I remember as a kid talking with my dad about why it seemed that no one ever invented something that lasted. I think, in particular, he had just purchased four new tires for the family car and wasn’t super excited about the bottom line on the bill. I asked, “Why don’t they make tires that never wear out, or at least that last as long as the car?” He launched into an economic discussion about greed in the auto industry and explained that even if someone did invent an “endless” tire, some car (or tire) company would buy him out. They simply make too much money when things break and need to be replaced.

”Planned obsolescence” is “an industrial design…policy of deliberately planning or designing a product with limited useful life, so that it will become obsolete or nonfunctional after a certain period of time” wiki Who benefits from that? Not the consumer, but the producer who gets your money for 50 light bulbs to light the same lamp, not just one. Companies estimate product lifetime to maximize their profit.

Regardless of our belief in capitalistic conspiracy theories, God determines the product lifetime of all of His disciples. He decides our place and determines how long our work for Him will be. Unlike cogs in a machine, however, we are friends who enjoy fellowship with Him rejoice to do our part. Rather than ruining us, He causes us to rejoice when we are used up for His sake.

Not everyone understands the joy that comes from pointing attention away from themselves. No natural, earthly man can, even if he knows all sorts of details about the glorious God. Religious people are often the worst at bowing out when their turn is done. It’s easy to imagine men who spend more time working to guard their ministry than give it away. Those who try to take the focus rather than turn the focus will never be truly happy.

We learn this lesson from John the apostle as he learned it from John the Baptist in John the Gospel, 3:22-36. Similar to the first half of the chapter, the apostle John records a narrative and offers summary thoughts. In 3:1-15, the dialogue between Nicodemus and Jesus is followed by 3:16-21, a summary on God’s love, God’s Son, and eternal life for all believers. Now in 3:22-30, there is dialogue between the Baptist and his disciples followed by 3:31-36, a summary on God’s love, God’s Son, and eternal life for all believers.

That’s important to observe. Even though there are some different angles in 3:31-36, the point is largely the same as 3:16-21 and, for that matter, works just as well as a summary for the entire chapter, including the interaction with Nicodemus. That means that the discussion after verse 22 goes with verse 21 and everything previous in more ways than simple counting or chronology with “After this.”

Change of Scene (vv.22-24)

The apostle sets the stage to portray his point on a different part of the canvas.

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison). (John 3:22–24)

There is a chronological connection as what happens here happens After this. It’s more than simply stepping forward on a timeline, though. At the end of John’s gospel, he stated that if everything Jesus did was written, the world couldn’t contain all the books (John 21:25). That means that everything the author includes isn’t just filler. He’s selective. We need to determine as best as we can what connections he makes with his selections.

After this refers to Jesus’ time in Jerusalem that began back in 2:13 when He went up to the Temple for sake of the Passover (2:13-22). He did many other signs after clearing the Temple (2:23-25) and His conversation with Nicodemus took place during this time (3:1-15).

Now He and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them baptizing. It was life on life discipleship, no doubt, likely involving some debrief and teaching about many things that happened in Jerusalem. Jesus already, though, was attracting crowds. His ministry included baptism for repentance and purification just as John the Baptist. According to 4:2, Jesus Himself didn’t baptize, probably as a safeguard against anyone who would claim that they got the real deal. As it was, questions over competition came up anyway.

John (the Baptist) also was baptizing in the area and this prepares us for the discussion that arises in verse 25. The part in verse 24, that he had not yet been put in prison isn’t simply a “duh” statement. Mark 1:14 and Matthew 4:12 describe Jesus’ Galilean ministry as beginning after John the Baptist was imprisoned. The apostle John assumed that others were familiar with those accounts, makes clear that some time the ministries of John and Jesus overlapped. Again, this is part of the concern in verses 25-30.

This little comment provides some of the reason for us to believe that the Fourth Gospel was written with the awareness of the first three Synoptic Gospels. John not only knew of them, he knew that many of his readers knew them, so he deliberately wrote with a complimentary (rather than competing) purpose.

Change of Focus (vv.25-30)

Not everyone welcomed the increased attention that Jesus was getting.

Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. (John 3:25)

The discussion arose…over purification… between John’s disciples and a Jew, unnamed because he’s not the point. The discussion (or “argument” NIV, “question” KJV, “dispute” or “controversy”) comes up because of the baptizing in verses 22-24. Purification, however, doesn’t seem to be the main point. The rest of the paragraph and the apostle’s summary in verses 31-36 have nothing more to say about purification. It seems as if purification was a topic vehicle to get to another issue: Whose baptism is more effective? or maybe, Whose baptism is better? Actually, though, it seems to be even more simple than that: who deserves more attention? Look at the follow-up in verse 26.

And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” (John 3:26)

John’s disciples are already over the purification issue. They address the Baptist as Rabbi, the only time he’s called a Rabbi in this Gospel. Note how they don’t use Jesus’ name, but refer to Him as the one to whom you bore witness. Then, consider their exaggeration at the end of the verse: all are going to him. The disciples are jealous about the attention. Didn’t the Baptist baptize this guy? Doesn’t that put Jesus under John? His disciples were defending him.

