by Henry Knapp
I have come to realize that I am a quirky person—I will resist identifying some of my “quirks” since that would serve only to distract you at this point. In defense of my quirkiness, I suspect that we all are a little odd at some point or another. Anyways, my own peculiarity makes me sympathetic to others… once I know I’m quirky, it is easier to accept you as quirky too!
I have a good friend who responds in odd ways to certain questions, and it took me a while to figure that “oddness” out. If you asked this friend what his favorite food is, or favorite movie, or favorite anything, he would tense up and basically shut down. For a long time, I couldn’t figure that out—until I realized that the idea of identifying “the favorite” over all other options, would paralyze him. He didn’t want to answer just any food or movie, since I asked for “the favorite”. I had to learn to ask what foods he enjoyed, or movies he liked, and there was no problem. But, limiting it to just one favorite was a challenge. Quirky!
So, when I talk about my favorite Bible line, I probably should clarify—I really, really like this one! There are other great ones that might also at times be my “favorite,” but at this point, here’s my favorite line in the Scripture:
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
John the Baptist was the chief of all the prophets (Matthew 11:11); a man with an amazing ministry (John 1), a compelling message (Matthew 3, and many followers (Mark 6). It is totally understandable if some of that fame and success went to his head…but, it doesn’t seem to have. While it would be expected that John would be conscious of his own standing, aware of his value in God’s Kingdom, protective of his reputation, this is the very opposite of how John appears in the biblical texts.
Confronted with the counter-intuitive idea of baptizing Jesus, instead, John expresses an awareness that the Baptist should be the one being baptized! Rather than upholding his own value, instead of drawing attention to himself, John points his own followers to Jesus, the Lamb of God. In the scheme of things, John acknowledges himself as a lowly slave, stooping to tie on a sandal next to Jesus (see John 1). So, it shouldn’t surprise us when given a chance to shine in his own right, instead, John highlights Jesus—even to the point of diminishing himself—Jesus must increase, I must decrease!
As someone who can be all too aware of myself, this is a challenging thing indeed. Of course, I totally and fully understand it in theory—yes, I want Jesus lifted high, I want Him glorified, not me! But, gosh…that can be hard, a definite challenge. And John the Baptist shows me the way.
If you too know that Jesus must increase, in your life, in our church, in our world, and yet recognize the struggle to “decrease,” then I encourage you to read about John the Baptist. What a wonderful exemplar, a model for us of self-giving, of focused attention on our Lord, of keeping central that which is most important. John knew how to live his life for Jesus, so that Jesus would be glorified. I want that for you as well—I want that for me. Please join me in affirming: “Jesus must increase, I must decrease!”
In preparation for worship this week, read Mark 6:14-29.
- Knowing Herod’s family tree is almost a prerequisite for knowing what is going on. I would encourage you to look it up—simply google “Herod and Herodias.” What character traits of Herod are obvious through this passage?
- Why would John challenge Herod as he does? Herod was not preventing him from preaching before John attacked Herod’s marriage. Why would he do that?
- When Herod thinks that Jesus is John reincarnate, what is prompting such thoughts? Other than superstition, can you think of other reasons why Herod would think this way?
- What is the biblical reasoning for telling us about John’s beheading, and especially, about the circumstances which led to it? Why is it helpful/important for us to know about Herodias’ daughter?
- Take a step back. Look at the passages which precede and follow this story. Why does Mark include these details about Herod and John at this point?