The Book of John - 9

Introduction: John chapter 1 begins with a revelation concerning the Word.

As we continue in the passage we are introduced to the Chosen Witnesses of the Word.

The first of these, that we have been dealing with is John the Baptist.

I . The Prologue- The Revelation of the Word 1:1-14

A. The Word 1-5, 9-14

II. The Chosen Witnesses of the Word 1:19-4:54

A. John the Baptist

We begin with the record of John found in verse 19.

Notice what the Bible says.

Read verses 19-29.

As we begin to consider this record, we may make note of where this fits chronologically with the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many believe that this event of questioning took place after the baptism of the Lord and after His wilderness temptation.

We are to remember that John’s record of the Gospel is not as sequentially concerned as Matthew, Mark and Luke.

We discover in verse 29, that John “the next day” indicated he knew who the Lord Jesus Christ was following the questioning from the religious delegation.

We also discover that there was period of time in which John preached and was baptizing when He did not know who the Lord Jesus Christ was.

This is made clear in verse 31.

As John Phillips stated, “The testimony of John the baptist was a logical place for John the apostle to begin his gospel, since one of his overall objectives was to trace the parallel rise of belief and unbelief among the Jewish people living in Palestine at the time of Christ.”

Key Note - “Palestine refers to the “Holy Land” (Zechariah 2:12 “12 And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, And shall choose Jerusalem again.”) The name is derived from the word “philistine,” referring to the sea people who migrated from Asia Minor and Aegean islands. The land they occupied became known as Philistia,” the land of the Philistines. When the Romans conquered Judaea in AD 70 they referred to it as Palestine, seeking to disenfranchise the Jewish people from their homeland. Until recent times both Jews and Arabs living in the holy land were called Palestinians.”

J. Carl Laney, “Palestine, Geography of,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

In this record of John there are several items you and I need to make note.

First, we see that this delegation that was sent were of the priests and Levites.

We see more specifically, that this delegation was sent of the Pharisees.

Notice in John 1:24 “24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.”

They upon arrival question John, “Who art thou?”

We see next, John’s response.

His response is comprised of two categories:

Who He Was Not

Who He Was

He first lists who he was not:

v20 “I am not the Christ”

v21 “...Art thou Elias?...” “...I am not.”

v21 “…Art thou that prophet?...” “...And he answered, No.”

In this, we draw the application that in understanding who we are, we need to understand who we are not.

Who We Are Not

John the Baptist understood His role in God’s plan.

I think for the Christian, by way of application:

You and I ought to know our place and function within the local New Testament Church.

(We need to understand who we are and who we are not.)

If we study the Scriptures concerning the function of the local church, we would come to realize that every part is important.

Every part is important.

We are a local body of believers.

The Bible compares us to a physical body composed of many members. (I Corinthians 12:1-18)

In I Corinthians chapter 12, Paul is dealing with very spiritually gifted local church.

He speaks of the distribution of these spiritual gifts and their purposes.

He speaks of the need for the members of local to understand their role.

This is vital for the function and unity in the body.

Just as the members of your physical body are important and particular to your ability to function, so are the members of the local church.

You are important to the function of this local body; this local church.

Each member is different.

Just looking at my hand, I see that my fingers though similar in some aspects are different in length, thickness, and position.

We ought to also understand that we are not of this world, though we are in this world.

I understand as a child of God, that I am in this world, but I am not of this world.

I Thessalonians 5:5 “5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”

In John 15:19 the Lord was preparing His disciples for the ministry that was shortly before them, “19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”

So we would understand, I am a member [part of] of the body of Christ.

I am a member of this local church body.

As part of this body, I have a function, I have purpose and a role.

I understand I am not a child of darkness but rather a child of the great King.

John stated who He was not.

John stated who he was.

Notice His response was Scriptural.

John 1:23 “23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.”

This passage of Scripture is located in Isaiah chapter 40. (Isaiah 40:3-5)

“The imagery was taken from the days when there were no paved roads, only tracks across the fields. If a king were to travel, the road must be built and smoothed out that the royal chariot might not find the traveling unduly rough, nor be swamped in the mire. John claimed that he was to make the road for a greater personage who was to represent Jehovah.” - Tenney

It is from this response that the conversation seems to turn.

Notice what

The delegation asks in verse 25, “Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?”

