d)  A good disciple "IS A PLASTERED CISTERN WHICH LOSES NOT A DROP."[6] 

4)  "And there He was spending time with them and baptizing."

a)  They were engaged in baptizing. 

b)  However, John tells us later that "Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were" (John 4:2). 

c)  While John does not tell us the exact location, it was probably 20-30 miles south of John the Baptist's position.[7]

b.  John baptizing (John 3:23-24)

²³ John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized--²⁴ for John had not yet been thrown into prison (John 3:23-24).

 

1)  "John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim."

a)  "Aenon" is from the Heb. word for "springs."[8]  The modern site is either Khirbet Einun or Umm el-'Amdan. 

b)  "Salim" may be from the Heb. šālôm and means "peace."[9]  The site is probably modern Tel Rhadragh. 

c)  Aenon (less than one mile) and Salim (slightly more than two miles north of the border of the Decapolis) are approximately five or six miles south of Scythopolis (modern Beth-Shean) in the region of the Decapolis.[10] 

2)  "Because there was much water there and people were coming and were being baptized."

a)  Several streams and wadies empty into the Jordan at that location. 

b)  Therefore, there was abundant water and people were being baptized. 

3)  "For John had not yet been thrown into prison."

a)  This was the period before John was imprisoned. 

b)  Based on Mark 1:14, John's incarceration happened just before Jesus' Galilean ministry began (see also Matt 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; Luke 3:19-20).[11] 

c)  Therefore, John was imprisoned shortly after this incident.

2.  He must increase; I must decrease (John 3:25-30).

a.  A question about purification (John 3:25-26)

                ²⁵ Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification.  ²⁶ And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him" (John 3:25-26).

 

1)  "Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification."

a)  Because of the dual baptizing ministries ("Therefore"), John's disciples got into a discussion concerning purification. 

b)  The discussion became heated; the Gk. word translated "discussion" means "matter for dispute, controversial question, controversy" or "engagement in a controversial discussion, ... debate, argument."[12] 

c)  The opponent in this debate is left indefinite, "a Jew" or "a certain Jew" (NET, NIV).  The focus is on the reaction of John's disciples. 

d)  The Gk. word translated "purification" primarily means "cleansing from cultic impurity."[13] 

i)  Ritual purity was a serious issue for first century Judaism; the Talmud contains 835 references to washing, and the Essenes at Qumran on the Dead Sea were famous for their frequent washings.

ii)  The question was probably about which of the two baptizers, John or Jesus, had a baptism that actually rendered one ritually pure.

2)  "And they came to John and said to him, 'Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.'"

a)  John's disciples, alarmed by the competition, brought the question to their rabbi, John the Baptist. 

b)  "He who was with you beyond the Jordan," i.e., Jesus.  John's disciples refused to even say Jesus' name.[14] 

c)  "To whom you have testified"--The Gk. word translated "have testified" is a perfect tense verb indicating that John had testified and continued to testify. 

d)  There is more than a hint of reproach, "They came to John and said to him, 'Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan--the one you testified about--well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him'" (NIV). 

i)  The Gk. word translated "behold" means "see" (NET) or "look" (ESV); "just look what's happening." 

ii)  "All are coming to Him"--This has been translated "everyone is flocking to him!" (HCSB, NET). 

iii)  Robertson commented, "What a life-like picture of ministerial jealousy in all ages."[15] 

iv)  John's disciples are confused that their own master recommended and continued to recommend Jesus thus jeopardizing the viability of his own ministry.

b.  John's answer (John 3:27-30)

³⁰ John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.  ²⁸ You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'  ²⁹ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  So this joy of mine has been made full.  ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:27-30).

 

1)  "John answered and said, 'A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.'"

a)  John answered with the general principle that one must play the part that God has determined for him. 

b)  Orthodox Jews will often say "heaven" as a way to avoid saying "God" out of reverence.[16] 

c)  Paul wrote to the Corinthians that "who regards you as superior?  What do you have that you did not receive?  And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" (1 Cor 4:7).  All gifts and callings come from God; we have nothing that we did not receive. 

d)  As is the case for the high priest, so is it for other ministries, "And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God" (Heb 5:4). 

e)  John can only fulfill the role given to him by God; the same is true of all of us.

2)  "You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'"

a)  John reminded them that he had said that he was not the Messiah, but the forerunner. 

b)  This refers back to his testimony in John 1:20-23. 

c)  The Gk. word translated "sent" (apostellō) means "send with a commission, send with authority."[17]  The noun form of this verb is the word apostle.[18] 

d)  John's role was to go ahead of the Messiah and bear witness to Him, he had fulfilled that role well.

