John 1:19-39, 3:22-36: John the Witness

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(1) Bible Study Questions

Discuss: In 1959, Billy Graham farewelled Australia after an unprecedented preaching tour of four months, where half the population of Australia listened to at least one of his sermons, and the crowd record for the MCG was set which has not been beaten since. At Mascot airport, a stage was constructed on the tarmac in front of the plane, and Mr Graham spoke about how John the Baptist had told his disciples to forget about himself and follow Jesus, and likewise, the crowd should forget about Billy Graham and follow Jesus.

Do you think that was an appropriate biblical example for him to use? Why or why not?

Notes: John the Evangelist has already introduced John the Baptist (John 1:6-8, 15) and has already made statements about his origin (1:6), task (1:7-8), and identity (1:8). He has also provided some of John the Baptist’s teaching about Jesus (v. 15). The issue of the identity of John the Baptist was clearly an interest to his contemporaries, and according to John the Evangelist, it was the issue of interest when Jewish leaders sent their messengers to him (v. 19).

1. Negatively, who does John the Baptist say that he is not? (John 1:20-21, 25, cf. 1:8, 3:28)

2. Is the answer given by John the Baptist here in tension with what Jesus elsewhere says about him (Matt 17:10-13, 11:11-14, cf. 3:3-5)? If so, how do you resolve this issue of identity? (cf. 2 Kgs 1:8, Isa 40:3, Zech 13:4, Mal 3:1-2, 4:5-6)

3. Positively, who does John the Baptist say that he is? (John 1:22-23, 3:29)

Note: The quote John gives is from Isaiah 40:3: A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God." (cf. Matt 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, Mal 3:2)

4. Why does John the Baptist baptize? (vv. 26-27, 31)

5. What did John the Baptist actually witness? (vv. 31-34)

6. What was John the Baptist's task? (John 1:23, 3:28)

7. What was John the Baptist origin? (John 1:6, 3:31)

8. If all we had was the statements of John the Baptist about Jesus, what would be the key elements of the gospel according to John the Baptist? (John 1:26-36 cf. 1:15, cf. 3:26)

Note: The following is a contemporary assessment and account of John the Baptist ministry from Jewish historian, Josephus (AD 37-c. 100):

John, surnamed the Baptist […] was a good man and had exhorted the Jews to lead righteous lives, to practice justice towards their fellows and piety towards God, and so doing to join in baptism. In his view this was a necessary preliminary if baptism was to be acceptable to God. They must not employ it to gain pardon for whatever sins they committed, but as a consecration of the body implying that the soul was already thoroughly cleansed by right behaviour.” Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 18:116(2)-120(3); from L H Feldman (trs), Josephus With An English Translation In Nine Volumes: Josephus Vol 9: LCL (London: Heinemann/Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1965), 80-85)

9. How does John the Evangelist’s account of John the Baptist’s message, and Josephus’ account, differ, and how are they similar?

10. In terms of building a following of disciples, was John the Baptist a success? Why or why not? (vv. 35-37, cf. John 3:23, 25-26, 29-30)

11. It is unclear whether John 3:31-36 is a quote from John the Baptist, or merely the narration of John the Evangelist. Regardless of this, what do these verses add to what we know about John the Baptist and Jesus?

Discuss: Sydney is now the home of a small but ancient people group who used to live in Iran and Iraq. Recently with the Iraq war they have fled. They are called ‘Mandean Sabeans’, and there are about five thousand living in Sydney, and about seventy thousand in the world. In Sydney, they meet on the banks of the Nepean River in Wallacia, where they perform ritual washings. In doing so, they believe they are following their teacher, John the Baptist. They view John the Baptist as the only true Messiah.

According to each John in the Gospel of John, does the view of the Mandean Sabeans properly honour John the Baptist? Why or why not? Is it accurate to the teaching of John the Baptist, that John the Evangelist, who was once a follower of John the Baptist, presents us with? How can we respond to and love this people group?

(2) Sermon Script

Introduction: Friends Are Good

Friends make life so much easier. That’s not why you have them. You have them just because they are your friends. But having friends does make life so much easier.

"What car should I buy?" You ask a friend, who says, "Well, these ones are the best but you get more for your money with these." "Where should I get it fixed?", and your friend says, "Well, I’d try this guy, he’s really good, but I wouldn’t let this one touch my car." "What should I do about my child? I’ve got a problem – can I talk?"

Scripture recognizes the value of friendship.

The pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel (Prov 27:9 NIV)

If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! (Eccles 4:10 NIV)

Pity the person who doesn’t have friends.

Christians have friends. They are called 'the church'. The church is the way God provides for his people the wonderful gift of friendship. If you are a Christian, other Christians are simply fellow pilgrims. They are walking the same journey, so they can give you the benefit of the things that they’ve learnt along the way.

