19 And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 Therefore, they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. 27 This One is He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal.” 28 These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 On the next day, he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who has been ahead of me, for He existed before me.’ 31 I did not know Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing with water.” 32 And John bore witness saying, “I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He abided on Him. 33 And I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The One upon whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, this is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” John 1: 19-34 LSB
John 1: 19-34
15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them. Luke 3: 15-18
And this is the witness of John - This is John the Baptist, the messenger who comes before Christ, who points to Christ, and John is a great preacher, teaching about sin and repentance. He calls even the religious, those who think much about their spiritual position, he calls them to reality, to awake from their sleepy delusions. No preacher has ever helped a man by pointing to himself, it is the gospel that has been given to us that is the power unto salvation, the story of Christ, not your personality or ability as an orator.
…6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 7But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.… Matthew 3: 6-8
V. 20 I am not the Christ - He was not the Messiah, but he knew about Jesus, Who he will baptize as a part of Christ's fulfilling the human side of all righteousness. The people see that He is a prophet, and he has a large following, but he wants to be clear as to who he is based upon what has been conveyed to him. He is a son of a priest, a cousin of Jesus, and they come to him because Israel has long been hoping for a Messiah based upon the teachings of Scripture.
…9They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water. 10 On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious. 11On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.… Isaiah 11: 9-11
V. 21 Are you Elijah - Elijah was an OT prophet who stood against the apostasy of the northern kingdom of Israel in his day. He stood against King Ahab, Queen Jezebel and her prophets of Baal. God performed great signs through Elijah, including sealing up the heavens so that it did not rain for over 3 years, and sending fire down from heaven in answer to Elijah's prayers, a fire that consumes water, wood and rocks. The prophet killed 400 of Jezebel's prophets down by the river, and mocked Baal as being too busy or asleep to answer them. Elijah, like Enoch, did not see death either, but was taken up in a fiery chariot. Why would they ask if he was this prophet from long ago?
…5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD. 6And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Otherwise, I will come and strike the land with a curse.” Malachi 4: 5-6
…10The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 Jesus replied, “Elijah does indeed come, and he will restore all things. 12But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him whatever they wished. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.”… Matthew 17: 10-12
Are you The Prophet - This is another office of Jesus, and a prophecy from Moses. John answers no on both accounts. It is interesting, because Jesus recognizes his role, but just like the rejection of the Messiah is prophesied in Isaiah, the messenger is also rejected.
MacArthur - John’s reply to the delegation may also suggest that he did not understand himself to be Elijah even in the sense that Jesus affirmed he was. Leon Morris notes,
No man is what he is in his own eyes. He really is only as he is known to God. At a later time Jesus equated John with the Elijah of Malachi’s prophecy, but that does not carry with it the implication that John himself was aware of the true position.… Jesus confers on John his true significance. No man is what he himself thinks he is. He is only what Jesus knows him to be. (The Gospel According to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 135–36) (Ibid)
Matthew records Jesus' commentary on Elijah's appearance at the transfiguration
And He (JESUS) answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things (Mal 4:5); 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished (THEY KILLED JOHN THE BAPTIST). So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist. (BUT THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND THAT JESUS WAS PREDICTING HIS OWN DEATH) (Mt 17:11-13, cf Mk 9:12-13+) Even calling Jesus "Lord," is not sufficient to save, if you continue to live your life as if you yourself were the "lord" of your life, for this will still result in Jesus' personal condemnation (Mt 7:21-23+). - Precept Austin
15The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. 16This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”… Deuteronomy 18: 15-16
V. 23 - I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness - This much he did know about himself, and strange how many so called, self proclaimed and self styled "prophets" go about pounding and puffing out their chest today.
…3A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. 4Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain. 5And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”… Isaiah 40: 3-5
"I am A VOICE OF ONE - John was A voice, not THE Voice. John was a pointer to the Prince of Peace. "The point of the quotation is that it gives no prominence to the preacher whatever. He is not an important person, like a prophet or the Messiah. He is no more than a voice (contrast the reference to Jesus as “the Word”). He is a voice, moreover, with but one thing to say. John’s ethical teaching is not large in amount, nor striking in content." (Morris)See more detailed comments on Mark 1:2
John was a Voice for the Word, but he was not the Word! But oh what a word he speaks as he cries out Isaiah's passage! As explained below, this is in a very real sense an urgent call to his hearers to prepare their hearts for the Messiah. John's ministry reminds me of the breed of dog known as a pointer (see picture) whose job is to point steadfastly toward the game birds which the hunter seeks. John was like a human "pointer" (as should be all ministers) for his "job description" was to point people to Jesus and NOT to himself (ourselves)! The hero of the church is Jesus, not a pastor, a music minister, a gifted teacher, etc. - Precept Austin
V. 25 Why then are you baptizing - The Pharisees above all did not see themselves as unclean, so they would never want this baptism, they relied on being genetic sons of Abraham and outward rituals that made them feel and appear holy, as unto men, but not God. If you think about it, even here, this is a case of believers baptism, the New Covenant, and they did not believe. The baptism they were use to was of those leaving their gentile beliefs and coming into Judaism, but here, John is calling Jews to repent, to be baptized as a confession of sin and a need of repentance.
