Sermon Tone Analysis

WHO IS THE CHRIST?

To properly understand the passage, we need to go back to the intent of the author.

The author John gives us a portrait of Jesus Christ as the God-incarnate (John 1:1-3) who came to save those who believe in Him (John 1:12)

Jesus is from heaven, He is the eternal God who came down to be the Savior, the Messiah, the Immanuel...

In our Passage, The Apostle John points us to one of the many witnesses of the coming and identity of this Messiah that they have been waiting.

John the Baptist is one of the key figures who know the identify of Jesus.

and the author wants to tell his readers - Who is John / What is His credentials, AND What did John said about Jesus.

Observation:

Who is John the Baptist?

(vv.

19-25)

I.

The Testimony of John the Baptist to the Jews in Jerusalem (v.19)

testimony - marturia, witness, evidence, martyr.

(resulted to his death)

a.

The religious leaders of Israel is curios to know who John is.

Who are these people and where do they came from?

Priest - people set apart for service to God in the temple.

Levites - The descendants of Levi who served with the priests in the temple.

Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel where the religious and political leaders resides.

Perhaps they want to verify if John is the Christ that they have been waiting for.

What is John’s answer to them? (v.20-23)

a.

He is not the Christ (v.20)

Christ.

Official title given to Jesus in the NT.

It signifies his office as anointed Savior and alludes to his spiritual qualifications for the task of saving his people.

The word derives from Greek Christos, which translates Hebrew Messiah (Jn 1:41).

Both terms come from verbs meaning “to anoint with sacred oil”; hence as titles they mean “the anointed one.”

Applied to Jesus, they express the conviction that he had divine appointment for his office and function.

1 Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988).

Christ.

In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 431).

Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

Gen. 3:15 The Proto-Euangelion

The Birth of the Prince of Peace

(cf.

John 1:4-5; Matt 4:16)

b.

He is not Elijah, nor the “Prophet”.

(v.21)

The priests and Levites were puzzled by John’s response.

They probably expected him to claim to be the Messiah as others had done before him and were to do after him (Matt.

24:24)

The teachers of the law were saying that the Elijah figure must come before the arrival of the messianic age

First-century Jews were looking for the coming of this Elijah figure

c.

He fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah (this is John’s purpose and function) (v.22-23)

d.

He baptizes with water (v.24-26)

John’s baptism was designed to implement repentance as a necessary stage for the reception of Jesus; with the arrival of Jesus the next stage was the receipt of the Holy Spirit in connection with apostolic baptism in the name of Jesus

symbol of cleansing, after repentance.

usually for gentiles who would convert to Judaism.

But John is baptizing people who are Jews!

II.

What did John said about Jesus? (vv.26-34)

a. Jesus is greater than John (v.26-27)

b.

Jesus is the Lamb of God (v.29)

Jesus is referred to as the Lamb

Jesus is referred to as the Lamb from God, because of the genetive word “of” - of God, belonging to God.

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Jesus Christ is referred to as the “Lamb of God”.

This symbol points to Christ being a perfect sacrifice for sin.

It also conveys his meekness and his willingness to submit to suffering and death.

the lamb is the Sacrificial Offering

A picture of the crucifixion of the Christ - analogy of a lamb that is going to be sacrificed.

the Beast (the agent of Satan/ Organization that will battle with Christ).

the Lamb who was slain refers to Jesus.

The Lamb - Jesus will be victorious at the end.

Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

c. Jesus existed before John (v.30)

d.

Jesus is the Son of God (v.32-34)

Son of God (repeated 9 times in John’s Gospel account, referring to Jesus)

(cf.

Matthew 3:16; Luke 3:22)

Interpretation:

John the Baptist testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ that they have been waiting for.

His credibility as a witness is from God and His purpose is to reveal the Messiah to Israel.

Application:

so what?

What have you learned about Jesus?

Who is Jesus Christ to you?

How Important is Jesus to you?