Witness to the Lamb of God

Introduction

I want to say thank you for all your prayers for me and for Deann over the past two weeks. We have truly felt your prayers and are so incredibly thankful for our church family.

I also want to say thank you to Lance for doing such a wonderful job filling in for me last week. I truly appreciate working with him. The way he loves, and cares for our students never ceases to amaze me. I can truly say, I love both the working relationship and the friendship that we have together.

This morning, we are going to continue our study in the book of John. So if you have your Bibles, I want to encourage you to turn with me to John chapter 1 and we’ll begin our reading with verse 19.

Two weeks ago, we finished looking at the prologue to the Gospel of John. In our passage this morning, John is going to introduce us to “the voice of one calling in the wilderness” (Jn. 1:23).

So let’s begin our reading today with verse 19.

John’s Answer to the Religious Leaders

John 1:19–20 NIV

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

The Gospel of John doesn’t spend a lot of time on John the Baptizer’s ministry. But here we are introduced to his ministry and explanation of who he is and what his ministry is (v. 19).

John the baptizer repeatedly confessed (Gk. confess, acknowledge, declare, say plainly, assure, or admit) that he was NOT the messiah (v 20).

John 1:21–22 NIV

They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

So they wanted to know if he was Elijah and John said he was NOT (v. 21a).

Then they wanted to know if John was a prophet, and again John said NO (v. 21b)

Finally that point blank asked him, “Who are you?” and they asked him to defend himself (v. 22a).

Notice the last question in verse 22, “What do you say about yourself?” This phrase has the idea of defending himself (v. 22b).

John’s answer comes from Isaiah 40:3 (v. 23).

—A voice calling in the wilderness. . .

—He cries out “Make straight the way of the Lord”

The Pharisees’ Interrogation

John 1:24–25 NIV

Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

The author gives us a key to understanding this passage by telling us that it was the Pharisees that are doing the questioning (v. 24).

If you are not the Messiah, Elijah or a prophet then why do you baptize? These were some of the eschatological figures that the Pharisees were expecting to come at the end times (v. 25a).

Since John did not claim to be any of these, they are now questioning his authority to baptize anyone (v. 25b).

Side Note: Being baptized by someone was NOT part of the normal Jewish tradition. However, when a Gentile family converted to Judaism, the males were circumcised and then everyone (male and female) would be baptized into the faith. Thus, the Pharisees believed John was crossing a line by baptizing Jews, and really wanted to know into what these Jews were being baptized.

John’s Reply

John 1:26 NIV

“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.

John’s answer does not reveal the authority by which he baptized. But he does acknowledge that there IS an authority present. In this way John points to Jesus and His authority without revealing him prematurely (v. 26).

John 1:27 NIV

He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

The religious leaders seem to believe that John is something special—certainly the people believe that—but he says he is not even worthy enough to untie the man’s sandals (v. 27).

John 1:28 NIV

This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John gives us a location marker—all of this happened at Bethany on the east side of the Jordan!

This is not the Bethany where Lazarus, and Mary and Martha lived—that town was just a couple of miles outside of Jerusalem. This Bethany (on the other side of the Jordan) was several miles south of the Sea of Galilee.

NOTE: Remember this location—because it is going to come into play in our passage next week.

John’s Introduction of Jesus

John 1:29 NIV

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John gives us a time marker—The next day—presumably the day after the religious leaders questioned him about his authority to baptize (1:24) (v. 29a).

John sees Jesus and announces: Look, the Lamb of God.

Then he gives his listeners some ideas about Jesus:

—He takes away the sin of the world (v. 29b)

John 1:30 NIV

This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’

—He is the one John announced earlier (v. 30a).

—He (Jesus) came after John (v. 30b).

—But He surpassed (Gk. surpassed, is greater than, before, in front of, ahead) John (v. 30c).

John 1:31 NIV

I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

John says that he did not know (Gk. know, able to understand, perceive) the Lamb (v. 31a).

John is NOT saying that he did not know Jesus (after all they were cousins). Rather he is saying that he did not know Jesus was God’s Chosen One (v. 34).

But this Lamb of God is the reason that John came and baptized with water (v. 31b).

John’s job was to reveal the Lamb of God to Israel!

John’s Testimony

John 1:32 NIV

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.

Now John gives a personal experience with Jesus (v. 32a).

John saw the Spirit (of God) coming down from heaven (v. 32b).

—The Spirit appeared like a dove.

—And the Spirit remained (Gk. remain, stay, reside, wait, dwell, live, lodge with) on Him.

John 1:33 NIV

And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

John repeats the phrase—I myself did not know him. . . (v. 33a). This is not that John did not know Jesus (they were cousins).

Rather this is John did not know until now that Jesus was God’s Chosen One.

John says that the one who sent him—gave him the authority to—baptize with water told John:

—The one upon whom the Spirit comes down and stays with is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

John 1:34 NIV

I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

John says he saw—that is he saw God’s Spirit come down and remain on Jesus (v. 34a).

And John “testifies” or bears witness that Jesus is God’s Chosen One (the Son of God) (v. 34b).

Conclusion

You know what I love about this passage? I love the fact that John the Baptist (Baptizer) tells them what he has seen!

His testimony is that he has seen God’s Chosen One!

This morning, I want to ask you a question.

QUESTION: What is your testimony?

—What have you see Jesus do?

—How have you experienced God working in your life?