"HE MUST INCREASE"
“HE MUST INCREASE”
John 3: 30; John 1:15; John 1:26,27; John 1:29-37
I intend to base my remarks on John’s statement, “He must increase”. That is, I am to refer to the ‘increase of Christ’ and in saying this I am not referring to His Person. From John’s point of view there can be no thought of any increase in the Lord’s Person-He was eternally God.
Luke contemplates increase. As born into this world He was always perfect, so that viewed as a babe He advances, increases in wisdom and stature, so as to bring out the perfection in the Man Christ Jesus. He is a real Man.
That is not John’s side, he has in mind a divine Person coming into manhood-the Word became flesh-and as become flesh He could say, “Before Abraham was, I am”.
So that in speaking of the increase of Christ I do not refer to His personal increase as shown in Luke, but to increase in His people, in their apprehension of Him. It goes on until He fills all things; that is what John has in view.
The new man is marked by Christ: “Christ is everything and in all”, but there are few who would assume to be thus filled. Yet the end of the ministry is that we should be that-with nothing to disturb Him. That is the idea of living: “Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2: 20); there we see one who is filled.
I mention that because it illustrates what I have in mind, not that God despises us if we are not filled. Whatever little place we give to Christ He values. In the first chapter of Leviticus we see the idea in the pigeon, sheep and goat. The pigeon would typify a small conception of Christ in the offerer. It speaks of the measure of our filling; it is small, but God respects it.
[p. 367] You find the thought of small measure in the trespass-offering, and it is humbling to think of the prevalence of trespassing: it is the outcome of having a small appreciation of Christ.
The Spirit of God comments upon it: the measure of meal divided would speak of some little grasp of the humanity of Christ for in the measure God has in mind the degree of apprehension of Christ. Yet the measure of meal in Leviticus 5 denotes that the person is a believer: he sees something in Jesus, that He is more than a man, and that gives him a footing with God. God takes account of the smallness of the measure of meal; the pigeon or turtle dove is a little more. The pigeon is a living thing, life in the soul, and such a person is of value in the assembly, but his measure is extremely small: there is not much increase of Christ in that man. Presently He will become greater and even nations will be filled with Him. That is the idea John has of Christ.
Hebrews I confirms what I have said, showing how this increase is seen even in the Old Testament. After remarking on the greatness of God’s Son, the express image of God’s Person and so on, the writer appeals to the Old Testament to show how this greatness of Christ was built up there. He has an increasingly greater place among His people in the Old Testament. It is the outcome of the increase of Christ in anticipation; the more I know Him the greater place I give Him.
Why should I have less conception of Christ than David had? How he saw the glory of Christ in the distance and could speak of it! In Psalm 2 we have “Thou art my Son”. To which of the angels did He say that? The Psalms are full of references to Christ as Son. Then in Psalm 45 the psalmist is growing, becoming greater and greater: he can say, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever”. The saints of the Old Testament said that by the Spirit. He was [p. 368] not here abiding with them as He is with believers today. We look back to the incarnation and we say, “Thy throne, O God ...”. How marvellous that they understood it! Again “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son” is seen in a Samuel and 1 Chronicles. The writer of Psalm 89 laid hold by faith on the position Christ was about to take up here. In coming to the New Testament we get a man prepared of God and capable of taking up all these thoughts. John the baptist, for instance, and Elizabeth spoke beautifully of the Lord Jesus-God on the very portals of Christianity. You find that these words in the Old Testament are giving place to God; the spirit of emulation should rise amongst us.
Simeon’s heart was full of Christ, the Spirit of God was upon him. He was here for God and prepared to receive and speak rightly of the Lord Jesus. What an appeal to the brethren! Have you seen the Lord’s Christ? Simeon takes Him up in his arms. How would you receive Jesus? That is the test. He speaks by the power of the Spirit, which is the proper way, and he says, “Mine eyes have seen thy salvation”. Things hid from the wise and prudent are revealed unto babes. Only such a man could take Christ in his arms and speak of Him as Simeon did. The witness of John the baptist comes in after that. God makes increase in John: he was full of Christ, and what God can do for one man, He can do for a million. John says, “He must increase, but I must decrease”. How challenging this is to the heart! John’s gospel brings out the deity of Christ. “In the beginning”. Is there anybody who could speak of Him slightingly? The Old Testament gives us the thought of it, fills in the thought of it: there is none like Him. John is here, designed of God to speak of God from the standpoint of experience, how He increases in a man or child. He is there of God and is able to speak in a seemly way of God from the standpoint of experience.
[p. 369] If one has experience with the Lord, the Lord advances until He fills and lives in that person. Witness is the next thing. What did John say? his first statement, and a great one, is in verse 15. John died before he was thirty-five years of age, but before he died he witnessed gloriously for Christ. The point is that he witnessed and how he did it. He witnessed with a cry, “This was he of whom I spake”. If John were concerned with his own greatness he would not cry the thing, he would have whispered it. John is able to take a second place. He keeps himself out of sight-the greater vessel is sure to be first-and as soon as I take my place humbly God is with me. The Pharisees heard about John and everybody came to know about him. The priests and Levites said, “Who art thou?” in the presence of one who is serving with great distinction. What a contrast to John in verse 27, where he speaks of His shoe’s latchet! John says, I am not worthy to unloose it — how expressive of his comparative nothingness in the presence of such an One. John is in the full vigour of his service when he makes this statement.
The next thought is that we must have the aid of the Spirit of God (verse 33). If He is to make increase in us then we must seek divine aid. That is a point we should take careful note of. Let us shut our eyes and ears to the hearing of evil; if we are drawn into the course of things of this world the Spirit is quenched. Let us turn to God. He who prepared John to speak well of Christ would prepare us to do the same. The Holy Spirit has greatly helped the brethren in regard to who Christ is-and in regard to what we should say about Him. The greatest creeds formed in the minds of men cannot teach you as to the Person of Christ. The Father can tell us about Him and the Spirit discloses His glories. The question is to get to the Lord and recognise the Holy Spirit; God will tell us all. There is divine activity to bring us into the [p. 370] knowledge of the Son of God. John says, ‘I have to see too’. Suppose you have not eyes to see, no one can give you eyes, but God is active and John saw “the Spirit descending”. Oh that we might see this Person and bear record! He fills all things, why not me? The truth of the Son of God comes out through the eyes, tongue, affections and mind.
Lastly, John refused to be a party leader; now that Jesus is come on the scene he says, “Behold the Lamb of God”. Why not the Son of God? The thought is that God comes down to the smallest of us and touches our hearts; the Lamb of God comes in so appealingly. The effect is that two of John’s disciples heard him speak and followed Jesus. “What seek ye?”, He asks. I feel I need teaching. Then they want to know where He dwelt. He increased and increased in their apprehension until they were so affected that they followed Him.