3)  "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  So this joy of mine has been made full."

a)  John drew a comparison with the groom and the groom's friend in order to explain that he was happy concerning Jesus' success. 

b)  It is self-evident that the groom is the one "who has the bride." 

c)  The "friend of the bridegroom" "was the agent for the bridegroom in arranging the marriage and played an important part in the wedding festivities."[19] 

d)  Barclay translates, "The bridegroom's friend, who is there to support him and carry out his orders, is very glad when he hears the voice of the bridegroom" (Barclay). 

e)  John could not be happier that Jesus was succeeding in His mission.

4)  "He must increase, but I must decrease."

a)  John summed this up beautifully by stating that Jesus must increase in importance while he, John, must decrease. 

b)  The Gk. word translated "must" means a "necessity lying in the nature of the case."[20] 

c)  Wuest translates, "It is necessary in the nature of the case for that One to become constantly greater but for me constantly to be made less" (NTET). 

d)  Barclay translates, "I must fade out of the picture" (Barclay). 

e)  It is as if John said, "Never mind me.  If Christ is glorified, that is all I am concerned about.  I do not want them to think of me.  I do not want them to make anything of me."[21] 

f)  It has been related that "when William Carey [The father of the modern missions movement.] was dying, he turned to a friend and said, 'When I am gone, don't talk about William Carey; talk about William Carey's Savior.  I desire that Christ alone might be magnified.'"[22] 

g)  John the Baptist was being prophetic when he said this since he was shortly to be arrested and imprisoned. 

h)  John the Baptist was acutely aware that it was not "all about me."

3.  John the Baptist's testimony to Christ's superiority [4 reasons] (John 3:31-36)

a.  Jesus is superior because He is from heaven (John 3:31).

³¹ "He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all" (John 3:31).

 

1)  "He who comes from above is above all."

a)  John the Baptist said that Jesus is naturally superior to him since Jesus came from heaven. 

i)  The Gk. word translated "from above" is the same word often translated "again" in John 3:3, 5.[23]  This clarifies that the meaning there at least included "from above," i.e., from heaven. 

ii)  The second Gk. word translated "above" means "being superior in status."[24] 

b)  This superiority is over "all." 

2)  "He who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth."

a)  We have here the same contrast between earthly things and heavenly things that Jesus mentioned earlier in His discussion with Nicodemus (John 3:12). 

b)  This is also reminiscent of what John would later write, "They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them" (1 John 4:5). 

c)  Those who are from the earth can only know and speak of earthly things; that is their frame of reference.

3)  "He who comes from heaven is above all."

a)  John ends by reiterating with the same phrase that Jesus is superior to all.

b)  Jesus is superior because He came from heaven.

b.  Jesus is superior because of His superior testimony (John 3:32-33).

³² "What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  ³³ He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true" (John 3:32-33).

 

1)  "What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony."

a)  Jesus' testimony concerns His own experience, even though most do not receive it. 

i)  However, Jesus being from Heaven has first-hand knowledge of heavenly things. 

ii)  Jesus said of Himself, ""No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man" (John 3:13). 

b)  "No one receives His testimony"

i)  Jesus complained to Nicodemus that "Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony" (John 3:11). 

ii)  John the Baptist was using hyperbole when he said that "no one receives His testimony;" else it would conflict with the next verse.

iii)  This has been translated, "But how few believe what he tells them!" (NLT). 

2)  "He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true."

a)  Those who do receive it are confirming God's own truthfulness. 

b)  The Gk. word translated "has set his seal" means "to certify that someth[ing] is so, attest, certify, acknowledge ... as a seal does on a document."[25] 

i)  "Has certified" (NIV, NKJV)

ii)  "Has confirmed clearly" (NET).

c)  John said that those who receive Jesus' witness confirm not just Jesus' truthfulness, but also God's truthfulness.[26]

c.  Jesus is superior because of His relationship to the Father (John 3:34-35).

³⁴ "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.  ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand" (John 3:34-35).

 

1)  "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God."

a)  The reason that those who receive Jesus' testimony are confirming God's truthfulness is that Jesus speaks God's words because He has the Spirit of God without limit. 

b)  The Gk. word translated "sent" (apostellō) means "send with a commission, send with authority."[27] 

c)  Jesus said, "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me" (John 7:16). 

d)  He also said, "I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me" (John 8:28). 

e)  Jesus' relationship to the Father was the source of His authority and His message.

