Scripture: John 1:29-34
Date: June 5, 2011
Speaker: Sean Higgins
John the Baptist is almost off the stage. As quickly as he comes, so he goes in the Fourth Gospel. His ministry got the attention of many, many who repented and at least some who wanted no part in repentance. That’s what you get when you tell the powers that be that they have problems.
The latter group questioned and condemned the Baptist in 1:19-28. The delegation formed and sent to John asked some good questions, but missed the point. John told them that he was a pointer, one preparing the way for the Christ.
In verses 29-34 we come to John’s definitive witness . From the beginning of chapter one we’ve read read that he was not the light, he was not the high-ranking one, he was not the Christ, or Elijah, or the prophet promised by Moses. Now he says, “This is the One.”
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him… (29a)
This is the “next day” after his interchange with the priests and Levites. Some of them may still have been around and, based on the following paragraph, some of John’s disciples were with him for this witness.
There are two facets to John’s witness in 29-34: he identifies the Lamb of God who takes away sin (29-31), the Son of God who baptizes with the Spirit (32-34). John’s definitive witness: This is the One!
This first facet of witness describes John’s outburst when he saw Jesus.
This is one of the most simple, sweeping, and sweet good news titles in all the Bible.
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John sees Jesus and exclaims, “Behold!” we might say, “Look!”, a common way to get everyone’s attention. Once all those in earshot wer looking in the same direction, John calls Jesus “the Lamb of God.” Jesus is not a lamb, but the Lamb, the Lamb unlike any other.
There isn’t really any one particular Old Testament prophecy that this fulfills, though there are a few ideas that it connects with. No doubt the sacrificial lamb connects with prophecies in Isaiah about the lamb led to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7). The Baptist was obviously familiar with the prophet Isaiah, having identified himself as the “voice” from Isaiah 40:3 and about to reference more from Isaiah regarding the descending Spirit.
Lamb may also connect with the Passover lamb, a sacrifice offered to God in Exodus 12 that delivered the Israelites first-born (though not necessarily a sin offering). There is also good reason to reach as far back as Genesis 22 and God’s provision of a sacrifice for Abraham in place of Isaac, his son, his only son, whom Abraham loved (though, again, there isn’t any mention of “bearing sin”). Already we saw that Jesus was God’s one-and-only in 1:18, and that same phrase reappears in 3:16 connected with redemption.
Whatever the Baptist had in mind exactly, he spotlights the sacrificial, redemptive work of the Lamb: “who takes away the sin of the world.” To “take away” is to remove, to get rid of, to carry away. In this sacrificial context, it equates with the Jewish understanding of atonement, a “wiping away” and, therefore, was a way to speak of forgiveness.
There will be further opportunity to talk about this as we move through John’s gospel, but consider what it means that the Lamb takes away the sins “of the world.” Does that mean that everyone in the world will be saved? Is this universalism? Universalism conflicts with the groups already distinguished in chapter one, those who do and don’t receive Him, those who are and aren’t born of God, those who know and don’t know Christ.
It certainly means that forgiveness of sin is not only for the Jews. Though Jesus was a Jew and fulfilled promises made to the nation Israel, the sacrificial work of the Lamb had broader intent than one nation’s borders.1 It really is quite a prophetic statement at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, before the cross.
John had been telling people all along that he wasn’t the One.
This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.‘
We already read this in verse 15. The Baptist began his ministry before Jesus began His. In effect John says, “This is the one I was talking about. Jesus is the One, the preexistent and preeminent One.” This is the third time already that the point is made about Jesus ranking higher than John.
Now John offers an explanation for his ministry, in particular, his baptizing ministry which the religious leaders questioned him about.
I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
He says, “I myself did not know him.” He will make the same statement in verse 33. John isn’t saying that he didn’t know the man; they were related to each other. But he’s saying that he didn’t know with certainty that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the sin-taker, until he baptized Jesus, which he will refer to in the next verses. He didn’t know this (Jesus) is the One!
Nevertheless, God commissioned John as the forerunner, as the pointer. John was sent by God (1:6, 33) to baptize “that he might be revealed to Israel.” Even though the Baptist was eager to get the attention off himself and onto Jesus, he knew he had an important work given to him by God.
