The Testimony of John the Baptist - John 1:19-34

 

The Testimony of John the Baptist

John 1:19-34
19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

    The Jews - those that set themselves against Jesus.

    The Fourth Gospel is two things - First, as we have already seen in the prologue, it is the exhibition of God in Jesus Christ.

    But second, it is equally... 
    The story of the rejection of Jesus Christ by the Jews:
           The story of God's offer and their refusal
           The story of God's love and human sin
           The story of Jesus Christ's invitation and their rejection

Why are they coming to him in the first place?
History -

John was a preacher. He had been preaching a message of repentance and apparently he struck a chord with the religious rulers.
A message of repentance will always strike a chord with the impenitent heart. Turn from sin and turn to God.

John was of priestly descent. John's father (Zachariah) was a priest. He was a descendant of Aaron. The only qualification for the priesthood was descent. If a man was not a descendant of Aaron, nothing could make him a priest: but if he was a descendant of Aaron, nothing could stop him being one.

It was natural for them to question his behavior. He wasn't living up to the "expectations" of a priest. And to be real here John wasn't your typical priest.
      "Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey." Mark 1:6
Nor was he your typical preacher!
      "John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism for the forgiveness of sins." Mark 1:4
[application]
I think the church always runs the danger ot condemning a new way just because it is new.
William Barclay says, "in one sense, there is hardly any institution in the world which resents change so much as the Church does."
This is very interesting seeing that God is ever transforming us from who we were to who he wants us to become. The only time we stop changing is when we are changed for the final time - 1 Cor. 15:51, 52.

John was a person. Yes his mission was the subject of prophecy but he was still just a man. And he of all people knew who he was before God. Listen to how he responds to the questions...

20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."
21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said. "I am not." "Are you the
Prophet?" And he answered, "No."
22 So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent
us. What do you say about yourself?"
23 He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way
of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said."
24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)

1. Christ - Rumors were beginning to spread about who he was. Luke tells us that "the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ..." Luke 3:15
2. Elijah - 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day
of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the
hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter
destruction.” Mal. 4:5-6 
3. The Prophet - 15 “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen” Deut. 18:15

A. John knows who he isn’t. He isn’t someone important in his own eyes. But he
knows who he is – a voice. A voice that points others to Christ.
He is essentially saying, “I am nobody, but the One who is coming is somebody.”
But what is interesting is that he quotes Isa. 40:3. Isaiah was prophesying to the
nation of Israel about their pending deliverance from bondage and captivity to the
Babylonians. It was the beginning of a message of hope (in chapter 40.)

 25 They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor
Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26 John answered them. "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not
know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to
untie."
28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Now instead of asking him why he quoted this passage they are so blinded to the
truth of Scripture that they are more concerned with what he is doing baptizing people In
the Jordan!
John was just a signpost - pointing the way to Christ. We need to remember that that
is what we are - signposts in this world. People may criticize the sign but they totally
ignore the signals - [story of stoplight in Salinas]

Behold, the Lamb of God

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of
God, who takes away the sin of the world! 
 
Two things to consider as John calls attention to Jesus as the Lamb of God:
1. John was the son of a priest. He knew all about the rituals and Temple sacrifices
that took place every single day. Every morning and every evening a lamb was
sacrificed for the sins of the people.
2. But in addition to this, in chapter two we find out that this is the time of Passover.
That is the feast to commemorate the old story of Passover mentioned in the
book of Exodus when the blood of the slain lamb protected the houses of the
Israelites on the night when they left Egypt. The Israelites were to smear their
doorposts with the blood of the slain lamb, and the angel, seeing it, would pass
over that house. It could very well be that John saw flocks of lambs passing by
as they were being prepared to serve as sacrifices for the Passover Feast.
3. The blood of the Passover Lamb delivered the Israelites in Egypt from death; and
John is now saying, “There is the one true sacrifice who can deliver you from
death.”
4. There is a deliverance that only Jesus Christ can win for us.
5. Perhaps, what they wanted to hear is – Behold, your king who delivers you from
the oppression of Rome.
6. They may have wanted a ruler, but they needed a savior.
7. John’s baptism confronted people with the need for repentance. But they
needed much more than repentance, they needed redemption (to buy back –
sold as slaves).
8. No amount of water could remove the stain of sin, that requires blood. Hebrews
9:22 says, “that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.

30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because
he was before me.’
31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he
might be revealed to Israel.”
32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it
remained on him.
33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He
on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy
Spirit.’
34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” 
 
Baptism of the Spirit.
Johns’ baptism meant two things.
1. It meant cleansing
2. It meant dedication
Now the Spirit’s baptism means possession. He takes ownership over our lives.

And we can say when the Spirit takes possession of us certain things happen…
A. Our lives are enlightened. God illuminates our understanding so that we may
discover Him and his will and his ways.
B. Our lives are strengthened. The Spirit gives us power to live the normal Christian
life! Acts 1 – you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…
C. Our lives are purified. Baptism of fire. Fire is judgment and cleansing.