A teacher is like a friend, except better. At least, that’s the way it is supposed to be. Teachers are friends, in that they want the best for their students. But teachers know more than their students. They are friends in that they have your best interests at heart. They are teachers in that they can point you in the right direction.

The evangelist John had a friend and teacher likewise named John. John the Evangelist came to follow John the Baptist. John the Evangelist wants us to have John the Baptist as a friend and teacher. John the Evangelist, who wrote this Gospel, introduces us to his teacher, John the Baptist. He does this so that we can listen to John the Baptist, just like John the Evangelist listened to John the Baptist.

We need to have John the Baptist as our friend and teacher. We need to sit at John the Baptist’s feet, and learn, and listen. Let us like John the Evangelist trust that John the Baptist has our best interests at heart and listen to what he says.

Who Was John The Baptist?

Who was John the Baptist? The other Gospels tell us that he was Jesus’ relative, perhaps a second cousin or so. He was about six months older than Jesus. God sent John the Baptist to Israel, to preach and to baptize in water (John 1:26, 33; Matt 3:1-17; Luke 3:1-22)[1].

John the Baptist’s message was that Israel, as much as the gentiles, had to be cleansed and forgiven to be right with God. Israelites had to undergo ceremonial washing, just like the gentiles. Israel too had to repent to have their sins forgiven.

John the Baptist caused a stir. All the countryside went out to him to be baptized in the Jordan River. And of course, this created a lot of expectations. So the religious leaders—the Priests and Levites who were Pharisees—went to check him out. Maybe John the Baptist is the next 'Big Thing', the 'X-Factor', 'the Voice'. Maybe, they thought, we’re going to ride the crest of the wave that is John the Baptist. Maybe John the Baptist is the one we’re looking for.

And John the Baptist says "No! I'm only the warm up act, not the main event. John is very clear that he is not the Christ, not Elijah[2], not the Prophet" (John 1:20-21; 3:28). John says, "I am not worthy to untie Jesus sandals" (John 1:27).

And you know, Jesus agrees with this. John the Baptist is not just showing false humility. He speaks the truth.

Jesus himself prefers not to receive the testimony of John the Baptist, because John the Baptist is from the earth, from below (John 3:31). Nevertheless, Jesus will cite it and accept it, so that his hearers might be saved. But Jesus would prefer that people believe the witness of the works the Father has given Jesus to perform. Jesus’ signs that John records are a greater witness than John’s witness (John 5:34, 36-7).

So then, who is John the Baptist? John the Baptist says of himself, that he is the voice crying in the wilderness, the one making straight the way of the Lord (John 1:23). This was a quote from Isaiah chapter 40 verse 3. God promised to send someone to flatten the road out, so to speak, before the motorcade comes. John the Baptist is the one sent to roll out the red carpet before a much greater one who will follow. John the Baptist is to get God’s people ready for the coming King. John the Baptist is the one sent before the Christ (John 3:28).

In John’s Gospel, John the Baptist is primarily a witness. He sees God’s witness about Jesus, he hears God’s witness about Jesus, and he bears God’s witness about Jesus (John 3:32). It is a human witness to Jesus, but it is a truthful witness. Jesus says that John the Baptist’s witness is true (John 5:33).

Jesus describes John the Baptist as a lamp burning and shining for an hour (John 5:35). The religious leaders rejoiced in John the Baptist for a short time. Just like judges on reality TV shows rejoice and flatter their contestants before they munch them, or just as a family rejoices in their BBQ chicken before they eat it, the religious leaders of the Jews chose to enjoy John’s light for a time. But they refuse to see what John enlightened. And they do not receive his witness.

John the Baptist is a light and he shines his great spotlight in one place. Only the wilfully blind will not see what John the Baptist enlightens.

John the Baptist is the friend of the bridegroom (John 3:29). He doesn’t pine, "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride". He can live with playing second fiddle to someone else. He doesn’t mind being a 2-I-C. He rejoiced in not himself, but the coming bridegroom. And when the groom arrives, the friend must become less (John 3:30). Friends, we will miss the point of this passage if we leave it thinking that it is all about John the Baptist.

But there is one way we must all become like John the Baptist. John the Baptist’s life was not about him. He pointed away from himself to Jesus. If you are a Christian, your life is no longer about you. Like John the Baptist, you must point away from yourself to Jesus Christ.

For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord (2 Cor 4:5 NIV)

Like John the Baptist, we must be satellites orbiting around the Son, Jesus Christ.

Who is Jesus?

