John 3,22-36
John the Baptist is a witness about Jesus
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the countryside of Judea. There he spent some time with them. And he baptised people there.
23 John was also baptising. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water. People were coming and being baptised.
24 This was before John was put in prison.
25 Some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew began to argue. They argued about special washings to make people ‘clean’.
26 They came to John and here is what they said to him. ‘Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the River Jordan is baptising people. He is the one you told us about. Everyone is going to him.’
27 John replied, ‘A person can receive only what God gives them from heaven.
28 You yourselves are witnesses that I said, “I am not the Messiah. I was sent ahead of him.”
29 The bride belongs to the groom. The friend who helps the groom waits and listens for him. He is full of joy when he hears the groom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
30 He must become more important. I must become less important.
31 ‘The one who comes from above is above everything. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks like someone from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above everything.
32 He is a witness to what he has seen and heard. But no one accepts what he says.
33 Anyone who has accepted it has said, “Yes. God is truthful.”
34 The one whom God has sent speaks God’s words. That’s because God gives the Holy Spirit without limit.
35 The Father loves the Son and has put everything into his hands.
36 Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life. Anyone who does not believe in the Son will not have life. God’s anger remains on them.’
Hello everyone, I am kiki. Chinese name of our second phase of the program is “读经大讲堂”. The English name is “Bible study”.
We will adopt a relaxed also enjoyable learning mode to take you into a new learning world. Each time I will make a personal summary and analysis from the perspective of a learner, and then Sister Ingrid will help me conduct in-depth learning and problem discussions with everybody.
I hope that such an interesting and interactive process can bring new knowledge experience to you all. The following is my interview with my sister on related issues. Today is the sixth lecture on the Gospel of John 。Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment area for discussion!
My summary of John sixth time study:
The Bible passage from sister provided me is supposed to tell the story of Jesus and John the Baptist, both of whom baptized people in different places.
What exactly is baptism? What is the specific process? I’ve never attended. So from my personal perspective I can’t quite imagine it.
John’s followers noticed that more and more people were going to Jesus to be baptized, so they came to John to ask about it. John explained to them that this was part of God’s plan to make Jesus more important and him, John, less important.
He emphasized that his purpose was to open the way for Jesus, who came from heaven to speak the Word of God.
John uses the parable of the bridegroom and his friends to illustrate his relationship with Jesus. He expressed his joy at hearing Jesus’ voice and acknowledged that Jesus must be in the spotlight.
John understood that those who believe in Jesus have eternal life, but those who do not believe do not.
John saw his own special role in preparing Jesus for his important mission. John knew his place in the grand scheme of things and felt comfortable in his role as messenger.
He wanted people to understand that Jesus was the one they should truly follow and believe in because He came from God.
It is important that we recognize our own limitations and understand that there are larger forces at work. It shows us that when the time comes, it’s okay to step aside and let someone else take the lead who is actually useful. Jesus is such a character.
Loyalty, humility, and the power of faith in something greater than ourselves is what matters. This passage encourages us to trust God’s plan and find joy in supporting others on their journeys, just like John did for Jesus.
I don’t understand it comprehensively. Now I ask my sister to summarize my study for me.
Sister’s comment from my studying summary:
Hello sister, you explained that bible passage very good. The key phrase in the text is, nobody can take something if not heaven has given him. So we have to be contantant like John the Baptist with the role we have gotten here on earth knowing if we faithful fullfill our work here on earth, we will get a crown and reward in heaven for it.
Q list part: base on John 4th items:
Okay.Base on above bible study content, now let me ask sister some related questions.
Sister, How can we interpret the concept of baptism in today’s society, where spirituality and organized religion often play different roles than in ancient times?
I have never been baptized myself, so I want to understand the process.
You asked me about baptising. The baptising has its origin in the Jewish religion. The had several washings for many purposes. When for example a woman has stoped her monthly bloodning, she has to was herself, too. Therefor is the bathroom for the Jewish more important than the synagoge. When they came into financial struggel, they sell the synagoges assamly room before the washing room.
In Christian religion you need only one baptism with water. You sumerge into the water for to demonstrate, that you died and ressusitate with Jesus and that you old flesh keeps into the water.
