John 1:19-34 The Voice

John 1:19-34

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.

And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.

It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’

I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.

I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

the way for the Lord^a ;

make straight in the desert

a highway for our God.^b

John the Baptist knew what his purpose was. He knew he was the fulfillment of Isaiah 40 verse 3. He was to prepare people for Jesus. 

The Pharisees were the learned religious leaders of the day. They knew the scriptures inside out and backwards. Yet as we will see, they didn't recognize the Messiah when He stood in front of them. 

John understood that although people would flock to him for answers, Jesus was who they were ultimately looking for. He knew that Jesus was there at the beginning of creation. That Jesus was God in human form. 

God had told John that the one who he saw the Holy Spirit descend on like a dove was the Messiah. 

What is baptism? It's an outward expression of an inward commitment to Christ. It's a washing away of the old life. It's a cleansing of sin. It's a resurrection. Just as Jesus went into the grave, and rose three days later it's a death of our old self and a rising of our new life in Christ. It is NOT necessary to be saved. The thief on the cross was not baptized yet Jesus told him he would be in Paradise (heaven) with Him that day. It is however a good start when we become Christians and a liberating feeling when done. 

What is your purpose as a Christian? It is to worship God. It is to love Him with all your mind, heart and soul. It is to serve Him. When we start doing that, God starts using us in ways we never imagined. 

Blessings, Cecilia