11.09.07
The Testimony of John to Christ (John 1:29-34)
The Testimony of John to Christ (John 1:29-34)
The day after John made his disclaimer to being the Messiah to the religious leaders, he makes his first announcement to the nation of Israel that Jesus is the Messiah.
There are 2 parts to the message. The first is eschatological (Of or relating to or dealing with or regarding the ultimate destiny of mankind and the world) - the kingdom of heaven is near (Matt. 3:2). The second is soteriological (The branch of Christian theology that deals with salvation as the effect of a divine agency) – repent (Matt. 3:2) and Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Repentance – as far as the OT went, had everything to do with acknowledgement of sin. Folks knew they needed something that would be acceptable to God for forgiveness for sin, some acceptable sacrifice, that way they would be restored to fellowship with God.
So…what could be offered? Isaiah told the nation of the true sacrifice in Isaiah 53. John now introduced the One Isaiah described. Edersheim writes:
(John…) was not dominated by the current messianic conception of a magnificent temporal king. His idea was that of a sin-bearer led like a lamb to the slaughter…John saw more deeply than the Rabbis and understood Jesus to be the Paschal Lamb of Isaiah’s prophecy. He views sin as a totality, constituting a barrier between God and humanity. Jesus was taking away the collective sin of the world of mankind. The only way He could as the Paschal Lamb take away the sin of the world was by being sacrificed. John saw in Jesus the vicarious sacrifice pictured in Isaiah 53.
Of note, here in the fourth Gospel, you will not that John’s preaching becomes sweeter in tone. No unsparing Judge, axe or fan in hand, hewing down the fruitless tree, burning the chaff. In this gospel we get to see John after he has known Christ, being changed into a meeker, sweeter, nobler man, softer in speech and in spirit, with a diviner notion of the Messiah, a more hopeful and helpful word for man (as noted by Fairbairn).
In verse 31 we see John’s explanation for baptizing – so that Christ might be revealed to the nation. In verse 32-34 we see even more ID (if that was needed). The sign to the nation of the descending dove that identified the Messiah (the sign that liberated John from the silence that had been imposed on him in announcing who the Messiah was).
While John knew from his parents teaching the promises concerning the coming and identity of the Messiah, his introduction was not based on such human authority. John had a testimony of the fact through the signs God gave him!
So, how do you know God is real? That the Messiah has come? That He is at work in your life? How do you testify to this reality?