We’ve seen the best man, but who is the groom? (John 3:29). We know who's holding the spotlight, but who is on stage lit up for all to see? Who is the Lord, whose path John straightens, whose shoestrap John is not worthy to untie? (John 1:23) Of course, it’s Jesus. John the Baptist’s life and ministry was to point to Jesus Christ, the one who came after him (John 1:27, 30).

But there are three specific and important things John the Baptist wants us to know about Jesus. And we need to listen to his witness, because Jesus accepts it that we might be saved.

First, Jesus is the Pre-existent Son of God

First, John the Baptist wants us to see Jesus Christ as the pre-existent Son of God. When John the Baptist points to Jesus, John knows that there is more to Jesus than meets the eye. John 1:30:

1:30This is he on behalf of whom I said, ‘after me comes a man who came before me, for he was prior in rank over me.’

John the Baptist says that Jesus was before John the Baptist. Remember, Jesus is John’s younger second cousin. That is an extraordinary thing for an older cousin to say about a younger cousin, especially given that John has been in public life for a substantial period of time, and Jesus is publicly unknown.

Jesus came before John because Jesus is pre-existent. Jesus was in existence before the world came to be. John the Baptist hints at what John the Evangelist later understood, and that Thomas confessed. Jesus is God. Jesus Christ is the Word Eternal who was with God and who was God (John 1:1, 14). He is God the only-begotten, who became flesh (John 1:18).

John knew that there was more to his second cousin than met the eye. That is how Jesus surpasses John the Baptist. John the Baptist may well be the greatest born of woman. But Jesus is only-begotten God. He surpasses John the Baptist as the creator surpasses the creature. Jesus Christ made John the Baptist. Jesus is from heaven, from above, and is over all (John 3:31). He is the Son loved by the Father who has given all things into his hands (John 3:35). That is why Jesus must become greater, and John the Baptist must become less (John 3:30): because Jesus was always greater. The first thing John the Baptist wants us to know is that Jesus is the pre-existent Son of God.

Second, Jesus is the Lamb of God who Takes Away the Sin of the World

The second thing our friend and teacher John the Baptist wants us to know is that Jesus is "The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29, 36). He sees Jesus, and he says, "Look! The lamb of God. The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'

What does John the Baptist mean? John the Baptist is picking up on a rich stream of Old Testament teaching. Long before the temple was built, God told Abraham to sacrifice his one and only Son, whom he loved. And with a heavy heart, Abraham walked up Mount Moriah intent on obeying God. And yet Abraham hoped for another way, and so when Isaac asked "Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?", Abraham said "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my Son" (Gen 22:8). Abraham spoke, hoping beyond hope, and he was rewarded. For God did indeed provide a ram for the sacrifice, and never required Abraham to sacrifice his only son.

Later, on that same mountain, Mount Moriah, God commanded that a temple be built. And every morning and evening for as long as that temple stood, a lamb was to be slaughtered, it’s blood was sprinkled around the altar, and it's remains were burned up as a burned offering as a reminder of the sin of the people. They weren’t the only sacrifices, but they were the daily sacrifices.

And at the time of John the Baptist, the daily sacrifices, morning and evening, continued, twice a day and double on the Sabbath. So everyone Jew knew what John the Baptist meant when he said, "Look, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world". Jesus was the real sacrifice that God was going to provide to deal with our sin. What God prevented Abraham from doing on Mount Moriah to his son Isaac, God himself would do on an adjoining hill with his own Son. God the Father would provide God the only-begotten Son as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. It would be a bloody sacrifice. It would be a sacrifice that would take away sin.

I believe in the forgiveness of sins. But it is not easy for God to forgive sins. Forgiveness for God is costly, and God taught Israel that it would be messy as well: costly, messy, and bloody. Jesus is the lamb of God at the beginning of John’s Gospel. And John the Baptist knew it, and declared it. And Jesus is the lamb of God at the end of John’s Gospel, when blood and water flows from his side.

Third, Jesus is the Spirit-Filled Spirit Baptizer

There is a third thing John the Baptist points out about Jesus. John the Baptist points out that Jesus is the Spirit-filled Spirit Baptiser. John the Baptist with his own eyes saw the Spirit descend as a dove and remain on Jesus (John 1:32). This told John the Baptist that Jesus was the Christ. Jesus would be the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33).

When John the Baptist sees this, he sees the end of his own ministry. For the one who baptizes with water must give way to the one who baptizes with the Spirit. John the Baptist is the smithy shodding horses who sees the automobile dealer and petrol station comes to town. He sees that he is about to be superseded He is going the way of the typewriter. John the Baptist wouldn’t see the fulfilment of this at Pentecost. John would be put to death before Jesus poured out his Holy Spirit with power. Indeed, after his arrest, locked in prison, John the Baptist would begin to have his doubts about Jesus. "Were you the one to come, or should we expect someone else." After all, the Messiah was going to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and here is John the Baptist, stuck in Herod’s prison, where he will eventually be beheaded.

