John 3:27-30
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.”
Reflection
John the Baptist had received a lot of attention in his ministry. But he had said that he did not want the attention to be on him. In fact the attention should NOT be on him. He was merely pointing the way for someone else, Jesus, who had now officially started His ministry.
He compares the situation to a wedding with the following players: Jesus is the bridegroom, the “church” (Jesus’ followers at the time) was considered the bride, and John the Baptist was simply the friend of the bridegroom, pointing to the bridegroom. Now it is time for the bridegroom to take center stage. John the Baptist says that it is time for him to become less as the real attention goes to Jesus. In other words, people should now devote their attention to NOT the good (John the Baptist) but to the better (Jesus).
Think about your reflection from Monday: has there been a time where you did (or needed to) point someone from you and your good works to Jesus who is the better?
