John 3:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He must increase, but I must decrease."

NIV: He must become greater; I must become less."

NASB: He must increase, but I must decrease.

CSB: He must increase, but I must decrease."

NLT: He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

KJV: He must increase, but I must decrease.

NKJV: He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist came to prepare people (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1–3) for the One who is coming: Jesus (John 1:23; 3:28). Over time, as Jesus becomes known, more people follow Him than the Baptist (John 4:1). This is not a problem, at all. There's nothing wrong with the Baptist's message or his ministry. The reason he preached was to encourage others to follow the Messiah. So, when this starts to happen, he's happy. In fact, John makes an analogy to the best man at a wedding. The best man feels joy when the groom gets attention, and a bride (John 3:29).

The Baptist also knows that people cannot follow him and follow Jesus. If his message is working, people should be moving on from his ministry and becoming disciples of Jesus. This is the same situation Christian leaders find themselves in. The goal of teaching and preaching is to lead people to follow Jesus. At some point, those people should grow and mature until they are ready to make disciples themselves. The point of ministry is not to make the minister look good, but to help others in their walk with God.

Based on content, this seems to be the end of John the Baptist's statement. The next verse returns to John, the writer of this gospel, as he further explains Christ's supremacy.

John 3:22–30 describes an argument between followers of John the Baptist and a Jewish religious leader over purification. Though the passage does not name him, it's possible this man was Nicodemus; he had, who had just been discussing that topic with Jesus. The Baptist isn't upset that his followers are dwindling while Jesus attracts crowds. Instead, he makes it clear that Christ's glory was his mission, and seeing it succeed makes him happy. Rather than being selfish about our own applause, we should be happy when our efforts cause people to praise God.

John chapter 3 is one of the most important passages in the entire gospel. Many crucial ideas are explained here, including the role of Jesus as Savior. After the loud, public commotion at the temple, John transitions to a quiet, nighttime discussion. The speakers are Jesus and a Pharisee, Nicodemus, who is sincerely interested in understanding Jesus' ministry. These verses make it clear that Christ—and Christ alone—is the means of salvation for the entire world. This text also states that those who reject Jesus are rejecting God.

The gospel of John intends to prove that Jesus is God. Chapter 3 contains some of the most direct, most important concepts in Christianity. The ideas of spiritual rebirth and the necessity of belief in Christ are reinforced by the rest of the information in this gospel. John continues to use contrast, moving from the loud and public temple cleansing to the quiet of this conversation. After Jesus injects humility into a powerful leader, chapter 4 will transition again, as Jesus gives dignity to an outcast stranger.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.