Your Place In Gods Story

How many here have attempted to trace your family heritage, maybe asked your relatives about your great grandfather or great grandmother, great aunts and uncles? It is always fascinating to trace the story of your lineage - where your family came from, how your ancient relatives lived, what they experienced, the things they did and the decisions they made that played a part in how you got to this place and point in time. Knowing this information helps you understand how and where your life fits into your family’s story.

How does this relate to today’s Bible passage? If you are a child of God, you are part of His family and part of His story of redemption. And if you desire to know how your life fits into God’s story, you will need to get to know the God who created you and seek His Kingdom first. Only when you put God’s Word into practice will you see where your place is and how your story becomes part of God’s story.

John 3:22-36

22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 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. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”

31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

What we see in this passage in John 3 is:

? Our place in God’s story

? Our part in God’s story

? The Person of Jesus Christ

Let’s talk about:

Our place in God’s story

V. 22 says, “After these things” - which is referring to after Jesus performed certain miracles, after He cleaned out the temple, after His encounter with Nicodemus…“Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside.” Bible scholars tell us that this was a kind of an “obscure” period of time because there wasn’t much recorded about what Jesus did in the Judean countryside. However, we know He went for two reasons. First, Jesus wanted to spend some unhurried time with His disciples - some speculate it could have been up to six months of training them in ministry. Second, His disciples were baptizing people just like John was, preparing people for the Kingdom of God.

V. 23 says,

Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.

John and his disciples had been baptizing people at the Jordan River and were now baptizing in very close proximity to where Jesus and His disciples were ministering.

In v. 24 - John, the disciple of Jesus wants us to know that this event took place between Jesus’ baptism and John the Baptist's arrest and it is most likely the last time where John the Baptist sees Jesus before his execution.

In vv. 25 -26 we see there was some type of dispute between John’s disciples and a Jewish man about purification practices. We do not know who this “certain Jew” was, but it would appear that this man was questioning the legitimacy of John’s ministry of baptism.

At the same time, John’s disciples were dealing with the issue of Jesus and His disciples who were also baptizing people. John the Baptist’s disciples who had given their time and energy and affection to him were very upset when they saw everyone leaving John and flocking to Jesus. They were so jealous of “that man” they couldn’t even say his name. You could hear their resentment when they called John “Rabbi” meaning John had the real authority and “that man” didn’t. “John can’t you see, the One you told us about is now baptizing like you and everyone is going over to him - this guy is upstaging you!”