John 1:19-3419And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 24And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. (John 1:19‑34)
The prophet John preached to the people out of doors in the plains near the Joan river. At that time all were “in expectation”, looking for the promised Messiah, as it was near the time foretold He should appear (Luke 3:1515And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; (Luke 3:15); Dan. 9:24, 2524Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (Daniel 9:24‑25)).
When the leaders in Jerusalem heard of the earnest words of John, they sent men to ask him if he were the Messiah.
John told them he was not; that he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’,” as written in Is 40:3. To “make straight the way of the Lord,” the people must be sorry for sins and be baptized, which showed to others they knew they deserved death because of sins.
God had sent John to baptize, and he was called John the Baptist, He said there was One to come far greater than he. The next day Jesus came there, and John called to the people to “Behold!”, But he did not say to behold the Messiah, he said,
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
It would be strange to us to hear a man called “a lamb”; we call a little child “a lamb”, meaning it is a pet or gentle as a lamb. But the men who heard. John understood: they had many times seen a lamb offered because of sin, and the man would put his hand on the lamb’s head to show it was taken in his place.
They knew “the Lamb of God”, meant One from God to take away sin. Yet they did not then understand that He, too, must die to do that, although that was written in Is. 53:6, 7. They thought He would do so by His power.
John said the Holy One Who had come was chosen and anointed by God that he saw the Spirit descend and remain on Him, and his record or report and message was that Jesus Who stood among them was the Son of God.
That was wonderful news to the people who were looking for the promised Holy One: to know He had come to earth. Next time we read of men who believed John’s words.
We must believe those same words, “Behold the Lamb of God,” for we cannot take our sins from God’s sight either; we can only trust the One God sent, His own Son; that He took our place. When we believe and think of Him as dying for us, we “behold’ Him as God’s Lamb.
What did John say he was not worthy to do? (v. 27).
Did many go to hear John? (Matt 3:5).
Note: “Elias”, verse 21, is the Greek form of Elijah; “Esaias” (v. 23) the Greek for Isaiah; and “Messias” for Messiah, the anointed; in our language the Christ (v. 41).
ML 05/19/1946