After his powerful teaching that “God so loved the world…” Jesus and his disciples go out into the countryside, so that they may baptize anyone responding to the call of Jesus.
John the Baptist goes to a different location where water is plentiful and continues baptizing as well. A Jew of some standing in the community reports to John that Jesus is competing with him by baptizing, and that all of the people are flocking to Jesus; John will be left with little.
Beware of the person who seeks to sow discord and disunity by promoting competition among the people of God!
John’s response is one for the ages, noble and respectful, and a perfect model for how we should practice perfect unity:
“A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven…I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him” (3:27-28).
All blessings, from teaching Sunday school to coaching kids in sports to running the church kitchen are gifts from heaven. But if someone injects a spirit of competition against us, we can choose unity and take comfort that maybe God is preparing us for teamwork instead. If God chooses to bring in someone else, we should put away any feelings of competition, be respectful in the name of unity, and wait for further direction from God. It could be that God has an even more important job for us!
Now imagine if our replacement were to be Jesus himself. Would there be any question?
John the Baptist goes on:
“’The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom … rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease’” (3:29-30).
There is no greed or competition here from John, only gratitude for having been chosen by God to serve for a period determined by God alone.
The Gospel writer John then sets down the truth about Jesus in living color:
“He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way … Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true … For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure” (3:31-34).
This is followed by a stern warning concerning unity with Jesus on one hand, and disunity from God on the other:
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (3:36).
John the Baptist, then, has eternal life for obeying Jesus, even though his decrease will soon be fatal.
If we engage in competition with another believer, we are not obeying Jesus’ prayer for unity (John 17:23), which I believe is also a command, for perfect unity, and there are consequences greater than what we may have imagined.
Belief is a good thing. But obedience is another. The cycle suggests that repentance resulting from rejecting competition with another believer leads to the never-ending love of God and restoration. Failure to obey Jesus leads to judgment, and if there is no repentance, the wrath of God.
Choose unity, not competition.