John: We Have Found the Messiah John 1:19-51

We Have Found The Messiah John 1:19-51

Context

The claim in John’s Prologue, that ‘the one and only has made Him known’, leaves the reader thinking, ‘Can this really be so? Show me!’ In this passage we see Jesus coming to a waiting people as the Messiah promised in the OT. The links to the pre-existent Word are unmistakeable – ‘the Word became flesh’. We were told in the Prologue that the Word had come ‘to His own’; in this passage, Jesus is presented in explicitly Jewish categories - how could His own have failed to receive this Jesus?

Structure

John 1:19–34 I have seen! Look!’ The Baptist prepares the way.

John 1:34-51 ‘We have found!’ The disciples follow ... much more awaits.

Old Testament ideas

The OT background is more than usually important in this passage, where John’s aim is to show Jesus arriving as the long-awaited Messiah. In the study, it will not be possible to engage with the detail of all of these ideas, but there is some mileage in laying their breadth before the group - we are to be persuaded that Jesus was unmistakably the Messiah that had been promised.

‘Make straight the way for the Lord’:

Chapters 40–66 of Isaiah are full of promises to the exiled people of God that their period of exile will not go on for ever. There will be a time of rescue when God will come and lead His people home. God the Rescuer will come in the form of a triumphant conqueror who is also a suffering servant. When He comes His glory will be revealed and He will establish a great new Jerusalem at the centre of a new heaven and a new earth. This glorious future, promised to God’s people by Isaiah, had never been fully realized.

When John the Baptist comes and announces himself as ‘the voice calling in the desert’, he is heralding the fulfilment of God’s rescue plan through the arrival of God’s Rescuer. For we know that the very next person to arrive on the scene after ‘the voice’ is God Himself (Isaiah 40:3). John’s point, therefore, is not just about salvation history - the kingdom has come; it is Christological - God Himself has come to earth in the person of Jesus. In John a right understanding of Jesus always precedes salvation: it is when I believe that the Messiah is Jesus that I receive a share in the life of God’s kingdom (20:30-31); again, it is when I believe that Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father, that He is the way and the truth and the life that I come to the Father (14:5-10).

The Lamb of God:

There are a number of suggestions as to precisely which OT idea this phrase refers to. The most likely answer is that John the Baptist has in mind both the Passover lamb of Exodus 12 and the ‘servant’ of Isaiah 53 (perhaps the latter passage is primary in his mind). The Passover lamb was a substitutionary sacrifice which averted the judgement of God from His people on the night when they were redeemed from slavery in Egypt: the blood of the slaughtered lamb was to be put on the doorframe of the Israelites’ houses, so that as the LORD went through the land to strike down the Egyptian firstborn, He would see the blood and ‘pass over’ those houses.

The ‘Servant’ of Isaiah 53 is described as dying an atoning death ‘like a lamb’ (v. 7). His death is a ‘guilt offering’ (v. 10). He takes the punishment on behalf of guilty sinners in order to deal with the problem of sin. His death brings peace (between sinners and an utterly holy God), healing (from sin), the removal of iniquity (vv. 5–6), and especially ‘righteousness’ (v. 10). Jesus is identified by the Baptist as the one who will deal once and for all with the problem of sin. 5 JOHN

The Spirit came down:

In the book of Judges and the two books of Samuel there are descriptions of God’s Spirit coming down on Israel’s judges and kings (Judg. 3:9–10; 6:34; 11:29; 1 Sam. 10:6; 16:13).

The difference with this king, Jesus, is that the Spirit remains on Him (v. 32). In Isaiah 42:1 we see that God’s Servant will also have the Spirit ‘resting on Him’. Thus the coming of the Spirit on Jesus points to the fulfilment of these two great OT themes: He is the king who will rule forever and the servant who will die for sin. Again, it is likely that the Isaiah reference is dominant in John’s mind. He will baptise with the Holy Spirit: The prophets promised a time when God’s people would have their sin dealt with and would be moved to follow His decrees. At this time they would be able to be God’s people with God in their midst – the covenant people of God (e.g. Jeremiah 31:31-34). The coming of God’s Spirit would make this possible (Ezek. 36:27).

Christ/Messiah/Son of God:

These are titles for God’s anointed ruler and king, whose coming is foretold in the OT. He is the one through whom God will rule His people forever. (See 2 Sam. 7:11b-16; Isaiah 9:6–7.)

