John 3:29-30, The Friend of the Bridegroom

29 “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. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.” 

John recognizes Jesus as a type of bridegroom and himself as the friend of the groom. At a wedding the groom has preeminence, not the friend of the groom. John the friend finds joy in Jesus, understanding he has accomplished his role, and in obedient humility and prophetic acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  

The Old Testament image of the bride and bridegroom comes from Jeremiah 2:2 and Ezekiel 16. God sees Israel as his bride—often his unfaithful bride—and himself as the bridegroom. Since the baptizer understands the divinity of Jesus, he applies the metaphor to him. Later in the New Testament Paul and John apply the same metaphor to Jesus and the Church. Jesus is the groom who dies for his bride. In Jesus we see true love—sacrificial love that puts the other before oneself. 

We often get love wrong, confusing attraction and desire with godly serving and suffering. Paul explains in Ephesians 5 that marriage, as instituted by God between a man and a woman, points to Jesus and the church. Jesus served us and suffered for us. That is what true love looks like.  

Give thanks for the true love we have in Jesus Christ!