John’s answer to his disciples corroborates that he picked up on their rivalry anxiety. John felt no competition. He immediately acknowledges that he was right where God wanted him to be.

John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. (John 3:27)

What is given? To whom is it given? It’s possible that John is explaining how it was that anyone could go to Jesus: God must move them to do so. That’s a major point in John 3:8 and 21.

Based on the remainder of his answer, however, John seems to apply the giving to himself. What had John received? His calling. He was sent by God and the phrase, from heaven is another way to say that God—who resides in heaven—gave him his job. He was who he was, where he was, doing what he was by God’s order. To borrow Paul’s analogy, the Baptist was a clay pot carrying treasure. To wish for something else, to be discontent, would be to put himself in opposition with God. Then John reiterates what his disciples should have remembered.

You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ (John 3:28)

Not only did he know that he was not the Christ, but he knew that his assignment was to be the pointer. He was sent by God to prepare the way for the King. That means he knew all along that his work was temporary (planned obsolescence). He was meant to give way to Christ.

The Baptist then gives an illustration.

The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. (John 3:29)

It’s a simple illustration with deep connections. The friend of the groom had responsibilities to help organize and help his friends wedding go smoothly. He had assignments and a lot of work to do but, even though he was active, he was not the focus of attention. In fact, he worked hard so that the attention would be entirely off of himself. The point of his position was to be a servant, and that brought him joy: the friend…rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. He’s not upset that the bridegroom shows up. The friend of the bridegroom doesn’t pout while he toasts the bridegroom. He’s not upset that people look past him. He’s excited about it.

John makes the application to himself (in case his disciples weren’t tracking). Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete. He didn’t merely think of it as his groveling duty to point to Christ. Pointing to Christ was the very thing that filled up his joy bucket.

Note that he was “the voice” (John 1:23), “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness.” Being the voice was who he was, his identity. But the point of his voice was to yield to the bridegroom’s voice.

Verse 30, then, was not John’s woebegone sad song that his work was done. Even though there was a sense in which, historically, the focus was turned to Christ from the OT prophets, the motto was for his own benefit.

He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

This is a great devotional thought for every disciple. Every one of us should take this attitude for our own piety. But what makes it so important? Yes, Jesus is the point, not we ourselves. But why does the apostle John include the point here, in this chapter, from John the Baptist?

On one hand, there isn’t any fundamental difference in the Baptist’s attitude now then there was already. He already confessed, and boldly so, that he wasn’t the Christ in chapter one. He already acknowledged his subordinate, servant’s position under Christ. He already said that his baptism couldn’t compare to the Lamb who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, that the Lamb Himself made purification possible by taking away the sin of the world. So why bring John back on stage now?

More specifically, why sandwich the repetition between the similar bookends of 3:16-21 and 3:31-36? I won’t borrow too much thunder from the next paragraph, yet what do we learn in 3:31-36 that we didn’t already know from this chapter? Maybe that “the Father has given all things into his hand” (verse 35)? Otherwise, it’s largely stating the same things after the selected story of the Baptist with his disciples.

So, the bookends: God the Father loves the Son, sends the Son, offers eternal life to all those who believe in the Son. Those who don’t believe are in darkness, they hate the light and are under condemnation with God’s wrath remaining on them.

In between: the Baptist says that he is just doing his job by pointing others to Christ and that it makes him happy.

What is the connection? What’s the flow? Eternal life is the joy of knowing and serving the Bridegroom in the role He gives us, as His friends. Eternal life is an increase of fellowship with Him, not becoming Him. Those who come to the light enjoy the light, but joy isn’t found in being the light. The position of our greatest satisfaction is doing our work for the Bridegroom with all the attention going to Him. In that fellowship our joy grows.

Gospel math works differently than darkness math. Darkness, earthly math says, more attention to self equals more joy. More attention comes from more influence, from more effectiveness. So, a man will be most joyful when he wins and a lot of people watch him win. That’s direct proportionality. Isn’t this the implication of John’s disciples? “Jesus is doing your thing. Doesn’t that bug you? People are going to forget about you.” That is darkness math. It’s also the math Nicodemus used.

Gospel math, light math, eternal life math is decrease equals increase. More joy comes from less attention to self. Greater satisfaction flows from fewer credits. You gain your life when you die. That’s inverse proportionality. You are most useful when you are used up. In God’s economy, planned obsolescence isn’t our end, it’s our life.

Conclusion

Chesterton wrote,

Do not free a camel of the burden of his hump: you may be freeing him from being a camel. Do not go about as a demagogue, encouraging triangles to break out of the prison of their three sides. If a triangle breaks out of its three sides, its life comes to an end. (Orthodoxy, 35-36)

Our job is to accept whatever job Jesus gives us. A recipe for disaster when your job is to protect your job, your work, your voice. Believers, those who have eternal life, love to hear the Bridegroom’s voice, not their own.

The ministries of men will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. In fact, if they don’t, they are not ministries for Him.