The readers of John’s Gospel were not only Jews; but having discovered that Jesus is unmistakably divine in verses 1-18, we now learn that He is also unmistakably the Messiah of Israel - it is always a defining moment when someone reaches that conclusion in John.

The one Moses wrote about / The Prophet:

Through Moses God had promised to send His people another ‘prophet like you’ (Moses). ‘The Prophet’ in verse 21 refers to this expected figure. (See Deut. 18:18–20.) Jesus will speak the very words of God (3:34) for he is the true teacher of Israel (3:10). Jacob’s dream: With the words ‘and the angels of God ascending and descending’, Jesus’ hearers would have been reminded of the account in Genesis 28:12 of Jacob’s dream. God’s covenant with Jacob, in that dream, marked him as the one through whom, and through whose offspring, ‘all peoples on earth will be blessed’. In making a parallel between Jacob and Himself, Jesus is claiming to be the Messiah, the one through whom God will bless all peoples on earth.

The Son of Man:

This is an OT title that Jesus often uses to refer to Himself. In the OT the Son of Man is the one who will be God’s everlasting ruler of all (Dan. 7:13–14).

Outline John 1:19-51

19–34 ‘I HAVE SEEN! LOOK!’

The Baptist’s witness is summarized in verse 34. He is here to identify the Son of God for us. The point is made by inclusio: John’s ‘testimony’ is described in v. 19 and ends with the Baptist talking about his own ‘testimony’ in v34. 19–23 He is the coming one.

John caused quite a stir, and a special delegation of priests and Levites was sent from Jerusalem to find out who he was. This is important to us because it shows us both that the Baptist was recognised as someone special and that the Jewish rulers themselves were expecting a messianic figure. They are concerned about the Baptist’s identity. In reply he quotes Isaiah 40:3, preparing them, and us, for the arrival of one far greater. Notice that John is very quick to deflect attention away from himself - even though he enjoys a position of remarkable privilege in salvation history, his primary message is about who he is not! 24–28 He is here! He is greater. It is unclear whether this is a second interview (NIV), or a continuation of the first (ESV) - but it does not matter much. Either way, this delegation (they had ‘been sent’) are concerned about the meaning of John’s baptism. John does not answer the question immediately but again points away from himself to one far greater who ‘is here’ already. 6

JOHN 29–34 This is God’s Son.

The whole purpose of the Baptist’s ministry is to reveal God’s pre-existent Lamb (1:7, 15).

He announces to John’s readers both the identity (the Lamb of God, the Son of God) and the ministry of Jesus (He has come to deal with the problem of sin). The divine word and the divine sign (v.33) has thus enabled the Baptist to appreciate what the rest of John’s gospel is designed to teach us. His repeated statement ‘I myself did not know Him ...’ reminds us of God’s determination to make Himself known, and also assures us that this really is God’s Son because God Himself witnesses to Him. The Spirit has come on Jesus both as servant and as king, and so He will fulfil all that is anticipated by these two OT ‘types’ as He deals with His people’s sin. To understand what is meant by Jesus baptising with the Holy Spirit, it is essential to understand the OT context - the principal way that Jesus will baptise with the Spirit is as He regenerates dead sinners (3.5; 6.63). Then, later in the Gospel (14:16, 26) John records Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit will come to His disciples, the promise that was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2 is anticipated in John 20:22).

35–51 ‘WE HAVE FOUND! ’

The point of this passage is to take us from the witness of John to the call of Jesus. Jesus is the one John promised, and therefore those who have followed John should move their allegiance to Jesus.

The sections are marked by references to ‘the next day’ (v. 29, 35, 43). 35–42 Look at Him! You must follow! A second time the Baptist announces Jesus by pointing to His sacrificial ministry. (This is important: some say that John does not have much of a theology of the cross; but here in the introduction to the Gospel, in a passage that is deliberately designed to be foundational to all that follows, we are being told again that Jesus’ ministry will be to deal with the problem of sin by dying as a sacrificial, substitutionary Lamb.) Andrew listens to the Baptist and follows Jesus. His response is to announce the discovery of the Messiah. In coming to Jesus Peter finds one whose ministry supersedes the Baptist’s ministry, for Jesus’ divine knowledge enables Him to know Peter so thoroughly that He knows what he will become.

43–50 Follow me!