Jesus would send answer to John the Baptist that made it clear he was still the one. But at this point, standing in the sunshine of the Jordan countryside, John the Baptist clearly sees who Jesus is. Jesus is the pre-existent Son of God, greater than John the Baptist. Jesus is the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is the Spirit-filled Spirit baptizer.

Conclusion: What To Do About Jesus And John?

John the Baptist was the flavour of the month. But the problem with being the flavour of the month is that a month is a very short time. John the Baptist had his moment in the sun. And while many people received his message, the religious leaders didn’t (John 3:32).

But two of John the Baptist’s followers did. They heard John the Baptist, they believed John the Baptist, and so they left John the Baptist. For that is what all followers of John the Baptist must do. John 1:35-37:

1:35The next day, John and two of his disciples were again standing there, 1:36and seeing Jesus walking by, he said, “Look, the lamb of God!” 1:37And his two disciples heard him say it, and they followed Jesus.

Learning from John the Baptist means leaving John the Baptist, because he is only the friend of the bridegroom, not the groom himself. He is the light shining for a short time, not the thing that needs to be illuminated. He prepares the way for the Lord, he is not the Lord himself. So learning from John as teacher and friend means leaving John and following Jesus.

Now, that might seem pretty obvious to you and me. But there is a group that haven’t done that. They are the Mandaens or Sabeans. According to Wikipedia, they do not believe Jesus is the Christ, nor do they believe in the Holy Spirit. Sadly, the Mandeans are not learning from and listening to John the Baptist’s witness in the Gospels. They have failed to see the Jesus to whom John the Baptist pointed. And we should pray that they understand John the Evangelist's account of John the Baptist.

The only way you can be true to John the Baptist is by leaving John the Baptist. That is what actually happened with the disciples of John the Baptist himself says.

It is unclear whether John the Baptist is being quoted in John 3:31-36. At one level, it does not matter, because John the Evangelist is mediating all our knowledge of John the Baptist in the Gospel of John. But we should let John 3:36 have the last word:

3:36The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one disobeying the Son will not see life, but the anger of God remains upon him.

The bottom line is that Jesus Christ has life in himself. And by faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, you can have eternal life. Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ has eternal life.

But if you reject the Son, you will not see life. Because Jesus Christ has life in himself. And being born and steeped in sin, as we all are, we are not neutral. We are by nature objects of wrath. Unless Jesus be the lamb of God who takes away our sin, we face God’s anger and hell.

So friend, listen to John the Baptist, who came to preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Believe in the Son, and be saved from the wrath of God which hangs over each of us.

Let’s pray.

(3) English Translation

NA28

1:19Καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ μαρτυρία τοῦ Ἰωάννου, ὅτε ἀπέστειλαν [πρὸς αὐτὸν] οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευίτας ἵνα ἐρωτήσωσιν αὐτόν· σὺ τίς εἶ; 1:20καὶὡμολόγησεν καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσατο, καὶ ὡμολόγησεν ὅτι ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ὁ χριστός.

1:21καὶ ἠρώτησαν αὐτόν· τί οὖν; σὺ Ἠλίας εἶ; καὶ λέγει· οὐκ εἰμί. ὁ προφήτης εἶ σύ; καὶἀπεκρίθη· οὔ.

1:22εἶπαν οὖν αὐτῷ· τίς εἶ; ἵνα ἀπόκρισιν δῶμεν τοῖς πέμψασιν ἡμᾶς· τί λέγεις περὶ σεαυτοῦ; 1:23ἔφη· ἐγὼ φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· εὐθύνατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, καθὼς εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας ὁ προφήτης.

1:24Καὶ ἀπεσταλμένοι ἦσαν ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων. 1:25καὶἠρώτησαν αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· τί οὖν βαπτίζεις εἰ σὺ οὐκ εἶ ὁ χριστὸς οὐδὲ Ἠλίας οὐδὲ ὁ προφήτης; 1:26ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁἸωάννης λέγων· ἐγὼ βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι· μέσος ὑμῶν ἕστηκεν ὃν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε, 1:27ὁὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ [ἐγὼ] ἄξιος ἵνα λύσω αὐτοῦ τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦὑποδήματος.

1:28ταῦτα ἐν Βηθανίᾳ ἐγένετο πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ὅπου ἦν ὁἸωάννης βαπτίζων.

