人性最光辉的时刻
马太福音三章13至16节，约翰福音三章25至30节
13当下，耶稣从加利利来到约旦河，见了约翰，要受他的洗。
14约翰想要拦住他，说：“我当受你的洗，你反倒上我这里来吗？”
15耶稣回答说：“你暂且许我，因为我们理当这样尽诸般的义（注：或作“礼”）。”于是约翰许了他。
16耶稣受了洗，随即从水里上来。天忽然为他开了，他就看见神的灵仿佛鸽子降下，落在他身上。
25约翰的门徒和一个犹太人辩论洁净的礼，
26就来见约翰说：“拉比，从前同你在约旦河外、你所见证的那位，现在施洗，众人都往他那里去了。”
27约翰说：“若不是从天上赐的，人就不能得甚么。
28我曾说‘我不是基督，是奉差遣在他前面的’，你们自己可以给我作见证。
29娶新妇的就是新郎，新郎的朋友站着听见新郎的声音就甚喜乐，故此我这喜乐满足了。
30他必兴旺，我必衰微。
信息分享
靠近约翰的人一定听见他说：「我当受你的洗，你反倒上我这里来么？」这句话充分显示约翰的谦卑，以及他认识自己的身份。换了另一个人，很容易会在事后吹嘘说：「是我替耶稣施洗的。」这是我们的人性弱点，我们总是很想别人知道自己做过甚么、付出了多少。
但约翰却不是这样。他知道自己使者的身份，他一直预言将会出现的那一位，此刻便站在他的面前。我们可将约翰的话意译为：「这是不对的，你远比我伟大。」这是约翰一生中展示其人性光辉的一刻。也许，我们应该学习这种谦卑，而不是处处都想出风头。
过了不久，约翰的门徒似乎想让他心生嫉妒，却不成功。他的门徒对他说：「众人都往他那里去了。」但约翰再次尽显其谦卑的态度：「天上的神已预定了各人的工作。我的工作是为那人预备道路……祂必兴旺，我必衰微。」
约翰这最后一句话，再次显出他人性的光辉。许多时候，我们愿意让基督愈发兴旺，但条件却是我们也同时兴旺；甚至有些时候，我们内心会有试探，试图盖过基督的光芒。约翰怎样说？「祂必兴旺，我必衰微。」
约翰曾经向数以千计的人传道，曾经替极多的人施洗；然而，他留给我们的最佳身教，就是他的谦卑。我们愿意学习这项功课吗？
JOHN'S FINEST HOURS
Matthew 3: 13-16, John 3: 25-30
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.
14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”
15 But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He[c] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification.
26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”
27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’
29 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.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
Message
Those who were close enough would have heard, “I need to be baptized by you. Why do you come to me?” There is wonderful humility as well as recognition in those words. It would have been easy to say later on, “I was the one who baptized Jesus.” We are all very human. We often want everyone to know just how much we have done or given.
But John was different. He knew his position as the messenger. Now the one whose coming he had spoken of was standing in front of him. Paraphrase what John said in your own words, “This isn't right. You are far greater than I am.” It was one of John's finest hours. Perhaps we need to practice a little more of that kind of humility rather than pushing in to do what someone else could possibly do better.
Some time later John's disciples seemed to have tried to stir up jealously in his heart without success. “Everybody is going to hear this new man, instead of coming to us.” But John's humble spirit was again shown in that occasion. “God in heaven appoints each man's work. My work is to prepare the way for that man.... He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less.” (Living Bible)
That last phrase shows John in one of his finest hours. Too often we are willing for Christ to become greater so long as we do too. Or the temptation comes for us to even overshadow Christ. What did John say? “He must become greater, I must become less.”
John preached to thousands. He baptized great crowds. Yet one of the finest lessons he left behind was his humility. Are we learning that lesson?