Yesterday we read that Jesus’ team, his disciples, were baptizing at the same time as John was baptizing, the only difference was the place. The focus shifts in verse 23 back to John the Baptist. While John was still baptizing, there arose a concern amongst his disciples. This concern came about because of an argument that John’s disciples had with an unnamed Jew (v. 25). We don’t know the content of that argument but it was probably a question over whose baptism was superior, John’s or Jesus’ baptism. Who should people be going to now to be baptized? John had already told some of his disciples that Jesus was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, and encouraged them to follow Him (John 1:35-37). If you had been a loyal disciple or follower of John watching more and more people going elsewhere, wouldn’t it have concerned you? They said: “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” (v. 26).
The ministry of John the Baptist was now on a decline. There was something new in town and people were leaving, and following Jesus. Obviously John’s disciples were concerned about what they saw as a departure from all that John was seeking to do. There was some competition all of a sudden. If we were to put ourselves into their situation perhaps we would be wondering what strategy could be done to draw them back. While in England, I remember hearing of a minister that was faced with something similar in his church. People were leaving and going elsewhere to another church. His strategy was to put on a mask like a famous comedian of the time and tickle people under the arms with his “tickling stick”. He hoped to draw people back, mimicking Ken Dodd, who did something similar in his comedy routine. While Ken Dodd made people laugh, this misguided minister made many shake their heads in amazement. How can we bring a compelling message to others about the love of Christ if we have no message that burns in our hearts? Unfortunately there is a competitive spirit amongst many churches. This reveals a motive that is misguided, and therefore, the ministry is misguided as well. Many times as I have attended Pastor’s conferences, I have noticed that within a few minutes of sitting down conversing with one another, pastors will often say, “How big is your church?” The unspoken question behind the question is; “are you worthy of my time?”, or “in what way will I be able to profit by spending time with you?” This is obviously the wrong attitude to have. John the Baptist had no such ambition or false motive for ministry. His desire was to point men to Jesus. That should be ours too.
