He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.
JOHN 3:29-30 NKJV
John 3:29 In explaining why people were flocking to Jesus (v. 26), John the Baptist pointed out that the bridegroom receives the bride. John compared himself to the friend of the bridegroom, who was appointed to arrange the preliminaries of the wedding, to manage the wedding, and to preside at the wedding feast. When the friend of the bridegroom finished his job, he had to get out of the way. His joy came from the success of the bridegroom. John was satisfied with his position in life. He was content to be a “voice” (1:23) and a friend.
John 3:30 John the Baptist insisted that Jesus Christ had to increase in popularity and that he, John, had to decrease. John explained that Jesus had to increase because of (1) His divine origin (v. 31), (2) His divine teaching (vv. 32–34), and (3) His divine authority (vv. 35, 36). Even though John encouraged his disciples to also follow Jesus, there were still some found many years later in Ephesus (Acts 19).
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