John the Baptist Reveals Him
John Chapter 1 v19-34
The testimony of John: this is the first event in the life of John the Baptist related in this gospel. He is confronted by emissaries from the Jerusalem religious authorities, who came to see John the Baptist for several reasons:
- Their duty as guardians of the faith caused them to want to investigate any new preaching (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:20-22).
- They wanted to find out if John had the credentials of a prophet.
- John had quite a following, and it was growing.
- They were probably jealous and wanted to see why this man was so popular.
In the Pharisees' minds, there were four options regarding John the Baptist's identity: he was;
- the Messiah (Daniel 9:25,26),
- Elijah (Malachi 4:5),
- the prophet foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15), or
- a false prophet (Deuteronomy 13:1-5, 18:22).
They asked him the question: Who are you? This offered John an opportunity to make something of himself to the nation's leaders; however, faithful to his mission, he denied himself: He confessed that he was not the Messiah, he denied that he was Elijah, or the prophet.
Then they asked: What do you say about yourself? Since he denied being one of the first three, in their minds he was about to be classified as a false prophet. John then identifies himself simply as The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD..." as the prophet Isaiah said (Isaiah 40:3). A voice is all John calls himself: a messenger to tell the people to prepare the way for the Messiah. The Pharisees wanted to know who John was, but John wanted everybody to know who Jesus was.
The baptism of John: John was baptising Jews. The Essenes (a strict, monastic sect of Judaism) practised baptism for purification, but normally only non-Jews (Gentiles) were baptised when they converted to Judaism.
When the Pharisees questioned John's authority to baptise, they were asking who gave John the right to treat God's chosen people like Gentiles. John said, "I baptise with water": he was merely helping the people to perform a symbolic act of repentance, for John indeed baptised with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus (Acts 19:4). But soon one would come who would truly forgive sins, something only the Son of God, the Messiah, could do.
According to the custom of those days, a servant must do every task of his master, whereas a disciple must do every task except take the thong out of the teacher's shoes. By saying whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose John is saying that he is not even worthy to be a servant of Christ, so exalted is He.
John was baptising in a place called Bethabara, House of the ford, on the east bank of the Jordan. It may be identical with Bethbarah, House of crossing, probably the chief ford of the Jordan in that district, and may have been that by which Jacob crossed when he returned from Mesopotamia, near the Jabbok (Genesis 32:22 see also Judges 7:24, 12:4). It still bears the name of "the ford," about 25 miles from Nazareth.
The Lamb of God identified: John the Baptist clearly identifies the Lord Jesus with the Messiah by calling Him the Lamb of God (Isaiah 53:7). In the symbolical language of Scripture the lamb is the type of meekness and innocence (Isaiah 11:6; 65:25; Luke 10:3; John 21:15, 1 Peter 1:19). The lamb was a symbol of Christ (Genesis 4:4; Exodus 12:3; 29:38; Isaiah 16:1; 53:7; John 1:36; Revelation 13:8). Christ is called the Lamb of God, as the great sacrifice of which the former sacrifices were only types (Numbers 6:12; Leviticus 14:12-17; Isaiah 53:7; 1 Corinthians 5:7): every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29:38-42). Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah, God's servant, would be led to the slaughter like a lamb. To pay the penalty for sin, a life had to be given, and God chose to provide the sacrifice himself. The sins of the world (not only Jews) were removed when Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice. This is the way our sins are forgiven (1 Corinthians 5:7). He takes away, past, present and future, the sin of the world means everyone's sin, the sin of each individual or, in other words, Jesus paid the price of the sin of everyone who confesses his sin to Him and asks for His forgiveness (1 John 1:9). The Jews did not look for a suffering Messiah (John 12:34) nor did the disciples at first (Mark 9:32; Luke 24:21). But John, the Forerunner of the Messiah, had prophetic insight concerning the Messiah as the Paschal Lamb, already in Isaiah 53, even if the rabbis did not see it there. Simeon had it dimly (Luke 2:35), but John more clearly.
I did not know Him ... John says this twice. He had predicted the Messiah and described him before he met Him and baptised Him. John and Jesus were related (Luke 1:36), so John probably knew who he was. But it wasn't until Jesus' baptism that it was confirmed to John that He was the Messiah. The purpose of John's ministry was to manifest to Israel, with their spiritual privileges (John 1:49), the presence of the Messiah; for this reason he was baptising in water those who confessed their sins (Mark 1:5). As a matter of fact, we know that he recognised Jesus as Messiah when he came for baptism, before the Holy Spirit came (Matthew 3:14). But the sight of the Spirit descending as a dove upon Jesus at his baptism (Mark 1:10; Mat 3:16; Luke 3:22) became permanent proof to him, because God told him beforehand that this would be the mark of identification (the Jews regarded the dove as a symbol of the Spirit of God).
He who baptises with the Holy Spirit: John's baptism with water was preparatory, because it was for repentance and symbolised the washing away of sins. Jesus, by contrast, would baptise with the Holy Spirit. He would send the Holy Spirit upon all believers; not just some, but every believer is baptised by the Holy Spirit, thereby being identified with the body of Christ of which he becomes part, and empowered to live and to pass on to others the message of salvation (1 Corinthians 12:13).
This outpouring of the Spirit came after Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven (Acts 1:5,8). The Lord Jesus will also baptise with fire (Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16): this is the baptism of judgment which is to come upon the earth, when He comes the second time.
This is the Son of God: the title Son of God appears in the prophecy contained in Psalm 2, it is implied in Psalm 89:26,27, and used by Satan in the temptations following the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 4:3,6). It was given to Jesus after His baptism by a voice from heaven, of God the Father, (Matthew 3:17), which would have been heard by John the Baptist. It appears a very large number of times in the New Testament to designate the second person of the holy trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ. This declaration is the conclusion of John's testimony, that this is the Son of God, that He has a divine nature. John did not speak by hearsay, but he bore record of what he saw. Christ's witnesses were eyewitnesses, and therefore the more to be credited (2 Peter 1:16).
R David Jones
And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? (John 1:19)
And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. (John 1:20)
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. (John 1:21)
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? (John 1:22)
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. (John 1:23)
And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. (John 1:24)
And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? (John 1:25)
John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; (John 1:26)
He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. (John 1:27)
These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:28)
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. (John 1:30)
And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. (John 1:31)
And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. (John 1:32)
And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. (John 1:33)
And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. (John 1:34)