Sermon Tone Analysis

John’s testimony to ‘the Jews’ of Jerusalem

More to come

INTRODUCTION

1.SHOW Trailer for the movie “UNKNOWN”.

Could you imagine waking up one morning and your identity is stolen, you then being the task of proving your true identity?

In the movie “Unknown”, Dr. Martin Harris has his identity stolen by professionals, then through the story, he tries to find evidence to prove his true identity, while someone else is pretending to live his life.

2. Many have missed the true identity of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.

Many have questioned the identity of Jesus.

Some skeptics are not interested in Jesus at all.

The Apostle John does not want us to miss the identity of the “True Messiah”, Jesus the Son of God.

3.

Proposition:

The Apostle John writes this narrative story, in his Gospel, to give us evidence that you might believe that Jesus is the Son of God

Interrogative Question:

Interrogative Question:

Is there evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah?

Transitional Sentence:

John gives us eyewitness evidence through John the Baptist, his testimony, Father, Son and Spirit

Propositional Question: Purpose

ii.

John’s testimony to Jesus as the Lamb of God (1:29–34)

ii.

John’s testimony to Jesus as the Lamb of God (1:29–34)

Purpose

The purpose of the Apostle John writing this narrative is to give us evidence that you might believe that Jesus is the Son of God through John the Baptist, his testimony, Father, Son and Spirit.

Audience

The Apostle John is the writer.

The audience are Christians but also skeptics or those who may be questioning this faith as by the time John writes his gospel there there has been a generation of people who are first generation Christians and John wants to encourage all that they might believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that by believing they might have life!

John’s Testimony to ‘the Jews’ of Jerusalem

Keeping John’s theme of

1 Colin G. Kruse, John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol.

4, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 80.

(NIV84)

31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Why John’s Testimony is Included

…we look at the reason why John might include this character and following information in his Gospel.

v. 19 “this was John’s testimony” John wants us to understand that the following information is from John the Baptist, not made up but literally John’s evidence, witness, testimony of Jesus.

Jews of Jerusalem - Delegation of representatives sent from Jerusalem to question John the Baptist’s calling (v.

19-28)

Delegation sent by the “Jews of Jerusalem (v.19)

sending of delegation of priest and Levites (including Pharisee’s (v.

24)

they question John’s calling 19-28

v. 20 Assumes in the question that they are wondering if this is the Christ, the Messiah

5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.

6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.

6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

v. 21 The group of teachers comes and are wondering if John the Baptist is Elijah?

But John’s answer is “no.”

John did not see himself as the coming Elijah promised in the OT but, “John the Baptist is identified by Jesus as the coming Elijah.

; ”

This idea that both Elijah and/or Moses might return is not uncommon “the New Testament itself provides evidence that the Elijah figure was an accepted part of Jewish eschatological thinking then (see, e.g., the transfiguration event of , which involved Elijah and Moses, or the two witnesses of , which are often identified with the same two figures;”

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol.

25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 127.

the New Testament itself provides evidence that the Elijah figure was an accepted part of Jewish eschatological thinking then (see, e.g., the transfiguration event of Mark 9:4–5, which involved Elijah and Moses, or the two witnesses of Rev 11:3–12, which are often identified with the same two figures;

the New Testament itself provides evidence that the Elijah figure was an accepted part of Jewish eschatological thinking then (see, e.g., the transfiguration event of , which involved Elijah and Moses, or the two witnesses of , which are often identified with the same two figures;

“First-century Jews were looking for the fulfilment of this promise (cf.

6:14; 7:37–40).

Early Christian preachers also referred to ‘a prophet’ () and explicitly identified Jesus as the one in whom the promise found fulfilment ().

It is not surprising, then, that when John was asked if he was the Prophet, he replied, ‘No.’”

The Holy Bible: New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984), .

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol.

25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 127.

v. 22.

They continue to push John the Baptist for a clear answer to the questions of who he really is to bring back to the Jewish authorities.

John’s Calling Answered (v.

23)

quoting from

A voice of one calling:

“In the desert prepare

the way for the Lord;

make straight in the wilderness

a highway for our God.b

a Or A voice of one calling in the desert: / “Prepare the way for the Lord

a highway for our God.

b Hebrew; Septuagint make straight the paths of our God

John is fulfilling God’s promise through the prophet Isaiah of one who would come and prepare the way to introduce the Messiah (our God)

John’s Aggressive Encounter (v.

19-28)

This adversarial use of the term “Jews” could easily reflect the experience of the evangelist and the Christian community in terms of hostility from institutional Judaism as represented by the synagogue.

The temple of course had already been destroyed (a.d.

70) by the time of the writing of this Gospel.90

This Gospel was first circulated apparently in a period when Christians were being excluded from synagogues, a time of the reconstitution of the Jewish faith

v.19-28 Tone of the encounter of Jews with John: the tone of the meeting of the Jewish leaders, authorities and representatives is seen as adversarial by the Apostle John.

As “ This adversarial use of the term “Jews” could easily reflect the experience of the evangelist and the Christian community in terms of hostility from institutional Judaism as represented by the synagogue.

The temple of course had already been destroyed (a.d.

70) by the time of the writing of this Gospel.90

This Gospel was first circulated apparently in a period when Christians were being excluded from synagogues, a time of the reconstitution of the Jewish faith...” Gerald L. Borchert, , vol.

25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 126.

Gerald L. Borchert, , vol.

25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 126.

John’s Baptism

5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.

6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

Having ascertained who John was, the committee then asked what he was doing.

“Why are you baptizing?”

John got his authority to baptize, not from men, but from heaven, because he was commissioned by God (Matt.

21:23–32).

The Jewish religious leaders in that day baptized Gentiles who wanted to adopt the Jewish faith; but John baptized Jews!

John explained that his baptism was in water, but that the Messiah would come and baptize with a spiritual baptism.

Again, John made it clear that he was not establishing a new religion or seeking to exalt himself.

He was pointing people to the Saviour, the Son of God (John 1:34).

We shall learn later that it was through baptism that Jesus Christ would be presented to the people of Israel.

We learn from the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus baptized with water for repentance.

However, later, we find out that Jesus will have a new baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire!

“I baptize you with water for repentance.

But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.