February 17, 2023

Am I Better Than You?

“Therefore, there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification. 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. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” John 3:25-27 (NASB)

Some years back I was at a pastor’s meeting. As a reasonably new pastor, I noted something that disturbed me. One pastor that night commented, “I fired this guy (pointing to another pastor), because he wasn’t good enough for our team.” I couldn’t believe I heard it. My wife looked at me and I looked at her. It raised her eyebrows. My first intuition was to respond… “Thank you God for keeping my mouth closed.” As the conversation continued, I noted the comparisons of churches. As the night drew to a close, emphasis was placed upon pastors who had bigger churches and the methods they used to grow. At the end of the evening, I knew we wasted our time. We left disappointed. This is an example of what lies within these passages.

  “Therefore, there arose a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification. 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.” Clearly some internal issues are forming in these passages. A. T. Robertson says, “These disciples of John are clearly jealous of Jesus as a rival of John, and they distinctly blame John for his endorsement of one who is already eclipsing him in popularity.”[1] One group of disciples is seen pitting against another in sheer jealousy. One group of disciples is led by Jesus, the other by John the Baptist. There wasn’t conflict for the leaders of these disciples though. They both knew their roles. Jesus is Messiah. John the Baptist was sent to testify of Messiah’s coming. This situation started by crowds who were beginning to come more to Jesus for baptism, and He personally wasn’t even baptizing them! His disciples were. John the Baptist knew his role with his response, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” This rendering in the English language “unless it has been given him from heaven,” is a little awkward. It should be read better as “unless it be granted him from heaven.” John knew his place. His place was to testify of Messiah’s coming, not competing. This gift he received could only come from heaven. Paul later in 1 Corinthians 4:7 repeats, “For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

  Today, realize we all are on the same team. Some churches are smaller. Some are larger. One is not better than the other, just different. Churches today need to realize there is One Leader. His name is Jesus Christ. He bought the church with His blood some 2000 years ago. No one else leads it. There is no competition either. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When you see yourself today, bragging about how great your pastor, church, or membership is within your church, do a self-check. It belongs to King Jesus. We are all on the same team. We are a family. The family of God, but only through Jesus Christ.  

[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Jn 3:26.