Read John 1:6-8, 19-34
Our man John’s first mention of John “The Baptizer” occurs only a few sentences into His introduction of Jesus. The mention of John is to serve as a testimony or a witness and evidence of what is true. It is as though the Apostle is saying, “Don’t just take my word for it. I have backup proof for you.”
Testimony is a legal construct which serves as a witness, or gives account or evidence. In the Old Testament several different, yet connected, words were used, sometimes interchangeably, to convey this concept.
If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. (Numbers 35:30)
On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. (Deuteronomy 17:6)
A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. (Deuteronomy 19:15)
It is most likely this last reference that compels John to lay out many evidences of the Deity and nature of Jesus in his Gospel writing. Testimony played a very important role (and I would argue it still does!) in the formation of relationships and alliances. One could trust the character of another based upon the evidence of a trusted companion. Even Jesus defers to this construct.
33 You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
36 But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.
37 And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. 38 You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me. John 5:33-39
What testimony or evidence of Jesus does John the Baptizer bring to light in the verses you have just read?
The testimony of John the Baptist (or the Baptizer as I will sometimes call him) is thick with meaning. We will take more than one sitting to consider to what he actually testifies concerning Jesus.
Jesus is Great and Worthy of Worship
It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. John 1:27
Much of the life of the Jew in Jesus’ day was defined by worship. Their calendar was measured by it. John lifts Jesus up as an object of worship and in the process he makes himself nothing, even though throngs had started to follow him, a fact which did not escape the notice of the ruling Jews. For John to say that he wasn’t worthy to even untie Jesus’ sandal to the Jewish mind was inconceivable. Even Caesar, the present king of the known world at the time and self-declared god, had those who untied his sandals. And Caesar demanded worship of his constituents. The Baptizer’s statement flies in the face of such practice. John upholds Jesus as superior in his statement.
As you ponder John’s statement in verse 27, how do you see Jesus differently?
Jesus is Timeless
After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me. John 1:30b
You might want to read this one again, for John states that Jesus existed after him (*this is true. John was conceived to Elizabeth before Jesus was conceived in Mary) yet Jesus existed before him. It is His timeless nature that makes Jesus greater than John. It is apparently something John has been preaching because he quotes himself when Jesus actually makes an appearance on the scene. (John 1:15, 29-30) It is this statement that also affirms the Apostle’s assertion that Jesus was “in the beginning.” (John 1:1) The character of timelessness, that of existing outside of time, sets Jesus apart in a category all His own. It is part of what makes Him holy, or set apart. It gives Him the firsthand knowledge of the past (see John 8:48-58), allows Him to observe the unseen realities and thoughts of men in the present (John 2:24-25) and gives Him immediate access to the future at any given moment (John 2:19-20; 12:31-33; 13:21) It is a character of God Himself.
Think about the fact Jesus exists outside of time. How does this change your perception of Him? How does it motivate you in your own faith?
Jesus is the Lamb of God
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
In ancient Israel, a lamb was a symbol of sacrifice and atonement. Much of Jewish worship centered on a sacrificial system of which the offering of an unblemished lamb was at the core. Therefore when the Baptizer states that the Lamb of God would take away the sin of the world a lamb taking away sin wouldn’t have sounded terribly foreign. What would have been foreign was attributing this accomplishment to a man. What the Jewish culture of the day (and probably even John the Baptist) didn’t understand, at least not fully, is that the sacrificial system to which they dedicated their lives wasn’t what was most real at all. It was merely a pattern of the true reality that exists only in the actual kingdom of God, as God Himself had indicated to Moses. (Exodus 25:9, 40) The author of Hebrews lays this out in rather great detail. (See Hebrews 8) Jesus is the only true and worthy sacrifice to take away sin once and for all. There is much wrapped up in John’s statement, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Much of the New Testament has been written to unfold this exact message.
Consider the implications associated with having your sins taken away by the Lamb of God. How do you respond?