John 1:29-34 says....



Today's verses are John chapter 1, verses 29 through 34 and they say,

v.29-31 - The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He on behalf of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'  I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water."

Let's take this first sentence or quote from John the Baptist on what happened the next day.  The previous day, John the Baptist was visited and questioned by the delegation sent from the Pharisees to find out who John the Baptist was and where he received his authority to baptize in such a way.  His message to them was to keep the focus on the coming Messiah rather than on himself.

The next day Jesus shows up.  John the Baptist calls Jesus the "Lamb of God."  The lamb was the preferred sacrifice for the Passover observance.  So the phrase, "Lamb of God," was saying that Jesus was God's sacrifice.  The sacrifice of a lamb was given to atone for the sins of the family who presented it.  God is presenting a lamb, a sacrifice, for the sins of the world.  With the Apostle John's three definitions of the word "world," it seems that this doesn't mean the universe or the evil but of humanity.  So this is the sacrifice of God who is given for the sins of mankind.

John the Baptist speaks again of Jesus position in life, higher than him, but also Jesus' deity, for He existed before John even though He came after John physically.  John the Baptist also recognized God's timing to God's plan.  Jesus was not presented to Israel until after John the Baptist started preparing the way with preaching and baptizing.  John the Baptist was fulfilling Scriptures that told of a "forerunner" who would do what he is doing prior to the arrive of the Messiah.  

v.32-34 - John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.  I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'  I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God."

Here is the second quote from John the Baptist to the crowd on the next day.  God had spoken to John the Baptist with a sign of how he would recognize the Messiah.  He was told by God that he would see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him.  John is testifying that he has seen this happen at the baptism of Jesus which must have happened earlier and now John the Baptist is just pointing out to the crowd Jesus as He is going by or joining the crowd of listeners.  John describes the event as the Holy Spirit fluttering down like a dove to land on Jesus.  It is a moment recorded in Matthew chapter 3 and verse 16, Mark chapter 1 and verse 10, and Luke chapter 3 and verse 22.

John the Baptist ends with the strongest stressing of these words with an eyewitness statement, "I myself have seen," and stressing again that this is his official testimony.  His conclusion is to proclaim that Jesus is "the Son of God."  This is another way that John the Baptist identifies that Jesus is deity, Jesus is God.  John the Baptist is saying that Jesus is of God and the Apostle John is saying that Jesus is also God.  

So we have two eyewitnesses of Jesus.  John the Baptist at the very start and coronation of Jesus, if you will, and the Apostle John who was at the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus back to heaven.  John the Baptist's testimony of Jesus is so strong.  How is your testimony of Jesus?  What can you point to when asked that gives Jesus that place in your life that He knew you before you ever knew Him?  Do you proclaim that Jesus is God and that He was the sacrifice for your sins?   May our testimony be strong for Jesus today.  Let us pray.

"Heavenly Father, what a messenger in John the Baptist You sent to testify of the coming Jesus.  How he stood among the crowds and authorities and pointed to Jesus with confidence as the Messiah of the world.  May we be bold when given the Spirit led opportunity to speak of the One who came before us to die on the cross for us.  Amen."

Pastor Adam
A simple man serving a great God and the local pastor of Stillwater Community Chapel (stillwater-chapel.org). We are in our 38th year of full time ministry. God directed us to this local body of believers on the Western Range of the Rockies to grow with them in mission and mindedness of Christ.

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