TESTIMONIES OF TWO JOHNS
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John The Baptist
John The Baptist
After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized (for John had not yet been put in prison).
Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”
What was their interest? John the Baptist began his ministry earlier than Jesus but now Jesus became more popular. John’s disciples had some competitive mind to Jesus. What was his response?
John 3:27–30 (ESV)
John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Each one’s role is given from sovereign God. His role was that of a friend of the bridegroom. He was not the bridegroom. In Old Testament, God made a covenant with Israel so God became the husband of Israel and Israel became His wife. So they could not have any other god except YWHW. In New Testament Age, Jesus is the bridegroom and His church is His bride. The friend of the bridegroom stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Next verses explain spiritual meaning of the verses above. He also testified,
John 1:23 (ESV)
He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
He was the last messenger sent before Jesus to prepare the way of Jesus. So he preached repentance. “Make straight the way of the King.” John the baptist confessed,
John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
John 1:29–31 (ESV)
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
John 1:32–34 (ESV)
And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
John the Baptist recognizes that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and that he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and that He is the Son of God.
Let’s go back to chapter 3. The next verses are Apostle John’s explanation.
John 3:31–33 (ESV)
He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.
He came from above. Here he used the same word of verse 3, anothen. Do you remember verse 3 that Jesus said to Nicodemus?
John 3:3 (ESV)
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again(anothen) he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 8:23 (ESV)
He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
1 Corinthians 15:47 (ESV)
The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
Adam was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man even Jesus is from heaven.
For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
John 3:31–33 (ESV)
He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.
He who came from above gives us a life from above. And He is above all that exists. All other prophet belong to the earth and speaks in an earthly way but he who came from heaven is above all. Jesus bears witness to what he has seen and heard.
John 3:13 (ESV)
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
No one knows heaven except Jesus who descended from heaven.
John 3:34–35 (ESV)
For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
All prophets received the Spirit with measure, not limitlessly. But the Father gave him the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. So Jesus said,
Matthew 28:18 (ESV)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
We read testimonies of John the baptist and John the apostle.
John the baptist testified,
He was a messenger sent from God before the coming Christ.
Jesus is the one who baptizes with Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the Lamb of God who will be sacrificed for the sin of the world.
And Apostle John testified,
Jesus came from above and He is above all.
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.
The Father gave Jesus the Holy Spirit without measure.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
God gave us gracious offer. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, the wrath of God remains on him. There are two ways, one way to eternal life and another is to the wrath of God. Resisting the favor of God means insulting God. God did not spare His One and Only Son to give us the grace of salvation. Do not resist God.
John 3:16–17 (ESV)
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Come, come to the Grace of God.
John 1:12 (ESV)
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
Amen.
