Charles Spurgeon Commentary John 3:30

"He must increase, but I must decrease." — John 3:30 (ASV)

He must increase, but I must decrease.

As fades the morning star when the sun himself arises, so was it the joy of the herald of Christ to lose himself in the supreme radiance of his Lord's appearing.

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

So he did. This is John's one song, last of his utterances almost.

He preaches no more sermons that are recorded; he must now go to prison and lie there in a silence he could scarcely bear. It was very hard for John to be quiet; he had an active, noble mind, and, we fear, he became the victim of doubts when he was shut up in prison.

The breezy air of the wilderness suited him much better than the dull, heavy atmosphere of a prison. I dare say some of you may feel this at this time; do not attribute it to spiritual results or spiritual causes; attribute it to the atmosphere, for that is how it is.

We often feel dull and heavy, but heaviest when the heart is in a heavy air; every wind that rises blows away despair. So we must not think too much of our feelings, which even the wind can change.