John 1:29-34
In our last post, we saw that John the Baptizer was asked, “Who are you, and why are you baptizing people?” He answered, “I am not the Messiah, or Elijiah or even one of the prophets. Rather, I have come to prepare the way for the coming Messiah.
What I find fascinating is verse 26. It states that Jesus witnessed this testimony given by John before the civil and religious leaders. Yet like at His birth, as stated in Matthew and Marks accounts of Christ life, most missed his birth. Here is Jesus among the priests and Levites, the civil and religious leaders in Judah and they do not recognize Christ.
Now on day two of John’s testimony, John the gospel writer clearly states, “And the next day.” Leaving us as readers to ask, “What will John the Baptist say concerning Jesus?” After all, he has come to proclaim or testify to the fact that Jeus is the promised Messiah. John is not concerned with himself or exalting himself. His concern is with the Messiah. So John points Jesus out to the crowd and says, “Here He is, the One I told you about. Look, He was before me, meaning His coming was before there was a beginning of this world. Hey, look, He is preferred before me, and that is just fine with me, because this Man has come to give us rest by taking the world’s sins away.
But John quickly lets the people know, But in case you think I have always know Him, I have never seen Him before. That is, I have never seen Him before I baptized him. You may ask, what do I mean, John never seen him before John baptized Jesus.
This passage written by John the Disciple concerning John the Baptizer uses a style of writing that lets us know that John is describing or testifying to events that have taken place and the reason beehind the religous and call authority’s inquiries as to who John teh Baptizer really is. Frist as in a court of law, they ask John to identify himself. Next they seek to understand his motive for his testimony. and now they seek to hear the actual testimony. That testimony is that one, who is the Lamb of God has come to take away the sins of the earth.
The logical question is, if you have never seen Him, how do you know He is the Lamb of God, the Messiah? Berse 33 answers this question. Notice what John the Baptizer said. “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
John has just finish saying. I did not know Him, but He should be revealed to Israel, “therefore I came baptizing with water,”” I have given testimony that I bore witness by saying “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He (the Spirit) remained upon Him.
According to John’s, Gospel, John the Baptizer was told to look for a sign. That sign was that the Holy Spirit would ascend and remain upon the person that is the Messiah. It is certainly not me, for I only Baptize with water, says John, but he who comes after me, baptizes with the Spirit.
As verse 34 closes, the question hanging in the air like a big pink elephant in the room is this. Will you accept Jesus has the Lamb of God? Will you accept him as the Messiah? the one who will give rest to the weary and comfort to the broken hearted?
The testimony of day three will show, some do accept him. the question for today is, will you and I accept Jesus as the Messiah?
Usually I post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But I want to make a brief post tomorrow, spending a little time talking about Baptism and what Baptism means for you and I.
The Bible In Your Hand 