The Testimony of John the Baptist. John 1, 19-34.
The embassy of the Jews: V. 19. And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? V. 20. And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. V. 21. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
The gospel-history begins with the testimony of John the Baptist, since his preaching concerned Him whose herald he was. Cp. Matt. 3 ; Mark 1; Luke 3. The evangelist does not relate in general what transactions took place between the representatives of the Jews and the Baptist, but has reference to a special, definite occasion, and notes the verbal testimony given at that time.
The Jews, that is, the leaders of the Jews, the members of the Sanhedrin, composed of priests, presbyters, and scribes, among whom were also some very prominent Pharisees, sent this embassy. This delegation consisted of priests and Levites, and they had certain questions to lay before him for the sake of obtaining information.
The coming of John, his manner of living, the features of his ministry, all these were of such an extraordinary nature as to provoke sensational comment. Hence the question, Who are you? (Emphasis on "you.") There was a definite purpose connected with the question, for it was not an idle inquiry as to name and birth, but as to his official character. "What personage do you claim to be? What place in the community do you aspire to?" The implication was that John might be the Messiah. If so, the Jewish leaders wanted to know about it; for they deemed it their duty to keep peace in the Church.
But John rejected the implication with the greatest seriousness. He expressly put from him even the suggestion of an honor to which he had no right or claim. Without the slightest equivocation or show of reluctant humility John made his confession that he was not the Christ. It would have been an easy matter for him to assume the honor, for the people would have supported him without question; but he put even the suggestion of the temptation away from him. He also rejected the honor of being called the second Elijah in the sense that his was the actual person of Elijah, returned to the world in his former flesh and blood.
It had indeed been prophesied, Mal. 4, 5, that Elijah the prophet should come as the forerunner of the Messiah, that is, that a prophet in the power and spirit of Elijah would prepare the way for Christ. And Jesus expressly states, Matt. 17, 10-13, that John the Baptist was the Elijah who was to come. But because of the false understanding that the Jews had of this Elijah, John could not admit that identity without misleading them.
He denied, in the third place, that he was that prophet. For the Jews understood the prophecy, Deut. 18, 15, not of the Messiah Himself, but of some special prophet, a faithful prophet, 1 Macc. 14, 41, who was to terminate the prophetic period and usher in the Messianic reign. Compare chap. 6, 14; 7, 40.