2)  "For He gives the Spirit without measure."

a)  "He gives," i.e., God gives the Spirit to Jesus limitlessly.[28] 

i)  Barclay translates, "God gives him no meagre share of his Spirit" (Barclay). 

ii)  Williams translates, "God continues to give Him the Spirit without measure" (NTLP). 

iii)  Other translations include, "God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him" (KJV), "God gives him the Spirit without limit" (GW, NLT), and "God gives him the Spirit without reserve" (NJB). 

iv)  In contrast, Rabbi AÊa (c. AD 320) taught that "the Holy Spirit rested on the prophets by measure."[29] 

b)  The Messiah was to have the power of the Holy Spirit.

i)  Isaiah prophesied, "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights.  I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations" (Isa 42:1; cp. Matt 12:18). 

ii)  Isaiah also wrote, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners" (Isa 61:1; cp. Luke 4:18). 

c)  Jesus' relationship to the Father and the Spirit was the source of His power.

3)  "The Father loves the Son."

a)  God, the Father, loves Jesus and has committed everything to Him. 

b)  Jesus said that "the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing" (John 5:20). 

c)  The Gk. word translated "loves" is a present tense verb describing an ongoing relationship.[30] 

d)  This gives us a small glimpse into the Trinity.  If we should wonder what God did in eternity before creation, the Father was loving the Son and the Spirit who were both loving Him and each other.

4)  "And has given all things into His hand."

a)  The Gk. word translated "has given" is a perfect tense verb; all authority has been given and continues to belong to the Son.[31] 

i)  In His high priestly prayer to His followers, Jesus said to God, the Father, "You gave Him [Messiah] authority over all flesh" (John 17:2). 

ii)  After the resurrection, Jesus told His followers that "all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matt 28:18). 

b)  Thus, John exalted Jesus as the highest possible authority and acknowledged His deity.

d.  Jesus is superior because faith in Him decides your eternal fate (John 3:36).

³⁶ "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36).

 

1)  "He who believes in the Son has eternal life."

a)  John the Baptist confirms that faith in Jesus gives eternal life, and that refusal to obey the command to believe results in the abiding wrath of God. 

b)  The Gk. word translated "has" is a present tense verb; eternal life is a present possession. 

c)  Faith is "nothing more nor less than believing that God means what He says."[32] 

2)  "But he who does not obey the Son will not see life."

a)  Some see the introduction of works here as an additional condition of salvation.

b)  However, the Gk. word translated "who does not obey" means "in relation to the gospel message disbelieve, refuse to believe, be an unbeliever," "reject belief," or "not to allow oneself to be persuaded ... refuse or withhold belief."[33] 

i)  It has been translated as "reject" (NET, NIV), "rejects" (GW), or "refuses to believe" (HCSB, NJB).[34] 

ii)  Since it is a participle, it expresses the character of the person in question. 

c)  Several translations bring out this meaning. 

i)  Wuest translates, "The one who places his trust in the Son has life eternal.  But he who refuses to place his trust in the Son, being of such a nature that he refuses to be persuaded, shall not see life, but the wrath of God is abiding on him" (NTET). 

ii)  Barclay translates this as, "To believe in the Son is to enjoy the experience of eternal life; to refuse to believe in the Son is to deprive oneself of the experience of life.  More, it is to become the object of the wrath of God" (Barclay). 

iii)  Williams translates, "Whoever trusts in the Son possesses eternal life, but whoever refuses to trust in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God continues to remain on him" (NTLP). 

d)  The issue is not works, but trust in Jesus or the refusal to trust.

3)  "But the wrath of God abides on him."

a)  John the Baptist preached that the wrath of God remained on the unbeliever. 

b)  There is no annihilation, but an eternal experience of God's wrath.

c)  The Gk. word translated "wrath" means "strong indignation directed at wrongdoing, w[ith] focus on retribution."[35]  This is not the same as "getting mad," which would be translated by another Gk. word.[36] 

d)  This corresponds to Jesus' teaching that those who do not trust in Him are judged already (John 3:18).

e)  By far and away, Jesus spoke of hell more than anyone else; eleven times (Matt 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5) compared to once for James (Jas 3:6) and once for Peter (2 Pet 2:4). 

f)  Hell is a terrible reality and God does not want to send you there, "'Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,' declares the Lord GOD, 'rather than that he should turn from his ways and live? ....  For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,' declares the Lord GOD. 'Therefore, repent and live'" (Ezek 18:23, 32). 

g)  God will honor your free will even if you chose to reject Him forever. 

h)  C. S. Lewis observed, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.'"[37]

II.  Applications

A.  Jesus

1.  Jesus is superior because He is from heaven.

2.  Jesus is superior because of His superior testimony.

3.  Jesus is superior because of His relationship to the Father.

a.  His authority

b.  His message

c.  His spiritual power

d.  His eternal loving relationship with the Father

4.  Jesus is superior because faith in Him decides your eternal fate

B.  Us

1.  We can only fulfill the role given to us by God.

2.  We are to bear witness to Jesus Christ, not ourselves.

3.  We must be acutely aware that it is not "all about me."  It is all about Jesus.

4.  God will honor your free will even if you chose to reject Him forever.