Graciously Giving Way to Another

In today’s Gospel, John 3: 22-30, some of John’s disciples are upset because Jesus, “the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.”  John tells them that “[n]on one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.  You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ, but that I was sent before him. The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease.”

John is the “best man” who listens for the bridegroom and announces him and prepares the way for him. The best man decreases when the bridegroom is present.  John is not jealous but rejoices that the bride and bridegroom are growing in their relation with one another, that they listen for each other’s voices and not his.  John has no difficulty fading into the background when it is time for him to do so.  Each of us will experience, over and over again, this challenge of letting go and letting others shine when it is their turn to take over, to be in charge, to “rise and shine,” so to speak.  Will I withdraw graciously when it is time to do so, or will I revel in jealousy?