The Other Guy

There is the guy and then there is the other guy.

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized -- John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison. Now a discussion about purification arose between John's disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him." John answered, "No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." - John 3:22-30

The other guy in this case is John.

He came first, but he is second. He is the one who shows the way to the one who is the way.

Confusing?

Well, what if we call him Jesus' sidekick.

That term didn't exist in Jesus' day, having only come into use in 1896, but if it was in use, it might not have been applied to John anyway, since he didn't run with Jesus.

The apostles would be better sidekicks, with Peter, James and John the primaries in that regard. But I digress.

John is the other guy, the one who said he wasn't the main guy, like the groom, but the friend of the groom.

I was always the pal of the guy that everyone wanted to get close to. People would befriend me to be introduced to the guy. You know they guy. That was the better-looking guy with the leather jacket and motorcycle, like Fonzie. I was always Richie.

So, I know how John must have felt.

Actually, it's not a bad guy to be, so long as you don't criticize the King.

More to come...