1:29Τῇ ἐπαύριον βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ λέγει· ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. 1:30οὗτός ἐστιν ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐγὼ εἶπον· ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται ἀνὴρ ὃς ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν. 1:31κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ ἵνα φανερωθῇ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον ἐγὼ ἐν ὕδατι βαπτίζων. 1:32Καὶἐμαρτύρησεν Ἰωάννης λέγων ὅτι τεθέαμαι τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον ὡς περιστερὰν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐπ’ αὐτόν. 1:33κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ ὁ πέμψας με βαπτίζειν ἐν ὕδατι ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν· ἐφ’ ὃν ἂν ἴδῃς τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον καὶ μένον ἐπ’ αὐτόν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. 1:34κἀγὼ ἑώρακα καὶ μεμαρτύρηκα ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ.

1:35Τῇ ἐπαύριον πάλιν εἱστήκει ὁ Ἰωάννης καὶ ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ δύο 1:36καὶἐμβλέψας τῷ Ἰησοῦ περιπατοῦντι λέγει· ἴδε ὁἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. 1:37καὶἤκουσαν οἱ δύο μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος καὶ ἠκολούθησαν τῷ Ἰησοῦ.

1:38στραφεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ θεασάμενος αὐτοὺς ἀκολουθοῦντας λέγει αὐτοῖς· τί ζητεῖτε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· ῥαββί, ὃ λέγεται μεθερμηνευόμενον διδάσκαλε, ποῦ μένεις; 1:39λέγει αὐτοῖς· ἔρχεσθε καὶ ὄψεσθε. ἦλθαν οὖν καὶ εἶδαν ποῦ μένει καὶ παρ’ αὐτῷ ἔμειναν τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην· ὥρα ἦν ὡς δεκάτη.

[…]

3:22Μετὰ ταῦτα ἦλθεν ὁἸησοῦς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν γῆν καὶ ἐκεῖ διέτριβεν μετ’ αὐτῶν καὶἐβάπτιζεν. 3:23Ἦν δὲ καὶ ὁἸωάννης βαπτίζων ἐν Αἰνὼν ἐγγὺς τοῦ Σαλείμ, ὅτι ὕδατα πολλὰ ἦν ἐκεῖ, καὶ παρεγίνοντο καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο· 3:24οὔπω γὰρ ἦν βεβλημένος εἰς τὴν φυλακὴν ὁ Ἰωάννης.

3:25Ἐγένετο οὖν ζήτησις ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν Ἰωάννου μετὰἸουδαίου περὶ καθαρισμοῦ. 3:26καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· ῥαββί, ὃς ἦν μετὰ σοῦ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ᾧ σὺ μεμαρτύρηκας, ἴδε οὗτος βαπτίζει καὶ πάντες ἔρχονται πρὸς αὐτόν.

3:27Ἀπεκρίθη Ἰωάννης καὶ εἶπεν· οὐ δύναται ἄνθρωπος λαμβάνειν οὐδὲ ἓν ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. 3:28αὐτοὶ ὑμεῖς μοι μαρτυρεῖτε ὅτι εἶπον [ὅτι] οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ὁ χριστός, ἀλλ’ ὅτι ἀπεσταλμένος εἰμὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἐκείνου.

3:29ὁ ἔχων τὴν νύμφην νυμφίος ἐστίν· ὁ δὲ φίλος τοῦ νυμφίου ὁ ἑστηκὼς καὶ ἀκούων αὐτοῦ χαρᾷ χαίρει διὰ τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ νυμφίου. αὕτη οὖν ἡ χαρὰ ἡ ἐμὴ πεπλήρωται. 3:30ἐκεῖνον δεῖ αὐξάνειν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἐλαττοῦσθαι.

3:31Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν· ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστιν καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ. ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦἐρχόμενος [ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν]· 3:32ὃ ἑώρακεν καὶἤκουσεν τοῦτο μαρτυρεῖ, καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν αὐτοῦ οὐδεὶς λαμβάνει. 3:33ὁ λαβὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ἐσφράγισεν ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής ἐστιν. 3:34ὃν γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὰῥήματα τοῦ θεοῦ λαλεῖ, οὐ γὰρ ἐκ μέτρου δίδωσιν τὸ πνεῦμα. 3:35ὁ πατὴρ ἀγαπᾷ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πάντα δέδωκεν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. 3:36ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον· ὁ δὲἀπειθῶν τῷ υἱῷ οὐκ ὄψεται ζωήν, ἀλλ’ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ μένει ἐπ’ αὐτόν.

My translation, John 1:19-39, 3:22-36.

1:19And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him, so that they might ask him, “Who are you?” 1:20And he confessed and did not deny, and he confessed, “I am not the Christ”.

1:21And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not”. “Are you the prophet?” And he answered, “No”.

