22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. 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.
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.” 27 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.”
Interesting Words
spending time
diatribó – rub hard, rub away, to spend time, tarry, continue, stay in a place.
• Acts 14:3, 27-28;
• Acts 15:35;
all
pas – “all” in the sense of “each (every) part that applies.” The emphasis of the total picture then is on “one piece at a time.”
• John 3:16; John 6:45; John 12:32;
• John 13:3-4; John 14:26; 15:15, 17:21;
receive
lambanó – receive, get, take, actively lay hold of to take or receive, lay hold by aggressively, “accept with initiative“, emphasizes the volition (assertiveness) of the receiver.
• Matt 7:8; Mark 10:29, 30; John 14:2-3 17;
• Matt 8:17 [ took=lambanó, seized]
• Acts 1:8; Rom 5:17;
wrath
orgé – anger, wrath, passion; punishment, vengeance, from orgáō, “to teem, swelling up to constitutionally oppose”) – properly, settled anger (opposition), i.e. rising up from an ongoing (fixed) opposition, not a sudden outburst, but rather (referring to God’s) fixed, controlled, passionate feeling against sin.
• Rom 1:18, 2:5, 5:9;
• Eph 5:6; 1Thes 1:10;
Cross References
• Prov 27:17 – Spending time in fellowship, rubbing shoulders with other Christians helps us learn and experience God’s Kingdom today.
• John 1:12-13 – How a person responds to the Gospel is the primary indicator of how God is working in their lives and their state in the future.
• 1John 5:11-12 – Eternal life is a result of God working in our lives and giving us the assurance that we will escape the coming day of judgement for sin.
Discussion Questions
- What do you think was Jesus’ purpose in spending time in Judea (John 3:22)?
• Relaxation, recovery, rest… physically and mentally. This is similar to His suggestion to the disciples after a long period of ministry (Mark 6:31).
• He possibly wanted to get some time with His disciples in situations different from the normal day-to-day… Mark 3:14;
• He was baptizing, which implies ministry was happening.
• He may have been using the opportunity to train his men in various ways to preach or change the topic of conversation to repentance, for example. - How does this section enhance your understanding of the people and customs of this period?
• Some people were sensitive to the Holy Spirit and they responded to His call on their own.
• They were being baptized on the testimony of John the Baptist.
• Looking into the future, life was filled with risk especially if you were preaching to governmental leadership… there were no legal protections for freedom of speech.
• John was very effective. He had a number of followers himself… his disciples. - What insight does this section provide with reference to John the Baptist?
• John was very perseptive, seeing God’s hand leading him to baptize. This was an effective tool in presenting repentance to people and to determine their seriousness, their commitment. Just the selection of the area in which to minister (much water) promoted repentance and baptism.
• He was vitally in touch with God, sensing the call of God. He saw his role clearly with respect to Jesus’ ministry, (John 3:27).
• John was very humble knowing that he had followers of his own and yet he had to decrease in light of Jesus’ rise, (John 3:30).
• He did know that he was called, and not in a general sense, but to a specific ministry… “I am not the Christ” (John 3:28). “I was sent ahead of Him to make straight the path for the Messiah”, John 1:23. - What does John_3:27-36 indicate about John the Baptist’s core theologies?
• God is sovereignly involved in the lives of every believer, guiding and leading them into ministry.
• He understood from the Old Testament or possibly from Jesus’s teaching, the relationship between Christ and the Church.
• Bridegroom vs. Friend… Isa 62:4, 5; Jer 2:2; Hos 2:19-20;
• Jesus is from above and is above all. This is a position that can only be held by God, who Himself is above all (John 3:31; 1Chron 16:25; Ps 57:11; John 3:11, 12-13)
• John knew how Jesus was being received by man, and thus knew the depravity of man … No one receives his testimony (John 3:32; Rom 3:10-12)
• He knew that God is true… John 14:6; - Who is speaking in the last paragraph, John the Baptist, or the John the Apostle?
• It could be either one.
• The theology is certainly elevated above what one would expect from John the Baptist since he was confused in jail and sent questions to Jesus…Matt_11:2-62Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” 4Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. 6“And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
• It does reflect John the Baptist’s humility, being “of the earth”
• John the Baptist probably knew first-hand how the rejection of men felt having encountered the wrath of the Jews head-on and being assured he would eventually end up in prison. - How is the hierarchy in heaven and earth portrayed in John 3:31-32, and how would that play out in court?
• God is above all. No one is greater that Him.
• The Lord Jesus Christ is all powerful and is raised to the highest position, above all others… Matt 28:18; Eph 1:20-21, 22-23
• Since Jesus is God, as is the Holy Spirit, the three are equally in charge at the top (John 3:34)
• God loves His Son, and has given all things into His hands… John 3:35; Phil 2:6; - What does John 3:31-32 indicate about the character of Christ and the reception He got by His creation?
• He was rejected by all.
• His death was not caused and organized by the Jews but by all of us.
• He boldly speaks of things He knows about… heaven, His power, the weakness of man, man’s hardness of heart
• Man’s inability to respond to His message.
• Man’s aggressive rejection of Jesus. - Compare John 3:33-34, 35-36 to John 1:12-13. What are the similarities and differences?
Similarities:
• Jesus was rejected by his own (Jews and/or the whole human race) is show in both (John 1:11, 3:32)
Mostly Subtle Differences:
• Receiving Christ = believing in His name
• Receiving Christ (in reality) can be defined as setting our own personal seal (personal attestation) to these facts: 1) God is true 2) Jesus speaks the words of God 3) God has given the Spirit without measure to Him 4) God loves the Son 5) Jesus is the Christ.
• Those who receive Him, have the right to be sons of God
• They will escape the wrath of God and inherit eternal life (John 5:24). - How does this influence your understanding of the salvation of the believer?
• We set our seal on certain beliefs when we receive Christ as Lord
• As such it changes the course of our lives, puts us on a new trajectory
• The Holy Spirit is given without measure and this makes us new creatures inside… 2Cor 5:17
• Immanuel, “God with us” takes on new and enhanced meaning knowing how much He has given to our relationship… He is all in… 1John 4:4
• The opposite is unfortunately true, those who don’t believe or those who don’t obey the truth have the wrath of God abiding on them.