Testimony (1:6-8, 19-34)

Read 1:6–8, 19–51, carefully observing what is revealed about John and Jesus. Try to put yourself into the characters’ places. Ask yourself how they would have been feeling while the events were going on. This technique may help you involve yourself more personally in the narrative.

John the apostle never names himself in his gospel; the name “John” always refers to John the Baptist. When there is a chance of confusion, we will call the former “the Evangelist” (a person who writes an evangel or gospel) and the latter “the Baptist.”

1. Who or what did the Baptist say he was (1:6–8, 19–34)? How did he describe himself?

2. What did the Baptist testify about Jesus? Record as many observations as you can find.

For Further Study: The noun “witness” (1:7) or “testimony” occurs fourteen times in this gospel, and the verb “to witness” or “to testify” occurs thirty-three times. In both cases, this is more often than in any other New Testament book. What does this repetition say about the Evangelist’s focus in this book?

3. How would you describe John the Baptist’s mission in your own words?

The Messiah (1:20). “The Anointed One.” In Old Testament times “various people were anointed, but notably priests and kings.… The rite was used to set men apart for special functions. When in due course the expectation grew up that one day God would send into the world an especially great Person, a mighty Deliverer, One who would represent Him in a very special sense, this coming great One was thought of not as ‘an anointed’ but as ‘the anointed one,’ ‘the Messiah.’ ”

Elijah (1:21). The prophet Elijah did not die but was taken up into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). The later prophet Malachi foretold that “before that great and dreadful day of the Lord,” God would send Elijah back to earth (Malachi 4:5). The Jews thought this meant he would come just before the Messiah.

Jesus said that the Baptist was “the Elijah who was to come” (Matthew 11:14), but the Baptist did not perceive himself this way. The Jews expected the identical person who had lived almost nine hundred years earlier, and the Baptist knew he wasn’t that man. Yet the Baptist ministered “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17).

The Prophet (1:21). Before the coming of the Messiah, the Jews also expected the prophet like Moses described in Deuteronomy 18:15–22.

Pharisees (1:24). The name meant “the separated ones.” They separated themselves from lax religious practices and lived strictly by the Law. In order to avoid breaking the Law, they had minutely defined the precise ways each law must be kept in every conceivable situation. Most of the aristocrats and chief priests belonged to the party of the Sadducees, who stressed temple worship, opposed the detailed expansion of the Law, and had political control of the nation with Roman support. By contrast, the Pharisees represented the common people interested in religion untainted by politics. They were the real moral and doctrinal force among the Jewish people. Some Pharisees loved God, but the emphasis on rules encouraged spiritual pride and external religion. Many Pharisees considered themselves the experts on God’s system, which was too complicated for an ordinary person to grasp, let alone keep. Therefore, if a man was preaching and baptizing, it was their job to know exactly what he was doing and why.

Baptize (1:25–26, 33). When people converted to Judaism, the males were circumcised and both sexes were baptized. The rite washed away the pollution of the Gentile world. John was shocking the nation by insisting that born-and-bred Jews also needed cleansing. Based on Ezekiel 36:25 and Zechariah 13:1, some Jews expected that all would be baptized when the time of the Messiah came, but John denied being the Messiah. The Pharisees wanted an explanation.3

Sandals (1:27). Disciples did not pay for their teachers’ wisdom, but they were expected to perform many services for them. However, they drew the line at extremely menial tasks like loosing the teacher’s sandal thong. That was slave’s work, and the rabbis were forbidden to expect it of their disciples. But the Baptist declared himself unworthy to perform even this most menial service for the One who was coming.4

The Lamb of God (1:29, 35). This phrase was not in use among the Jews for anything. Apparently, it originated with John the Baptist and was rarely used until John the Evangelist wrote it down. It was not an obvious reference to the Passover sacrifice (which was called “the Passover” and might be a kid or a lamb), nor to the lamb in Isaiah 53:7 (which the Jews did not think was about the Messiah), nor to any other particular lamb. It seems that God revealed to the Baptist that the Messiah would be the fulfillment of the whole Jewish sacrificial system, from the daily offerings to the yearly Passover. The Baptist was inspired to coin the term “Lamb of God” to explain this to his disciples.

For Further Study: a. For more on the Baptist’s mission and message, see Luke 1:13–17, 76–80; Luke 3:1–18.

b. Compare John 1:32–34 to Matthew 3:13–17.

c. See the full passage the Baptist mentions in John 1:23—Isaiah 40:3–11.

For Thought and Discussion: How did Jesus take away the sins of the world like a sacrificial lamb? See John 19:17–30; Romans 3:21–26; Hebrews 9:1–10:18.

For Thought and Discussion: a. The Jewish sect at Qumran believed they had to prepare themselves for the Lord’s coming, but they felt no responsibility to prepare others. Is this how John the Baptist looked at preparing and making the way straight? Explain.

b. How are you called to prepare for the Lord’s coming? How are you doing this? How can you improve in this area?

4. Why is it important to you personally that Jesus is the Lamb of God?