1:22So they said to him, “Who are you?”, so that we can give an answer to those who sent us—what do you say about yourself?” 1:23He answered, “I am a voice crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’, just as Isaiah the prophet said.

1:24Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 1:25And they asked him and said to him, “Why, then, do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 1:26John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water. Among you stands he whom you do not know, 1:27he who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to loose the strap of his sandal.”

1:28These things happened in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

1:29The next day, he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 1:30This is he on behalf of whom I said, ‘after me comes a man who comes before me in rank, because he existed prior to me in time.’ 1:31And I did not know him, but that he might be revealed to Israel, for this reason I came baptizing with water.” 1:32And John testified, saying, “I watched the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven and remain upon him. 1:33And I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remain upon—this man is the one baptizing with the Holy Spirit.’ 1:34And I have seen and testify that this is the Son of God.”

1:38Now Jesus turned and saw them following him, and he said to them, “What are you looking for”. So they said to him “Rabbi” (which is translated ‘teacher’) “where are you staying?” 1:39He said to them, “Come and see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about the tenth hour.

[…]

3:22After these things, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and there he remained with them and baptized. 3:23Now John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was a lot of water there, and people were continually coming and being baptized. 3:24For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

3:25Then a controversy came about originating from the disciples of John with a Jew about ritual cleansing, 3:26and they came to John said to him, “Rabbi, he whom was with you beyond the Jordan, about whom you testified, look, he is baptizing, and everyone is coming to him.

3:27John answered and said, “A man is not able to receive anything except it be given to him from heaven. 3:28You yourselves can testify for me that I said, “I am not the Christ”, but that I was sent before him.

3:29The one who marries the bride is the groom. But the groom’s friend, the one who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the groom’s voice. This, then, is my joy—it is complete. 3:30He must grow greater, and I diminish.

3:31The one who comes from above is over all. The one being from the earth is from the earth and speaks from the earth. The one who comes from heaven [is over all]. 3:32That which he has seen and heard, this he testifies to, and still no-one receives his testimony. 3:33The one who receives his testimony certifies that God is true. 3:34For he whom God sent speaks the word of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 3:35The Father loves the Son and have given all things into his hand. 3:36The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one disobeying the Son will not see life, but the anger of God remains upon him.

(4) Exegetical Notes

While in 1:20-21, John the Baptist says that he himself is not Elijah, Jesus elsewhere says that John the Baptist is indeed Elijah (Matt 11:14): “And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come” (NIV). The two sayings can be reconciled by seeing that John the Baptist says that his identity is not the same as Elijah. They are two separate human beings. He is not a reincarnation of Elijah. But John the Baptist is typologically the Elijah who was to come. He fulfills the promise of the sending of Elijah in Malachi 4:5-6.

In 1:29 (cf. 1:36), The description of Jesus as the “the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world (ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου)” cannot be understood in exemplar terms, as the only way that a ‘lamb’ takes sin away is by being sacrificed as a substitute in accordance with the institution of the cult of Israel. There is no consensus regarding the background to the phrase. However, there are excellent candidates in terms of Old Testament passages, types, and institutions that may well have contributed to the meaning that the phrase carried for the original readers (see Carson 1991: 148-151). The more prominent and pertinent of these are as follows:

The gentle lamb of Jeremiah 11:19, which in the original context probably refers to the prophet himself, who says, “But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter.”
The lamb of the morning and evening sacrifice, as required in Exodus 29:38-39, “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer in the evening” (NASB)
The lamb mentioned by Abraham in response to Isaac, where he says, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Gen 22:8). As a matter of fact, Isaac was actually replaced at the time by a ram caught in the thicket (Gen 22:13).
The guilt offering, and though this could have been a lamb, it was not always (Leviticus 4, especially vv. 32-35)
The servant of the Lord in Isaiah 53, was, in verse 7, “led like a lamb to the slaughter”. This may have been even more appropriate as a background for the Aramaic talya can apparently mean ‘servant’ or ‘lamb’.
The triumphant Apocalyptic lamb, for which testimony is given in Revelation 7:17; 17:14. However, this figure probably draws on the other Old Testament motifs, and probably also John the Baptist’s teaching that John records in John 1:29, 36.
The Passover lamb, from the sacrifice instituted in Exodus 12 (cf. 1 Cor 5:7)

Carson argues John the Baptist was thinking of the Apocalyptic lamb found in some Jewish texts, but that the ambiguity of the exact reference serves John the Evangelist well in explaining Jesus’ death (Carson 1991: 150). In fact, there is no reason why a number of the sacrificial images above should not feed into and be the background for John the Baptist’s phrase. For example, in John 6, is there any reference to the Passover lamb being eaten in Jesus offering of his flesh for the life of the world, and bidding his disciples to eat his flesh? Moreover, there is no reason why John the Baptist might not have been given this insight that this was why Jesus came—especially given that Caiaphas has an insight into Jesus’ death for the people in which he clearly speaks more than he knows.