Essentially, they are saying “If you are not the Messiah, and you are not Elijah (Malachi 4:5 “5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:”) and you are not sent under the authority Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15 “15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;”) who gives you the right to baptize?

John, though of the levitical priestly line, was not involved in the religious government in Jerusalem. He came preaching and baptizing in the wilderness.

Whether proselyte baptism for Gentiles was in full swing or not at this time of this encounter is debatable, but what is certain is that Jews were not baptized.

“They washed, for ceremonial purposes according to the law, but this was different.

(Num 19:10–13; 31:23–24; Lev 11, 22:4–6; Lev 17:15; Lev 15:6–8, 11–12, 13, 16; Lev 15:21–22, 25–27; Lev 14:8–9)

Beyond these cleansing rituals, several other practices were required in order to partake of eating sacrificed animals (Lev 8:19–21) and temple worship (Lev 15:31). Certain impurities could be only removed by using running water (Lev 14:5–6, 50–52; 15:13; Deut 21:4).”

Benjamin Espinoza, “Baptism,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

This first encounter would lead to further encounters, with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

All that was bound up in the current thought of the Jews religion was going to be cut down so to speak.

Notice these words of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:9-12 “9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

In verses 26-28 we find John’s answer to point them to the Lord Jesus Christ.

John’s ministry was concerned with preparing the way for the Lord.

He called for the people to repent and signified this with a baptism of water.

AT Robertson had this to say, “John is treating the Jewish nation as pagans who need to repent, to confess their sins, and to come back to the kingdom of God. The baptism in the Jordan was the objective challenge to this.”

“26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.”

John mentions in his answer, their blindness.

“…but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not...”

And is not this the problem still today?

We have before us today all the testimony of the Word of God.

We have the testimony of those whom God has saved.

We have the work of God Himself, the Holy Spirit, reproving the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment.

There are many that do not see. There is blindness among men.

How many will not recognize Jesus Christ as their Saviour?

Folks will cling to superstitions, they will cling to idols, they will cling to empty religions and moral exercises, but will not recognize the One who has come and is our Saviour.

John secondly declares the preeminence and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice what he says in verse 27.

“…I am not worthy to unloose...” His shoe’s latchet.

Here the greatest of all prophets abases Himself and lifts up and glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The “latchet” of sandals was the string or thong by which they were fastened to the feet. To unloose them was the office of a servant, and John means, therefore, that he was unworthy to perform the lowest office for the Messiah. This was remarkable humility.” - Albert Barnes

How many of us readily contemplate the same thing?

I am not worthy to perform even the most menial task for the Lord.

Though none of us are worthy, in Christ, our Lord has given us such privilege to serve Him.

John recognized this.

All of this was bound up in John’s understanding of who he was and what he was to be doing.

The Bible continues and gives us a location also where this was taking place.

It is recalled from John the apostle, who was a follower at this point of John the Baptist.

Verse 28 states, “These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.”

“The name [Bethabara] means “house of ferry.” The traditional is the Jericho ford some miles north of the Dead Sea. Another view is that the place referred to is another fifty miles north of the Jericho ford, a place in the land of Bashan...” - John Phillips

What is John’s record. Well John’s record by his declaration to the delegation, and these positive statements found in verses 29-36.

John 1:29 “29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

This declaration by John is both compelling and complete.

It begins with a call to look.

John states, “Behold...”

The word is a word of excitement. And no wonder, the One in whom John was waiting for had been reveled to Him and this he revealed the precious Lamb to the world.

There is something to be said for the excitement of a Christian announcing the King of kings.

And though He is the King, John the Baptist did not announce Him as the King.

He did not introduce Him as the Holy One of God.

He did not introduce Him as the Word, but He said, Behold the Lamb of God.

This is the Lamb which taketh away the sin of the world.

“He went right to the heart of the Israel’s need, of the whole world’s need.”

John’s baptism confronted people with repentance.

There was a need for not only repentance, but also redemption.

Hebrews 10:1-4 “1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”

“The word lamb (amnos) is used only four times in the New Testament: here in verses 29 and 36, in Acts 8:32 which is a quotation of Isaiah 53:7, and in 1 Peter 1:19”

Acts 8:32 “The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:” The Ethiopian Eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53:7.

I Peter 1:18-20 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”

The Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, was the perfect sacrificial Lamb “which taketh away the sin of the world.”

Revelation 5 “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, th…”