John's disciples come to him with anxiety disguised as information. "Everyone is going to him." You can hear the fear and disappointment. They had committed their lives to following John, but now it looked like a bad choice. They had helped launch Jesus' ministry, but now they were paying the price, and it stung. They view life as a zero-sum game: if Jesus is winning, John must be losing. John dismisses their complaint by talking about a wedding. In Jewish culture, the "friend of the bridegroom" (the shoshben) arranged the wedding, guarded the bridal chamber, and announced when the marriage was consummated. If the friend tried to take the bride, it wouldn't be a triumph, but a violation. The shoshben's entire job is to make the couple's joy complete. When Nabeel was named to a "30 Under 30" list of influential Christians, I was happy for him. But I also felt a cold tinge of envy because I was nowhere near that list. I felt like I was losing a competition I hadn't realized I was in. John's disciples remind me that it's normal to feel jealous of someone else's success. But John reminds us that envy is the suspicion that God gave your gift to someone else. John knew he wasn't the Groom, so he didn't have to carry the pressure of trying to be the main character. A decrease in importance wasn't a punishment for him, but a relief. The pressure is off. He knew that Jesus was the one we needed. Seeing people meet Jesus brought him joy.