You will see! Jesus now takes centre stage. Once again the focus is on His identity. He is ‘the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote’; He is ‘the Son of God ... the king of Israel’, and the ‘stairway’ to heaven (v. 51 refers to Jacob’s dream, in Genesis 28:12; see OT notes).

The point is that the disciples are now able to identify Him for themselves when He calls them. They are then able to pass on the invitation: ‘Come and see’ and ‘We have found.’ The Baptist has now faded from view and Jesus is prominent, which is just the way that the Baptist would like it! The striking difference between Jesus and the Baptist is again evident in Jesus’ call to Philip –

‘Follow me!’ – and His knowledge of Nathanael. Jesus knows him through and through, and knows exactly what Nathanael was doing. Nathanael is convinced by Philip’s witness and Jesus’ divine knowledge. He is a true Israelite, recognising the true king of Israel – 1:12, 31. The Baptist’s function (1:6–8) has now been achieved.

Verse 51.

This verse provides us with a link into the rest of the book. The ‘you’ is plural, so it is the disciples who are promised the sight of ‘greater things’. When Jacob had his dream (see Gen. 28:12) the substance of the revelation was that God’s covenant with Abraham was now being made with Jacob also.

God had promised Abraham that He would reverse the effects of the Fall through Abraham’s offspring. All peoples would be blessed through him, God would be with him and would establish him and his people in the land. For Jacob it was only a dream! Now the disciples are being told that they will see the reality for themselves. Instead of the angels ascending and descending on a stairway to Jacob, they are to ascend and descend on Jesus. He (the Son of Man) will supersede Jacob as the centre and source of God’s purposes for His covenant people - He is the one through whom all the nations will be blessed.

As we move into chapters 2 and 3 we shall see Jesus saying that He is the ‘house of God’, whereas Jacob had said ‘this is the house of God’, and Jesus claiming that He is the way to heaven, whereas Jacob had said ‘this is the gateway to heaven’. Our response should be the same as Jacob’s, but instead of ‘How awesome is this place’ we 7 JOHN should say, ‘How awesome is this person’.

Key themes

There is just one central issue in this passage: the coming of Jesus, the fulfilment of all God’s promises to rescue and draw together a people who will be His very own. Jesus has arrived! John, in his narrative, loses no time in presenting his readers with key facts about Jesus.

1. He is the long-awaited Lamb who will deal with sin once and for all.

2. He is the long-promised King/Christ/Son who will rule God’s people forever.

3. He is the central and enabling figure in the fulfilment of God’s promise to pour out His Spirit, so that God’s people may remain His people forever.

4. He is identified to the Baptist by God and to the disciples by the Baptist. The Baptist prepares the disciples who recognise Him and turn to follow Him.

5. He demonstrates His divinity by displaying complete knowledge of the disciples He calls.

6. He promises far greater things for those who follow Him, which suggests that all God’s OT promises will find their fulfilment in Him.

Application To them then:

1. The Baptist’s words about Jesus persuaded the disciples that Jesus really was the long-awaited Messiah, and also convinced them that Jesus’ central purpose in ‘becoming flesh’ was to be the Lamb of God.

2. The Baptist was an authentic and humble spokesman who authentically identified the Messiah using a whole range of OT criteria. Jesus’ call to the disciples assured them that the Baptist’s witness was true. They are convinced by Jesus’ divine knowledge and turn to follow the one for whom the whole Jewish race had been waiting. They are left with a promise of far greater things to come, for those who follow Him.

To us now:

The application to us must follow the same lines as to ‘them’.

1. We should listen to the Baptist and open our eyes to see the identity and purpose of this long-awaited Messiah.

2. We should see the disciples responding to Jesus’ call and learn from them that the Baptist’s witness is valid, that the Messiah really has arrived.

3. The application of the passage is not to learn a lesson in personal evangelism but to come to the same conclusion as the disciples did on first encountering Jesus. Jesus’ promise that they would see ‘greater things’ concerning Himself should make us eager to read on.

The aim

The aim of this study is that we should acknowledge the coming of God to His world, as He promised He would do, and understand His purpose of opening the way to heaven through His sacrificial ministry. We will then be eager to see what ‘greater things’ about Jesus will be shown in the rest of the book. Or:

To see that Jesus is not just God on earth (verses 1-18) but also the Messiah promised in the OT who will open the way to heaven through His death - we are to be in awe and want to know more! 8 JOHN John 2:1–4:54 The first two signs recorded in the Gospel, in 2:1–11 and 4