Not only did John identify Jesus as the atonement who removes sin, he also identifies Jesus as the Anointed One on whom the Spirit remained and Who gives the Spirit to His people. This is the One!
John continues his definitive testimony.
And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
The evangelist John doesn’t provide the details of when the Baptist baptized Jesus, but this statement shows that Jesus’ baptism took place previous to this day, and likely previous to the day before as well.
The Spirit descended “from heaven like a dove.” This is a figure of speech, a simile to be precise, “like a”; it appeared to John like a dove coming down from heaven. But the Spirit isn’t actually a dove. That the Spirit “remained on him” doesn’t mean Jesus walked around with a dove on His shoulder for the rest of His earthly ministry. It means the Spirit empowered Jesus in all He did.
The fact that the Spirit descended on Jesus also does not mean that before this time Jesus and the Spirit were disconnected. Rather, Jesus’ baptism consecrated His role and formally identified Him as “the One” to others such as John the Baptist.
The importance of John’s witness to the Spirit descending and remaining becomes clear.
I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.‘
Again, John states, “I myself did not know him,” meaning “I did not know this was the one until now.” But John had inside info; he had direct revelation from “the one who sent me.” All the other disciples in chapter one depended on other witnesses. But God Himself told John to baptize in preparation for the Messiah’s coming and He told him how he would recognize the Messiah.
”this is he who baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Numerous Old Testament passages promised that the Spirit would accompany and empower the Messiah (see Isaiah 11:1; 42:1; 61:1). Scripture also promised that the Messiah would pour out the Spirit on His people.
Neither the Baptist or the Evangelist elaborate on what being “baptized with the Spirit” means, or what the effect are, at least not here. More is coming in the Fourth Gospel about the Spirit’s work. The point now is to identify Jesus as the Messiah. He is the One!
And this is the One John proclaimed.
And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.
He saw and he spoke; he witnessed (with his eyes) and he witnessed (with his mouth). In verse 29 this One is called the “Lamb of God,” now He is declared “the Son of God.” Again, He is not a, but the Son, the Son who was unlike any other. Nathanael calls Jesus “the Son of God” in 1:49.
There is a textual variant in verse 34. Some of the manuscripts read, “this is the Chosen/Elect of God.” If that is the correct reading, meaning if “Chosen” is what John originally wrote, the conscious connection with Isaiah 42 is clear.
Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
(Isaiah 42:1-4)
John the Baptist said, “This is the One!”
This is the last paragraph about John the Baptist’s ministry for a while. In the next paragraph some of his disciples leave him and follow Jesus. John wasn’t upset at losing disciples; he wasn’t the One. Even verses 29-34 are hardly about John himself and more about Jesus. He was just a pointer, after all.
I realize John the Baptist was a unique witness in the gospel story, but I argued that the Gospel of John is a Great Commission resource for all of us who witness to Jesus as the One. So I think there are a couple comments that may be helpful, comments that apply to many discipling and teaching issues, but are visible here.
There is a huge difference, though not always easy to discern, between something that is about me and something that applies to me.
Take John the Baptist in this paragraph. His witness was not about himself, it was about Jesus. There is really good reason for that: John couldn’t take away anyone’s sin! John couldn’t baptize anyone with the Holy Spirit! He baptized with water to call men to repent in recognition that they needed a Savior to forgive them and fill them with life. But John wasn’t that One.
That’s why stories that go on too long about ourselves with “me” as the hero miss the point. I/we can’t take away sin or give the Spirit.
However, even though it isn’t about us, you better believe it applies to us. John the Baptist did use the first person singular, “I.” He gave explanation about his ministry. This was his testimony, after all.
The key is that his life only made sense in light of Jesus. There is a way to talk about ourselves that is consistent with being witnesses and that’s not by false humility or acting as if the words on the page are true but have nothing to do with us. If it’s not obvious that your witness is about Jesus, something is wrong. But it’s also wrong if it’s not obvious that your sin has been taken away and that you’ve been baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Don’t get in Jesus’ way. And don’t act as if Jesus wants disinterested disciples. Be a witness who says, “This is the One and I know Him!”
In Revelation 5, the apostle John writes about the “Lamb standing, as though it had been slain,” and says “by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:6, 9). ↩