On the saying of John the Baptist in verse 30, see exegetical note on verse 15.

In 1:31, John the Baptist says of Jesus, “And I did not know him”, but John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin, so he would have known him in a sense. But there is now a new way of knowing Jesus—as the Son of God, lamb of God, and baptizer with the Holy Spirit.

In 1:32-33, we have an allusion to the descent of the Spirit on Jesus at his baptism. The Spirit remains on Jesus (καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐπ’ αὐτόν), and so the whole of Jesus’ ministry is accomplished by the power of the Spirit. However, when we compare the account of John the Baptist in the Gospel of John with the synoptics (Matt 3:1-17, Mark 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-22), John the Evangelist does not actually record Jesus’ baptism in water by John the Baptist. Perhaps this reflects that John the Evangelist is supplementing the other Gospel accounts. Perhaps it also reflects the fact that John is presenting Jesus as clearly superior to John the Baptist.

In 1:34, the title ‘Son of God’ is Messianic (2 Sam 7; Ps 2), but it also brings out the Son/Father relationship. The Son reveals the Father, and the Father sends the Son. We should not reduce the meaning of the ‘Son of God’ in the context of the Gospel of John to its bare Old Testament ‘Davidic Monarchy’ essentials, for Jesus fully encapsulates the notion of divine sonship in a way that the Old Testament ‘Son of God’ motif cannot restrict or restrain (cf. John 1:14, 18, 8:58, 17:5). The Old Testament motif is not the procrustean bed on which John’s usage must lie. Where Israel as the ‘Son of God’ failed in its obedience to God regarding food, water, and worship in the 40 years of wilderness wanderings, Jesus is the faithful Son of God only ever doing the will of the Father.

In 3:29, the background to John’s bride/bridegroom imagery are the Old Testament passages where Israel is the bride of Yahweh (Isa 62:4-5; Jer 2:2; Hos 2:16-20; cf. Mark 2:19; Eph 5:25-7). John is explaining his own joy in terms of that of the best man.

In 3:31, John contrasts heaven and earth (ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς […] ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος) rather than heaven and world (κόσμος). Carson explains that the reason is that the word γῆ unlike κόσμος “betrays nothing of sinfulness” and rebellion against the creator, “but only of finitude and limitation” and that John could not offer “regeneration from above, the long promised renewal of water and spirit [John 3:5]” (Carson 1991: 212).

John the Baptist, the Apostle John, and Ephesus as Provenance for the Gospel of John

According to church history, John the Evangelist conducted a ministry in Ephesus probably before (hence Rev 1-3) and certainly after his return from Exile in Patmos. There were clearly some followers of John the Baptist who made it as far as Ephesus even prior to Paul’s mission there (cf. Acts 19:1-7). They only knew the baptism of John the Baptist, and had not been presented with the good news of Jesus, or even had an accurate understanding of John the Baptist’s teaching on the Holy Spirit. Thus, the clear articulation of the subordination of John the Baptist to Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John would have served an apologetic and polemic purpose, on the supposition that such persons were included in the potential recipients.

Revelation chapters 1-3 reveals John’s intimate association with the churches of Asia minor, including Ephesus. Moreover, church tradition holds that he returned to Ephesus from Patmos and there wrote his Gospel.

The first statement is from Irenaeus of Lyon (d. c. AD 202) wrote Against Heresies (c. AD 180).

There are also those who heard from him [Polycarp] that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.3.4 in A Roberts, W Rambaut (trs), A Roberts, J Donaldson, A Cleveland Coxe (eds), ANF Vol 1. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co, 1885, revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103303.htm)

Cerinthus flourished c. AD 100. Eusebius supports this connection of John the Apostle with Ephesus with various statements.

At that time the apostle and evangelist John, the one whom Jesus loved, was still living in Asia, and governing the churches of that region, having returned after the death of Domitian from his exile on the island [of Patmos]. (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 3.23.1 in A C McGiffert (trs), P Schaff and H Wace (eds), NPNF2, Vol 1 (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co, 1890), revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight, <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm>)

Domitian was emperor from AD 81 and died AD 96. John was exiled to Patmos under his reign. Eusebius quotes Irenaeus again:

And all the elders that associated with John the disciple of the Lord in Asia bear witness that John delivered it to them. For he remained among them until the time of Trajan. […] But the church in Ephesus also, which was founded by Paul, and where John remained until the time of Trajan, is a faithful witness of the apostolic tradition. (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 3.23.3-4)

