THE KING’S BUSINESS
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most incomparable beauty and sug gestiveness. They set forth the atti tude of mind that every true servant of the Lord Jesus should take toward Him. John was not only willing to decrease, he rejoiced to decrease, and it was his supreme joy to see the Lord Jesus increase* The more he could sink out of sight and the more the Lord Jesus qould come into full view, the more he rejoiced. To “ decrease,” for John (though, of course, he did not realize the full significance of it then) meant imprisonment, uncertain ty and a violent death. If he had known it all he still would have re joiced. ' The word translated “He” in this verse is the same emphatic word (meaning “ that one” ) that is used in verse 28, and shows conclusively that in verse 28 John meant nqt only the Christ in general, but that definite per- ■son, Jesus the Christ, to Whom all men were now flocking according to the testimony of his disciples. While the main emphasis in verse 30 is upon the “ he” (or, “ That One” ) and “ I” there is also an emphasis on the “ must.” Jesus’ increasing and his decreasing lay in the Divine order of things (compáre the “must” in vs. 7 and 1 4 ;'ch. 9 : 4 ; .10:16; 20 : 9 ; see also Rev. 1 : 1 ; 4 : 1 ; 20 : 3) .
Isa. 54: 5; 62: 5). In the New Testa ment it is applied to Christ and the church (Eph. 5:22-32; 2 Cor. 11 : 2 ; Rev. 19: 7; 21: 2-10). John here does not go at all at length into the mean ing of the figure; it is referred to only incidentally and if one would under stand the full significance of it, he must turn to the passage in Ephesians 5: 22-32. John was content to be the friend of the Bridegroom, that was honor enough. He had no desire to usurp the Bridegroom’s place: All the joy that he asked was to stand by and hear the Bridegroom’s voice; to hear the Bridegroom’s voice was ful ness of joy to him. Is it fulness of joy to us? John declared that his joy was now full in just hearing the voice of the Bridegroom. There is a ful ness of significance in the words “ re- joiceth greatly because of the Bride groom’s voice” that cannot be ex pounded. It can be understood only by pondering the words and letting .the Holy Spirit interpret them to our own hearts. John was glad that the Bridegroom whom he had announced had come. He did not regret that the bride was turning to Him but in that fact found the fulness of his own joy. The words “ He must increase, but I must decrease” have in them an al
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