Jesus' Opening Act, John 1:19-28, 6 May 2012
Big Idea: John the Baptist’s mission was to prepare the way for Jesus
John 1:19-28
Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” (John 1:19-20)
Who are you? This is an important question for everyone to answer. John could have sought to build a following, but instead he is content to merely prepare the way for Jesus. He was not interested in making a name for himself. People were expecting the Messiah to arrive and these leaders traveled quite a distance when they heard John the Baptist was attracting attention.
They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” (John 1:21-22)
John the Baptist continues to divert the attention from himself. We are often tempted to become famous. John was already becoming famous, but he didn’t embrace it.
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”
Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (John 1:23-25)
They want to know if he has a license to baptize! Where is his authority? What are his credentials? It was not uncommon for Gentiles to be baptized upon converting to Judaism, but John was baptizing Jews!
“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” (John 1:26-27)
A servant would do everything for his master except untie their shoes. John humbles himself before the LORD and recognizes that it’s not about him, but about Jesus.
This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:28)
John the Baptist may have been an eyewitness to this and the other events in the first chapter of his gospel. There are many details presented that would likely not survive mere oral transmission of the story.
You can listen to the podcast here.
John 1:19-28
Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” (John 1:19-20)
Who are you? This is an important question for everyone to answer. John could have sought to build a following, but instead he is content to merely prepare the way for Jesus. He was not interested in making a name for himself. People were expecting the Messiah to arrive and these leaders traveled quite a distance when they heard John the Baptist was attracting attention.
They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” (John 1:21-22)
John the Baptist continues to divert the attention from himself. We are often tempted to become famous. John was already becoming famous, but he didn’t embrace it.
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”
Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (John 1:23-25)
They want to know if he has a license to baptize! Where is his authority? What are his credentials? It was not uncommon for Gentiles to be baptized upon converting to Judaism, but John was baptizing Jews!
“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” (John 1:26-27)
A servant would do everything for his master except untie their shoes. John humbles himself before the LORD and recognizes that it’s not about him, but about Jesus.
This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:28)
John the Baptist may have been an eyewitness to this and the other events in the first chapter of his gospel. There are many details presented that would likely not survive mere oral transmission of the story.
You can listen to the podcast here.