John s baptise was something in between. He washes for repantance in his baptise, but since Jesus still not died on the cross, he cannot demonstrate and proclaim his death and ressourection with the baptizing.
In a world where social media influencers often dominate attention, how do we combine the humility of John the Baptist with the confusion of today’s youth? How about being a person who is loyal, peaceful and humble at heart?
The problem today is, that the social media are focused on our society. John the baptist was focused on heaven.
Society wants to be a star here on earth while John wanted to fullfill his role here on earth for to get the reward in heaven.
And since he knew that all our live, talents, all spiritual and intelectual gifts come from God, he was very carefull, because when you don t use them according to the will of God, it is easy to loose them.
With the rise of fake news and misinformation, how do we discern truth and authenticity in a world where credibility is often questioned? Many people cannot see Christ and do not believe in the existence of Christ?
When philip invited Nathanael who was a very sceptical person, he just said, come and see. I cannot prove to you, that the bible is the truth or not. There are some historical facts, that prove, that it is the truth, but the bible is for to believe, not for to proof.
When you read the bible with an open mind and an open heart that gives room to the Holy Spirit for to talk, you will find the truth in it.
In today’s fast-paced world, where success and recognition are often equated with importance, how do we reflect on John’s statement that he must become less important while Jesus becomes more important? Many times we cannot be strong and need someone like Jesus to help us.
Well, that is the way of life. We are not the whole life 30 or 40. You are at the moment on the top of your life, but when you will become 50, you will see, that you will have lost a part of your power already, that you grow old and the conversations are more about death and funerals and not about marriages and babies.
Today the people ignore that part of the life by a youth maniac but it will come to us all and when you don t ignore it but live it, that you can be with 80 as happy as you have been with 20.
Given the role of social structure and hierarchy, how do we channel the idea of “top down above all else”? Doesn’t society advocate equality for everyone? Or does it mean that apart from Jesus, Christians simply have no hierarchy?
That is the old discussion in which socialistic systems fail and it is so easy to answer. First of all: We have all the same worth. In front of God nobody is more or less worth. And God loves us all by the same way. He does not have favorite children or people and his will is, that we all will be saved.
But: We are not all the same. Everyone of us has a certain purpose to fullfill on this earth and we are gifted with this purpose, that we have the optimal toolkit for to work in what we are doing.
People use to be jealous – that is a work of the flesh, of the devil – because they want to have the same as the other. But we have to be aware: The more you have gotten, the more you have responsability about the gifts you have. How do you use them. Is it for social media show or are you serving with your gifts to the Lord?
How can the notion of receiving only what God gives from heaven be understood in a contemporary context where materialism and consumerism often drive people’s desires?
Here we just have to relax. We have to forget about materialism and consumerism and wait until God gives us what we would like to have. I stopped to buy inmediately the things I would like to have, because the happyness for to get it is very short. I just wait and when God gives me something new, I am happy for a very long time, because I know that he has given it to me.
Sister, how do we understand prioritizing spiritual pursuits over material pursuits? Believing in Jesus is the first priority for us, and then pursuing material life?
This is a big conflict in our life: We can t live like eremits on a hill and eat wind and light. We must have food and water and shelter at least.
But the question always is, how much time to we spend on the things. And I must admit, that I am often more compromised to the marketing issues of my work that to the kingdom of God who can send me work without earthly marketing issues.
Regarding eternal life, sister, what do you understand of it? What does the eternal world look like to you?
Here we have a great difference between Christianity and Asian religions. Asia religions want to go to Nirvana and to end forever. They want to die forever in simply words.
Christians will to go once to heaven and to live forever there. We are concient there, we have fellowshep with God Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and among us and we will get an administrative work to do, for example worship leaders, there are a lot of things we will do according to the crown we have got as a result of our earthly life.
In John’s analogy, who represents the bride, the groom, and the friend who helps the groom?
Jesus is the groom, the bride is the universal church through all generations after Jesus resurection and the friend is John the baptist.
According to John, what does the phrase “I am not the Messiah. I was sent ahead of him” imply about his role and the person being discussed?
He defines himself in front of the people. Because many felt, that the Messiah will come but John had to tell them, that it was not him, there will come another.
