They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan — the one you testified about — look, He is baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.” To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:26-30
“The best antidote to envy is the conviction of the sovereignty of God. The places, successes, and failures of our employments are under the sovereignty of a wise God. It is extremely comforting to know that what one has been given or has not been given in one’s vocations is traceable not only to our abilities or disabilities but even more to the providence of God. We would welcome each placement and employment (and even displacement and unemployment) with more gratitude and grace if we believed the Baptist’s present maxim. Confidence in the sovereignty of God delivers vocational peace. John believed in this sovereignty and so had no envy at all of Jesus’ increasing ministry and his decreasing one.”
Frederick Dale Bruner in The Gospel of John: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012) 220.
As we begin the fourth week of Lent, we might feel as though we are making progress in our practice of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, which is good. But we must not aspire to greatness or compare ourselves to others, lest we allow envy or pride to destroy us. John offers the right perspective for us. We must welcome whatever God gives us with grace and gratitude. To see every “placement and employment” as well as every “displacement and unemployment” in light of the sovereignty of God positions us to live with contentment and practice generosity. Like John the Baptist, when we have this perspective and as we progress spiritually, Jesus will actually become greater, and we will actually become less.
God, make the disciplines of Lent form us as people who face everything with grace and gratitude for your glory. Amen.