Being the Best Man
“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 3:29-30
What is the job and responsibility of the best man? Someone who is right there with the groom. A trusted brother and a faithful friend. He helps prepare the groom for his big day, but not only that, he is with him on his big day and continues to remain with him afterwards. In other words, the best man is one who has the groom’s back and who supports him in any way he is able to. The best man knows that he is not the star of the day; he knows it is all about the bride and the groom. St. John the Baptist refers to himself as the best man of the Bridegroom, Christ.
St. John the Baptist’s entire life pointed to Christ and prepared the way for Him. John knew that when all was said and done, it was all about Jesus, the Son of God, the Bridegroom of the wedding feast. Although it is all about Jesus, John does not get jealous or asks what’s in it for him; rather he says that now that Jesus has come his joy “has been made complete.” Brothers and sisters, the fruit of putting Jesus first is joy, a joy that is complete. Jesus wants our joy to be complete too, do we? If we do, how can we go about it? John gives us the answer, “He must increase; I must decrease.”
The space in our hearts and lives given to Jesus must increase, and those areas allotted to self-interest, pride, jealousy, envy, etc. must decrease. Jesus must be the center of our lives and we must be the best man. All that we say and do ought to allow the love and joy of Jesus to radiate from within us for all to see and experience. We must be content with being the best man and never, out of pride or envy, strive to be the Bridegroom. Our lives must point to Christ and not to ourselves. Because when we live our lives for others we come to realize how much happier and more fulfilling our lives become. So, today let us promise to do our best to be the best best man we can so that like John the Baptist, our joy too might be made complete.
