Bellingham Church of Christ Teaching & Preaching Series
October 2, 2011 The Gospel of John
Part #2 John 1:15-34
Introduction & Context
The hopes and dreams of the Jews began to awaken and stir when John the Baptist began his ministry near Bethany across the Jordan. Until this time, the Jews had experienced about 400 years of spiritual silence, since the last prophets had spoken. The Jews were looking for a (1) suffering servant or a (2) royal king (Son of David)
John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin and was born about 6 months before Jesus. He began preaching a radical message of repentance.
John 1:15-18
v.15 John the Baptist claiming exactly what the Apostle John also wrote above, Jesus is eternal or pre-existent Christ. Another way to think about this is that the God of the Bible is a God who works beyond history and within history.
We did not create the God of Christianity people create gods in other religions. Rather we are enabled to find him when looking because God made Jesus known to us. First, God reveals himself to us and then we are able to find him.
v.17 “while Moses set up the moral and social structures which guided the nation of Israel, the law could not save anyone from the penalty of their sins, which is death.
v.18 We talk about the (1) person and (2) work of Jesus Christ, one of his “works” was to reveal God the Father
John 1:19-21
v.19 These “Jews” were possibly the Jewish temple police, a kind of fact finding arm of the religious leaders
Religious questions from people are often not sincere. These men were just curious how he may pose a threat or how they could use their authority to pin him down to accuse him with the law.
Malachi 3:1 & 4:5-6 = parallel to = Matthew 11:12-14, 17:10-13
v.21 Jews looking for Elijah’s actual return in person, Elijah as recorded in the OT had not actually died, but had been taken up to heaven directly, so they thought he could return in the same way
See: Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6 and it parallel in Matthew 11:12-14, 17:10-13
We don’t know or recognize Jesus, not because he is hard to find, but because we are looking for something else, something we want, rather than what God is revealing to us. He is there, but we simply don’t recognize him.
We have an expectation of God we want him to fill, such as “are you the one who will make happy?”
v.21 A prophet was expected to come like Moses
See: Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19 and Acts 3:22
v.23 Isaiah is the most frequently quoted OT writer in the NT
John 1:22-28
v.24 “Why then do you baptize…” There were ceremonial cleansing for Jews and baptisms for foreigners, non-Jews who were converting to Judaism, but here are hundreds of Jews repenting. This is totally radical and unorthodox.
v.27 “The thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie”
John chooses not to answer all of their irrelevant questions, but rather humble himself.
John 1:29-34
v.29 “Look, the Lamb of God” – The one you have been waiting for all these years…
“who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus is ushering in a new, superior and overarching covenant with mankind – It begins with Jesus’ arrival on earth. In other words, there is a God who works beyond history and within history
v.31 The reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel
We have a responsibility to reveal God to others, just like it was done for us, people sense their thirst for God, but it must be taught and revealed
Just like Jesus reveals the Father to us, John the Baptist revealed Jesus to us.
Reflection and Application:
Point #1 – It’s not about me!
John the Baptist humbled himself, we ought to humble ourselves as well. John kept saying “I am NOT the Christ,” he confessed it freely. He rejects the idol of acceptance and popularity.
For many people the only story they hear and live in is the story of their own. Life’s decisions, goals, and ambitions are all about me. We feel like we are the star, the center-stage of everything. This can lead us to (1) refuse to serve others sacrificially or (2) cause us to feel fully independent and actually refuse to be served by other Christians.
Point #2 – It’s all about Jesus!
John the Baptist points beyond himself to Jesus. We also have that responsibility to reveal Jesus to our neighbors. John correctly stated that the reason the whole show is about Jesus and not us is because he is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
Take a look at these related scriptures:
- Revelation 5:5 & 5:12 – What does the Bible say about the Lion and the Lamb here?
- Exodus 12:1-5 – What connection do you see between the Old Testament and Jesus here?
- Exodus 29:38-46
- Genesis 22:8
