He must increase, but I must decrease

Is there a verse that causes you to stop in your tracks, every time you see it? John 3:30 is that verse for me.

He must increase, but I must decrease.

An amazing declaration.

And, if you look at the context, John T. Baptist isn't saying this in some Eeyeore-ian tone of voice. No, he's happy. Like the best man at a wedding is happy.

With questions of who gets to sit on the right hand of Jesus' throne and who gets to sit on the left, one gets the impression that the disciples weren't saying, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

Their attitude was more like, "A rising tide lifts all boats." Yay! Go Jesus! More fame, honor, and glory for you means more for me, since I'm on your team!

I think most modern Americans can relate a little more to the disciples point of view than they can to John B.'s.

But, there he is, in the third chapter, quietly among his own disciples, saying, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

And, just in case his disciples don't quite get it, John B. adds, "He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth...."

In other words, "Guys, He's God. I'm not."

It seems people today really want to be their own god.

Well, they've always wanted that. But nowadays they're a lot more open about it.

A former coworker was into Etherian Mysticism. She'd left an article by the reigning mystic on her desk. It said something that pretty much boiled down to "You are God."

Yeah, lots of people seem to like that nowadays... being their own god.

But there he was, John T. Baptist, happy to say, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

I think I would like to have known him.