John 1:19-34

John 1:19-28 What John the Baptist says about himself

This man who was baptizing people in the desert is often called John the Baptist.  People sometimes call him John the Baptizer, to avoid any confusion between him and the denominations of Christians known as Baptists that arose many centuries later.

Who challenges John the Baptizer?

Priests and Levites (verse 19), and then Pharisees (verse 24).  Priests offered the sacrifices in the Temple.  Levites served in the Temple but not as priests.  Pharisees were a religious sect within Judaism that emphasized zealous adherence to the Torah and its purity laws.

Who does John say he is not?

He says he is not the “Christ or “Messiah.”  “Messiah” is the word that Jewish people would have used in their own language to refer to the one whose coming they were awaiting, who they expected would bring them liberation.  The Hebrew word “Messiah” means “Anointed One.”  The Greek word Christos, from which we get our word “Christ,” is the Greek word for “Anointed One.”

He says he is not Elijah.  In the Old Testament, Elijah does not die; instead, in 2 Kings 2:1-12, he is described as being taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.  And in a prophecy in Malachi 3:23-24, God says he is sending Elijah the prophet before the day of the Lord comes (when the Messiah comes).  The scholars in the Jewish tradition interpreted these passages literally and expected Elijah himself to return before the Messiah comes.  In  Matthew 11:14 and Mark 9:11-13, Jesus indicates that John has played the role that people expected of Elijah.  But John knows he is not literally Elijah and says so.

He says he is not the prophet.  In Deuteronomy 18:15-18, Moses says that God will raise up a prophet like Moses for the people.  Again, this was part of Jewish tradition and the Jews of Jesus’s time waited expectantly for this Prophet.

Who does John the Baptist say he is?

John is quoting Isaiah 40:3.

Read Isaiah 40:1-5.

Why do you think John the Baptist sees himself in this description?

How is this a fitting description of John the Baptist?

In verse 26, what does John say he does?

In verse 27, how does John the Baptizer distinguish himself from “the one who is to come,” which is Jesus?

How is this a fitting description for Jesus?

John 1:29-34 What does John testify about Jesus?

Notice that in verse 29, John the evangelist says that this happens “on the next day.”  John divides his episodes into days.  Day one: If John is not the One, what is his role?  Day two: Here is the One.

How does John describe Jesus?

Let’s look at each of the things John says.  Notice that John telescopes into one paragraph here what happens over a longer period of time in the Synoptic Gospels.  John is trying to get to the spiritual meaning of what was happening.

What is the significance of calling Jesus the Lamb of God?

This image probably evokes the Passover or “paschal” lamb whose blood saved the Israelites from the death of the firstborns in Egypt before Pharaoh finally let them go (Ex. 12).  It may also evoke the Suffering Servant in Isaiah who is led like a lamb to the slaughter (Is. 53:7) and whose life is an offering for sin (Is. 53:10).

What is the significance of saying that he takes away the sin of the world (note that the word “sin” is singular – John is referring to the whole state of sinfulness, not just specific sins)?

What is the significance of saying that “he existed before me”?

What is the significance of saying that the Spirit descended on him like a dove and remains on him?

What is the significance of saying that he will baptize with the Holy Spirit?

What is the significance of saying he is the Son of God?

John the Baptist was a relative of Jesus (Luke 1:36ff), so scholars have puzzled over the fact that in verse 33 he says that he had not known Jesus (he uses a special form of the past tense).  If they were relatives as Luke says, why does he say this?  There are two main possibilities:

• John may merely be saying that he had not “known” in the sense that he had not realized previously that Jesus was the Messiah.

• John may never have spent much time with Jesus.  Jesus’s early years were spent in Egypt and his family settled in the north, in Galilee, a multi-day walk from the territory where John’s family lived.  They were “relatives,” but not necessarily close cousins.  As an adult, at some point John went off and lived in the desert.  So it is possible that they never interacted with each other before Jesus showed up to be baptized.

In verses 33-34, how does John explain why he is so confident that what he is saying is true, (even though he had not known previously)?

Looking over all the ways that John the Baptist describes Jesus, which description is most important to you and your life, and why?  (John says: he is the Lamb of God, he takes away the sin of the world, he existed before me, the Spirit is on him, he will baptize with the Spirit, he is the Son of God.)

And can you describe a time when that understanding of Jesus especially mattered for you?

Take a step back and consider this:

Identities are important.  Sometimes, it matters a great deal who you are – or are not.  The religious authorities want to know who John is (or who he thinks he is).  John the Baptist wants his followers, and everyone listening to him, to know who Jesus is.

Sometimes we want to know who someone is so that we can put them in the proper box in our mental assessment of who’s who in the world.  That can be helpful (“this teenager is one of my students; I need to help him”) or unhelpful (“I’ve never seen this teenager here; he must be up to no good”). 

John the Baptist not only identifies Jesus; he testifies (verse 34) that Jesus is the Son of God.  This role of testifying or bearing witness is sometimes crucial (“this is one of my most diligent students; he’s here to talk with me about his scholarship essay”).

If we have experienced that Jesus takes away sins, is filled with the Spirit, or is the Son of God, we can testify to what we have seen, as John the Baptist did.

How would you introduce Jesus to someone who does not know him?  How would you describe him – what words would you use to identify him – so that others might be motivated to learn more about him?