Leon Morris comments "Baptism was not a new practice in Judaism. It was the regular rite in the admission of converts from other religions. When such a conversion took place, the males of the family were circumcised and all, of both sexes, were baptized. This was seen as the ceremonial removal of all the pollutions contracted in the Gentile world. The novelty in John’s case and the sting in his practice was that he applied to Jews the ceremony that was held to be appropriate in the case of Gentiles coming newly into the faith.34 All Jews were prepared to accept the view that Gentiles were defiled and needed cleansing. But to put Jews in the same class was horrifying. The Jews were God’s people already. It is true that on the basis of certain Old Testament passages some people expected that there would be baptizing when the messianic age dawned (Ezek. 36:25+; Zech. 13:1+). But John had denied being the Messiah. It was all very perplexing and the Pharisees wanted to know more about it." (NICNT-John)
Baptizing (present tense)(907)(baptizo from bapto = cover wholly with a fluid; stain or dip as with dye; used of the smith tempering the red-hot steel, used of dyeing the hair; of a ship that "dipped" = sank) has a literal and a figurative meaning in the NT. The literal meaning is to submerge, to dip or immerse as in water. A study of the 77 NT uses of baptizo in the Gospels and Acts shows that most are associated with literal water baptism (exceptions are references to Jesus' baptism of others with the Holy Spirit [see note] = Mt 3:11+, Mk 1:8+, Lk 3:16+, Jn 1:33+). The Greeks used baptizo to describe the dyeing of a garment, in which the whole material was plunged in and taken out from the element used. Baptizo was used of the act of sinking ships. Baptizo also meant to bathe of a boat which had been wrecked by being submerged and then stranded on the shore. All uses of BAPTIZO in Gospels - Matt. 3:6; Matt. 3:11; Matt. 3:13; Matt. 3:14; Matt. 3:16; Matt. 28:19; Mk. 1:4; Mk. 1:5; Mk. 1:8; Mk. 1:9; Mk. 6:14; Mk. 6:24; Mk. 10:38; Mk. 10:39; Mk. 16:16; Lk. 3:7; Lk. 3:12; Lk. 3:16; Lk. 3:21; Lk. 7:29; Lk. 7:30; Lk. 11:38; Lk. 12:50; Jn. 1:25; Jn. 1:26; Jn. 1:28; Jn. 1:31; Jn. 1:33; Jn. 3:22; Jn. 3:23; Jn. 3:26; Jn. 4:1; Jn. 4:2; Jn. 10:40; _ Precept Austin
…3“Into what, then, were you baptized?” Paul asked. “The baptism of John,” they replied. 4 Paul explained: “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.… Acts 19: 3-5
V. 27 Of Whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal - John takes a lowly position in contrasting himself to the One he announces. He is even hesitant to baptize Jesus. It is a beautiful thing that this was the job of slaves to clean the feet of traveling guests, and John sees it as too high of an honor. Peter will later face this same dilemma, and the more you know about Who Jesus is, the less you find of good in yourself.
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 *got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He tied it around Himself.
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
5 Then He *poured water into the washbasin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel which He had tied around Himself. 6 So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not realize now, but you will understand afterwards.” 8 Peter *said to Him, “You will never wash my feet—ever!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” 10 Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. John 13: 3-17
V. 29 Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world - He acknowledges Jesus' role as a Savior, and not the type they hope for, one to save them from their labors, hunger, and Roman occupation, but from sin. This is consistent with his preaching and baptism, in line with repentance. God required a Lamb without spot, and this was a simple picture for everyone here, whether rural or city slicker, the Jews came to Jerusalem for the Passover, which saw many a sacrificed lamb.
…36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37“Then You are a king!” Pilate said. “You say that I am a king,” Jesus answered. “For this reason I was born and have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to My voice.” 38“What is truth?” Pilate asked. And having said this, he went out again to the Jews and told them, “I find no basis for a charge against Him.… John 18: 36-38
…4If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly. 5Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats. 6You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.… Exodus 12: 4-6
…18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot. 20He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake.… 1 Peter 1: 18-20
V. 31 I did not know Him - Look how this plays out. John responded to Jesus when he was in his mother's womb, but he grew up in the wilderness, and even more was revealed to him at Jesus baptism.
The One upon Whom you see the Spirit descending - This is the One to point out, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the only Way to be right with God. He then, like Peter and Thomas, believes and knows this to be the Son of God.
21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” 23Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,… Luke 3: 21-23
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