UNBLOCKING THE WELL OF THE LIVING WORD

John 3:22–36 

Focus verse: ‘You yourself can testify that I said, “I am not the Christ but sent ahead of him.” The bride belongs to the bridegroom.’ (John 3:28) 

Old Testament lens: ‘I have installed my king.’ (Psalm 2:7) 

Here we find John the Baptist helping his followers understand who Jesus truly is. Some of John’s disciples were concerned because people were starting to follow Jesus instead of John. But John makes it clear that his role is not to compete with Jesus — he compares himself to the best man at a wedding, and Jesus to the bridegroom. In other words, Jesus is the main event; John is just there to rejoice. 

This bridegroom image comes frequently in the Old Testament. God was often described as the bridegroom who would one day be united with His people, Israel. The coming Messiah was seen in this light as well — the one who would bring that spiritual union between God and His people. So when John calls Jesus the bridegroom, he is declaring something profound: Jesus is the promised Messiah, the one Israel has been waiting for. In this passage, Jesus is not only seen as Messiah but also as the Son of God. In the Bible, the title ‘Son of God’ has strong royal and divine connections. For example, Psalm 2:7 speaks of a king whom God calls His Son.(1) In 2 Samuel 7, God promises David that his offspring will be like a son to him and will rule over an everlasting kingdom. These Scriptures laid the foundation for Israel’s hope in a future king — one who would not just rule, but have a special relationship with God. 

As we approach the final verses of John 3:31–36, we hear a powerful call to decision. What we do with Jesus determines our eternal destiny. As John 3:36 says, ‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.’ Belief in Jesus is not just intellectual agreement — it’s trust and obedience. To reject Jesus is to reject the only one who can give us life and rescue us from God’s judgment. The reader faces these three images of Jesus as bridegroom, king and judge in this passage. 

The Early Church Fathers who inspired the Celtic Church 

St Athanasius of Alexandria (296-373), Egypt 

‘Athanasius against the world’(2)

This phrase was coined to describe how Athanasius stood almost alone against the Arian heresy when most of the Church and even emperors opposed him. St Athanasius wrote the Life of Antony, a biography of St Anthony the Great, the father of Christian monasticism. He explicitly compares St Anthony to John the Baptist, describing both as voices crying in the wilderness and both as precursors of Christ’s kingdom through repentance and purity of heart. ‘He [Antony] lived in the desert as Elijah and John lived before him, making himself less that Christ might be all.’ This would have resonated with and possibly inspired the Celtic Church, especially considering its monastic and ascetic tendencies, its love for heroic perseverance in the faith, and its deep engagement with the Desert Fathers. 

The radical devotion of John the Baptist baptising disciples had caused a huge stir and drawn much attention, but John was keen to put the focus squarely on Jesus. John was merely a friend of the bridegroom. Origen interpreted the Song of Songs allegorically, as did St Gregory of Nyssa. St Macarius spoke of the soul being ‘espoused to the heavenly Bridegroom’. Jesus was the bridegroom. In his Life of Antony, Athanasius certainly presents Anthony as someone betrothed in faithfulness to God. The monastic ideals — particularly the hermit’s life, ascetic devotion, and spiritual combat — passed from the deserts of Egypt to the windswept shores of Ireland and Scotland. The life of Anthony was a powerful spiritual text that told the story of a man who gave up everything to live in the desert, battling demons, fasting, praying, and devoting himself wholly to God. Athanasius inspired a unique expression of Christianity that saw the wild places of the earth as deserts for God, and inspired radical devotion by many. 

The early Egyptian monastic movement (3rd–4th centuries) consciously saw itself as following in the footsteps of John the Baptist. Their goal was to become less — to annihilate pride, the ego, and the passions — so that Christ might reign. 

St Kevin of Glendalough (died c618)(3) is one of the most striking examples in the Celtic Christian tradition of someone who embodied radical humility through withdrawal from the world. His life exemplifies a deep commitment to the spiritual principle found in John 3:30 — ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’ Kevin (Irish: Cóemgen) was born into a noble Leinster family around the 6th century. He was educated by monks, likely at Kilnamanagh, where he began to take on the monastic discipline that would define his life. Rather than pursuing the privileges of his noble birth, Kevin chose obscurity. He diminished himself, drawing closer to God, and journeyed to the remote valley of Glendalough, in County Wicklow. At that time, the valley was completely wild — a place of isolation and danger. But Kevin saw it as a place of spiritual purity. There, he lived in a cave-like cell known as St Kevin’s Bed — barely large enough for a man to lie down in. He slept on rocks, ate wild herbs, and drank from the lake out of a desire to empty himself completely before God.

Kevin took this literally: decreasing in comfort, visibility, and self-sufficiency, so that God alone could fill him. Eventually, Kevin’s holiness attracted followers, seekers who found their way to Glendalough, wanting to learn from his way of life. Despite his deep preference for solitude, Kevin reluctantly became a teacher and abbot, founding a monastery that became a vital centre of Christian learning in Ireland. However, even as a leader, Kevin avoided status. He remained detached, often retreating again into silence and prayer. Kevin pursued this hiddenness not as an escape, but as a holy vocation, a way of making space for God. St Kevin’s life was a living interpretation of ‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’ In a world that often equates success with visibility and influence, Kevin reminds us of a different path. 

REVIVAL

This passage closes with a challenge: where do you stand? The friend of the bridegroom listened to His voice. Are you listening to Jesus’ voice? John the Baptist was the friend of the bridegroom Jesus Christ, and he listened to Jesus’ voice, following His call. The Early Church Fathers responded with radical devotion. 

PRAYER

You’re the bridegroom shining bright, You’re my morning after night. You must rise. I must fade, but in Your love I’m remade. Oh my soul, it sings with joy, like a bride meeting her boy. Dress me in the Lamb’s pure white. You’re my bridegroom, You’re my light. 

The Bridegroom’s voice ( CLICK ON PICTURE BELOW TO LISTEN TO SONG)

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(1) Hays, R. Echoes of the Scripture in the gospels(Baylor University Press), (2018), 329, 330.

(2) Athanasius of Alexandria https://thelibertariancatholic.com/st-athanasius-if-the-world-is-against-the-truth-then-i-am-against-the-world?/utm_source=chatgpt.com

(3) “Vita Sancti Coemgeni” (Life of St. Kevin) Dalcassian Publishing Company (2025).