John 3. John the Baptist

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing.²³ John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized²⁴ (for John had not yet been put in prison).

²⁵              Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification.²⁶ 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."²⁷ John answered, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.²⁸ You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.'²⁹ The one who has the brideis 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.³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease."

³¹              He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.³² He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.³³ Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.³⁴ For he whom God has sent utters 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.³⁶ 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.

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance 

Acts 19:1-6 ESV - And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 

In its context there were four sects of Judaism:

The Herodians. 

Herod built the temple.  He was an Idumean (not Jewish, of Edomite descent … Edomite goes back to Esau and Jacob).

Unlike strictly religious sects, they supported Hellenistic (Greek) culture and Roman political integration in Judea.

The Herodian dynasty began with Herod the Great who assumed the throne of Judea, with Roman support, bringing down the century-old Hasmonean Kingdom. His kingdom lasted until his death in 4 BC, when it was divided among his sons and sister as a tetrarchy, which lasted for about 10 years. Most of those tetrarchies, including Judea proper, were incorporated into Judaea Provincefrom 6 BC, though limited Herodian de facto kingship continued until Agrippa I's death in 44 AD and nominal title of kingship continued until c. 92 or 100 AD, when the last Herodian monarch, king Agrippa II, died and Rome assumed full power over his de jure domain.

The Hasmoneans had fought Alexander the Great.  They weee priests 

During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus (134–104 BC), Judea conquered Edom (Idumea) and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism. The Edomites were gradually integrated into the Judean nation, and some of them reached high-ranking positions.

Despite his announcement as king of the whole of Judea, Herod did not fully conquer it until 37 BC. He subsequently ruled the Herodian kingdom as a vassal king for 34 years, crushing the opposition while also initiating huge building projects, including the harbor at Caesarea Maritima, the plaza surrounded by retaining walls at the Temple Mount, the Masada and the Herodium, among other fortresses and public works. 

Herod  Antipas, a  son of Herod and Malthace, was made a tetrarch of Galilee and Perea; he ruled there until he was exiled by emperor Caligula in 39 AD, according to Josephus. Herod Antipas is the person referenced in the New Testament, playing a role in the death of John the Baptist  and the trial of Jesus. 

So the Hasmoneans Josephus and 1 Maccabees identify the family as belonging to the priestly order of Joiarib.

So Herod replaces the priestly line (and he is not Jewish and not priestly) and rebuilds the Temple.  

Around the temple are several mikvah’s , immersion baptistries.

In the original temple there was the laver of washing for daily cleansing of the priests by immersion washings. This is now replaced BY the mikvahs and everyone pays to be immersed there at the temple before bringing their offerings.  

John the baptists was the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah 

Luke 1:5-7 ESV - In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

John’s baptism outside of the Idumean Heroduans was probably perceived as more deeply fundamentalist than the Sadducees who who were in bed with the Heroduams and the Pharisees.  

I.               There Is No Greater Place Than God’s Will

The highest place is not the biggest place. The highest place is not the smallest place. The highest place is not the easiest place or the hardest place. The highest place is simply doing what God tells you to do. “A man [has] nothing, except it be given him [of God].” (John 3:27)

I’ve seen young preachers, David, try to present themselves and oversell themselves to a congregation. And, in a sense, he paints himself into a corner. If he tries to act like God, people will blame him when he doesn’t perform like God. We have what we have. Whoever we are and whatever we are is a gift of God. “A man [has] nothing, except it be given him [of God].” (John 3:27) Therefore, we need to understand what we can expect of ourselves. Others need to know what to expect and what not to expect. And there’s absolutely no room for jealousy or envy in the ministry or in any other area of life. “No man has anything except what’s given him of God.” (John 3:27)

 

II.             There Is No Greater Purpose Than Presenting Christ

 

John is still answering; he says, “Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, Iam not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is thebridegroom”—he’s talking about Jesus and the Church. The Church is the Bride, and Christ is the Bridegroom—“but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” (John 3:28–29)

John had an awareness of his call, and his call was that he was to present the Lord

Jesus Christ. John saw himself as a friend of the Bridegroom. Now, what does that mean? Well, a friend of the bridegroom is kind of like the best man of our day, except he did more in that day. He prepared for the wedding feast, the friend of the bridegroom did. The friend of the bridegroom would send out invitations. The friend of the bridegroom would prepare the bridal chamber. He would take the bride and escort her to the wedding. He would deliver her to the bridal chamber. He would be the protector.

And when he brought her to the bridal chamber and heard the bridegroom’s voice, he would greatly rejoice that he had presented the bride to the bridegroom. John said, “That’s what I’m here to do. I am a friend of the Groom.”

In the ministry, you’d better find your joy in presenting people to Jesus Christ, not in budgets, not in buildings, not in organizations, not in numbers, not in honors, because if you do, sooner or later you’re going to be disappointed or discouraged.

One of the things that I love about John the Baptist is this: he was a Jesus man. For he said, “He must increase, [and] I must decrease.” (John 3:30) As a matter of fact, they were talking about John the Baptist over there in the Gospel of John, in the tenth chapter. And they said of John the Baptist that “John did no miracle.” (John 10:41) You know, John never performed a miracle. Yet Jesus said of John, “There was not a greater born of woman than John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11:11;; Luke 7:28) That’s a pretty good compliment when you consider who said it—“not a greater born of woman than John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28) But in John chapter 10, it says that John never did a miracle. (John 10:41) John never opened blind eyes and unstopped deaf ears. He never straightened withered limbs. He never multiplied loaves. He didn’t raise the dead. John never did a miracle. But that verse goes on to say, “But all things…John [spoke] of [Jesus] were true. And many believed on [Jesus]” (John 10:41– 42) because of John’s words. I’d rather have that said at my graveside than to say, one day, “I raised the dead,” “I healed the lame,” or “I fed the multitudes.”

And if you ever get discouraged, just go out and win somebody to Jesus. If you ever get down, just get the focus again and say that “He must increase.” And keep your focus upon Jesus. If you get your focus upon people, if you get your focus upon buildings, if you get your focus upon programs, sooner or later you’re going to be dragging bottom. There is no higher place than the will of God. There is no greater purpose than presenting the Lord Jesus

 

III. There Is No Greater Peace Than Seeing Christ Magnified

“[I] rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:29–30) Jealousy and discomfort and discouragement come when we get our fulfillment fromachievements and possessions rather than Jesus. And not everybody’s going toappreciate you. Not everybody appreciates me.

There was a violinist who did a great concert. And the people stood and cheered, but the violinist stood aside with his head down. One of the stage managers said, “Go out and take a bow. You did wonderful. The people are so pleased.” He said, “Not all of them. You see that man sitting down there with his head down? He’s my teacher. If he’s not pleased, I’m not pleased.”