A wooden sign hangs in my office that reads, He>Me. It’s a continual reminder of the famous scripture, “He must increase; I must decrease.”
These words are tucked away in the third chapter of John. They sound like something the Apostle Paul would say, but they were spoken by a prophet born only six months before Jesus. He was one of the greats, but his proclamation became true. Jesus did rise to become greater than his cousin, John. John was a great prophet, but Jesus was the Messiah.
Who Says “He Must Increase I Must Decrease” in the Bible?
John the Baptist uttered these iconic words defending his relative. When Jews warned that Jesus’s disciples were baptizing more people than John and his disciples, this was his reply. Rather than responding defensively as the Jews had expected, John answered with assurance. He knew his purpose and his place in the work of God. He had baptized Jesus and seen the dove that landed on the Son of God. He’d heard God’s voice proclaiming Jesus as his Son, the One he loved (Matthew 3:13-16).
Secure in his identity and purpose, John knew he had done his job. He had prepared the way for the Lamb of God. He’d prepared the hearts of those who needed to repent and prepare for the coming Messiah. He did this through baptism. According to John Barnett in his article, “What Was John the Baptist’s Message?” Barnett explains baptism was not new to Israel. Baptism was a method for purification as commanded in the laws in Leviticus. In these laws, unclean people had to wash their clothes and bathe in fresh water to become clean.
Orthodox and Conservative Jews still uphold these purification rituals today. Beth Wegner explains ritual purification in a mikveh (body of water for purification) is used for many different purposes today, such as conversion (Gentile to Jew), preparation for burial, weddings, or holidays like Yom Kippur. Interestingly, according to law, the mikveh must always be still water yet be fed from a source of fresh, living water.
Though God’s people were familiar with baptism, John’s baptism was one of repentance from sin, not just ritual cleansing. He prepared the way for Jesus, who offered living water (John 7: 37-39). Many flocked to John to be baptized, except the religious crowd. In Luke 7, the gospel author explains that John had baptized all the people and even tax collectors, but the Pharisees and “experts of the law” did not come. Luke states they rejected God’s purpose for them because they did not come to John to be baptized. It’s clear they did not think they needed to repent of sin. Their pride blinded them to their sin.
Why Does John Say, “He Must Increase, I Must Decrease”?
Certainly, John’s words proclaiming Jesus’s rise and his descent reveal the beauty and wisdom of a humble heart. John spoke these words to Jews who revered him. Crowds had flocked to him from miles away to be baptized and cleansed by this unique and powerful man of God. He preached repentance, but he also preached the promise of the kingdom of God. He preached hope, power, and freedom.
Who doesn’t want hope, power, and freedom? They believed the kingdom of God would free them from Roman rule. Yet, John said, “My job here is done. I must decrease and he must increase. It’s Jesus’s time. The Lamb of God is here.” He was telling them to stop following him and follow Jesus. How hard that must have been for the Jews and John’s followers. They liked John. They loved John. Yet, John explained he was like the best man at the wedding. He wasn’t the groom, but the groom’s good friend who was thrilled to help the bridegroom who had come into town for the wedding (John 3:28-29).
What Happens to John the Baptist After Jesus’s Ministry Increases?
After Jesus’s ministry increased, John found himself in a prison cell. King Herod imprisoned John because John rebuked Herod for taking his brother’s wife. Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people because they knew he was a prophet who heard from God and spoke what God told him to say.
While John was in prison, he sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask if he was the Messiah or if someone else was coming. Jesus sent this message back to the imprisoned and disheartened John:
“The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me” (Luke 7:22-23).
Perhaps Jesus’s ministry was not what John had expected either. Maybe the prophet had hoped for a better future for himself, at least not one that would end in a prison cell and eventually his execution. Though the Kingdom of God walked the dusty paths of Galilee and Judea, the blind received sight, and deaf ears were opened. John’s future did not hold such promise and freedom even though Messiah had come.
What Can We Learn from John the Baptist’s Humility?
We can learn a lot from John the Baptist’s humility. As stated earlier, John the Baptist knew his purpose. He knew who he was and did not doubt the call of God. He knew his sole purpose was to point people to the Messiah and prepare their hearts to receive God’s gift to humanity. This camel hair-wearing, locust-eating man camped in the wilderness confessed to the priests and the Levites he was the voice Isaiah prophesied, “calling out in the desert, ‘Make straight paths for the Lord.’”
They continued to question his ministry of baptism, to which he replied that he baptized with water, but another would come who’d baptize with the Spirit. In his great humility, John explained, “He is the One who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” Yet, this humble servant found himself baptizing the Son of God.
John’s humility teaches us the necessity to know our identity and purpose in Christ. It teaches us the power of God and the ebb and flow of the call of God. It’s not easy. It requires humility and grace and will not look like we expect. His humility teaches us the need to know our place and accept the call, whether small or great. No matter how it begins or ends—it’s all for Jesus, the One whose sandals we aren’t worthy to untie.
Prayers to Be Okay When Others Increase
Unfortunately, pride doesn’t go away when we become Christians. Even after baptism and stepping out into God’s call, we can compete with those who have also heard a call from God. But we know this is not a competition. Those proclaiming Jesus and the Kingdom of God are on the same team as we are. The pastor with the small congregation is on the same team as the one with multiple campuses. The Youtuber with only 200 subscribers proclaims Jesus just as much as the successful social media influencer with thousands of followers. How do we not compare? How do we put on sincere humility that looks like John’s?
Here are three steps:
1. Know who you are in Jesus. Know your identity as God’s child.
2. Go back to the call and remember your purpose.
3. Pray for those who are increasing.
Here are some prayers to pray:
“Dear Father, I have sinned. I am not worthy to untie your shoestrings. Please forgive me for comparing myself to my sibling in Christ, who has a great ministry. Oh, Lord, we’re on the same team! Help me pray for her ministry to grow. Give her strength, resources, and grace. Thank you for this person called to tell others about you too. Show me how to bless her today. Amen.”
“Dear Father, forgive me. I’ve been jealous. I’ve been discouraged because my ministry is not increasing, and jealousy has strangled my hope. Please make me jealous for you, not success or the things of this world. Satisfy my soul with the joy of your presence and the thrill of the one saved. Help me see the one you want me to minister to today—the one who desperately needs you. Take my eyes off the numbers and put my focus on the heart that needs you. Let me decrease so that Jesus increases. Amen.”
This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.
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