Trajan was emperor from AD 98 to 117. Eusebius also quotes Clement of Alexandria, ‘What Rich Man can be saved?’:

[W]hen, after the tyrant’s [Domitian’s] death, he [John] returned from the isle of Patmos to Ephesus, he went away upon their invitation to the neighboring territories of the Gentiles, to appoint bishops in some places, in other places to set in order whole churches, elsewhere to choose to the ministry some one of those that were pointed out by the Spirit. […] And when the bishop had accepted the charge and had promised all, he repeated the same injunction with an appeal to the same witnesses, and then departed for Ephesus. (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 3.23. 5-7)

John’s burial place is given by an epistle of Polycrates, who was bishop of Ephesus, to be in Ephesus:

John, who was both a witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord, and being a priest wore the sacerdotal plate. He also sleeps at Ephesus. (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 3.31.2-3)

There were two persons in Asia that bore the same name, and that there were two tombs in Ephesus, each of which, even to the present day, is called John's. (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 3.39.6).

What first century Jewish expectations are reflected in the questions put to John?

R E Brown, The Gospel According to John I-XII; A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary: Anchor Bible (New York; Doubleday, 1966), 46-50.

The questions that were posed to Jesus by the visitors from Jerusalem (John 1:20-21, 25, cf. 1:8, 3:28), as to whether Jesus was ‘the Christ’, ‘Elijah’, or ‘the Prophet’, testify to the sort of eschatological and Messianic expectations that was current in first century Palestinian Judaism. There was no uniform expectation of a single figure current among that first century Jewish groups.

The Qumran Essenes expected three figures—‘prophet’, ‘priest’, and ‘king’. Indeed, some suggest that the three potential identities of John the Baptist (John 1:20-21, 25) are to be associated with the three eschatological figures of the Essenes.

The coming of the Christ or Messiah was a national expectation. Yet, the Book of Enoch envisages and describes the coming of the ‘Son of Man’, not the Messiah, and it does not seem that these two Old Testament motifs were seen to describe the same person. Yet even the Samaritan woman expresses a hope in the coming Christ (John 4:25, 29).

The expectation of the coming of Elijah was widespread in Palestine in Jesus’ time, and Elijah was widely expected to return before the final judgement and anoint the Messiah. Elijah, because of the nature of his translation to heaven, and that like Enoch, he was not recorded to have died, was thought to be still alive and active (2 Kgs 2:11; 2 Chron 21:12). The prophet Malachi expected Elijah to return to return before the great day of the LORD’s coming (Mal 3:1; 4:5), and undoubtedly this also fed into the speculation.

The hope of the prophet like Moses that would come indeed sprung from Moses himself (Deut 18:15-22). By Deuteronomy 34:10-11, following the death and burial of Moses, the redactor says of Moses “that there was no prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.” That is, the special prophet had not by that time arrived.

The disciples quickly confessed that Jesus fulfilled this hope, so Philip said of Jesus, “We have found he whom Moses wrote about in the law (John 1:45), and indeed Jesus himself claimed as much (John 5:46).

Jesus throughout the Gospel of John aroused speculation among the crowds that he was ‘the prophet’. So John 6:14, “So when the people had seen the sign which he had done, they said, ‘This man is truly the prophet who is to come into the world (ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ προφήτης ὁ ἐρχόμενος εἰς τὸν κόσμον)’.” Yet it is interesting that John then says that “Jesus knew that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king (βασιλέα)”. In other words, that particular crowd and Jesus himself put the Mosaic prophet and the royal hope for a king together as the same figure. Nevertheless, John testifies to the expectation of the different eschatological figures in John 7:40-1, where some of the crowd were saying, “This truly is the Prophet” while others were saying, “This is the Christ”.

Some Jewish groups such as the Sadduccees held only the torah as authoritative, and in this they can be likened with the Samaritans. They consequently had no sense of the Messiah as the Son of David, as this arises only in the former Prophets and Psalms. However, among the Samaritans, there was a hope in the taheb (‘restorer’) who would come and restore all things. This makes the Samaritan woman’s confession in John 4:25, all the more remarkable: “I know that Messiah, the one called Christ, is coming. When he comes, he will make everything known to us” (cf. v. 29), as well as that of her village, that Jesus is “the saviour of the world” (v. 42).

In the Gospel of John, it is Jesus, not John the Baptist, that is presented as the new Moses, and indeed greater than and superior to Moses (e.g. John 1:17). For example, Moses did not feed the people manna, but the Father (John 6:32), and they died, but Jesus gives the bread that lives forever, being his flesh and blood. Jesus promises living water that gives eternal life (John 4, 7), far superior to the miraculous water provided through Moses in the desert.

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