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In our day, when a person comes and is so audacious as to proclaim the Word of God, seeking to faithfully apply the same Word to the people to whom he goes, such a person is assailed from all sides. Who does this person think he is? How dare he come and say such things?
And so preachers are expected to keep well away from all subjects that confront people with their sin, with their true position before God and indeed with their true prospects for all eternity.
So preachers, fearing the response of their hearers, fearing the loss of members, and their income, keen to avoid the accusing and menacing expressions of men’s faces, hold back from being faithful stewards of the Word of God entrusted to their care, and from being faithful shepherds to the flock of God’s sheep, over whom the Holy Spirit has given them oversight.
Let a man remain in the business of ear tickling, and the people will be pleased to hear him, to pay him, and he will be free of all harassment ... but let a man begin to bring home to the conscience the plain teaching of Scripture, and harassment will quickly become his lot in the church - it has always been so.
READ JOHN 1:19-28
The year is about AD26. With the Roman occupation of Judea, the messianic expectancy has reached fever pitch. There is an air of expectancy; people were ‘ looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. ‘ (Lk 2:28). And with the coming of John, and with the impact of his ministry, the inevitable question was being asked by some, whether he was the Christ or not? (Lk 3:15). A mighty stirring had begun.
‘ And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins (Mk 1:5).'
With such an impact, John could not go by unnoticed, or unchallenged by the Jewish religious leaders, and so a collision course had been laid - the situation was about to explode.
And so today we will seek to examine this passage under 4 heads:
- I am not Vv19-22
- I am V 23
- You are Not Vv24, 25
- He is Vv26, 27
(1) I am Not
‘ And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself (John 1:19-22)?'
With all the commotion going on around Bethabara (that is Bethany), a place about 20 miles SE of Nazareth, just east of the Jordan River, it is not surprising that the religious leaders decided to investigate the phenomenon.
‘ The Jews ', of verse 19, are the religious leaders, and not the Jews in general. In the Gospel of John, the word Jews is used some 70 times, and generally refers to those opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ, especially the religious leaders.
That this is a religious delegation from the religious leaders is confirmed by verse 22, 'that we may give an answer to them that sent us.' The religious leaders in Jerusalem refers to the Sanhedrin, an ecclesiastical council, made up of the high priest, scribes, priests, and Levites - 71 in total.
Their responsibility was chiefly to inquire, examine, and try, anything at all to do with religious matters in Judea. And this religious body decided to send a delegation to investigate this John, and to see firsthand, just what was going on.
Why did they do this? Probably for a number of reasons really, including:
- Could this be the Messiah? Rumour was circulating, ‘And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not (Lk 3:15).' And this certainly seems to be implied by John’s answer in verse 20, ‘ And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.'
- The Messiah was expected, and he would bring deliverance from Rome, and therefore, this may be at hand. This baptizing thing may be all wrapped up in this.
- He was drawing large crowds, therefore an investigation was warranted. Was he leading the people astray? ‘ Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan (Mt 3:5).'
- He was saying bad things about the religious leaders, ‘ O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come (Mt 3:7)?'
- He was telling Jews that they needed to repent, and threatening them with judgment.
So for the Sanhedrin, something had to be done. Was there truth in all this, or was it another hoax? If it had tickled ears they would have left him alone, but he was concerned for truth, and that applied to the consciences of the people.
So off they went, and in verse 20, the investigation has already begun. The question on everybody’s lips has already been asked, 'Are you the Messiah?'
And John very emphatically refuses to even entertain that thought. There was no way in the world that he was going to claim that title, 'I am not the Christ!'
And what John is saying, is that he is not that one long promised in the OT prophesies, it is not him. And certainly, the Messiah they were looking for was not even recorded in the Scriptures at all.
Malachi 4:5,6 says, ‘Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.'
The Jewish experts had long decided that this meant a literal return to earth of the prophet Elijah, and perhaps perceiving interesting similarities between Elijah and John, they though this might be being fulfilled.
In 2 Kings 2:1-17, Elijah had not died but been taken to heaven. The Jews were expecting Elijah to return.
Was John Elijah? ‘ I am not ‘ says John.
And though Christ equates the ministry of the Baptist with Elijah in Matthew 11:14,15, ‘ And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.' He was not a literal Elijah. The Malachi prophecy does not refer to a literal return of Elijah, but as Christ interprets it, a prophet as Elijah, with the same manner, and message of repentance.
So John is not the literal Elijah that the delegation expected, though he was the true Elijah expected in the messianic prophecy.
Deuteronomy 18:15-18 says, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, " according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘ Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die. ‘ " And the Lord said to me: ‘ What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put my words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.'
Was John this Prophet? His answer, No. In fact, this is a prophecy concerning the Messiah also, which Acts 3:22 makes clear. There Peter confirms the Prophet as being the Lord.
Then who are you??? We have to go back with an answer. You do all this, yet you say you are none of those who have the right to do it - who do you think you are then?
The Jews actually did practice baptism, but only of Gentiles who wished to become worshippers of the true God. Baptism signified cleansing from sin, and therefore Jews didn’t need this done to them. So just who does John think he is baptizing Jews.
(2) I am
John was not the Christ, and he was not any of the corrupted versions of the Christ either. Neither was he Elijah. Who was he?
‘ I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias (1:23).'
So, he isn’t the Christ, and he isn’t the Prophet, nor Elijah - He’s the road builder!
When a nation needs a road built from one place to another, the road builder comes in and removes all the obstacles that would keep the road from being built. The vegetation is removed, hills flattened, bridges built, etc.
The original prophecy in Isaiah refers to the immediate situation in Isaiah’s time. Israel was captive in a foreign land, and the way was to be found for the return of the nation from captivity by God. He would make a way through the wilderness, thereby bringing the people back to Palestine. The picture of the road builder is very apt.
But what John is saying is that this was only a partial fulfilment of the prophecy, for it was a picture of a spiritual reality, and that he was the spiritual road builder for the Messiah. His task was to remove all obstacles and hindrances in the spiritual wilderness of men’s hearts, thereby making them ready for the coming of the true Messiah.
This was not the Messiah of man’s understanding, one who would perform a temporal deliverance from the power of Rome and restore the Jewish state, but one who would lead captives free from a greater captivity, even that of enslavement to sin.
John’s role was preparing the way. How was he to do that? By calling on all Israel to be ready to receive their true Messiah when he appeared. And how were they to be ready? They were to repent.
‘ In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan (Mt 3:1-3,4,5).'
These were a people steeped in religion, who instead of trusting their God, now trusted the mere possession of their religion and Law - while neglecting what this Law truly pointed them to - their inability to keep it, and their need for a deliverer, even the true Messiah.
And John when confronted by these religious leaders tells them in his answer, that they too need to repent.
‘ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham (Mt 3:7-9).'
Are we not in a similar situation? There is an expectancy of the return of the Messiah - His Second Coming. And we preachers, we are His forbears, proclaiming to sinners the need for repentance and a turning to the Lord.
All need to flee the wrath that is to come. And as those in John’s day were steeped in religion and needed to repent, so there are many in this day steeped in religion who need to repent and to turn to the Lord. And not just the normal church folk, religious leaders also. Simply having the Bible, going to church, etc is not enough. You need to be properly prepared for the Kings arrival.
Outside Christ is condemnation and judgment. The King is coming, is at the very gates. He is on His white horse, His army makes its self ready, and soon they will be pouring out of heaven to judge the Earth. Are you ready, are you prepared to meet your God?
Or perhaps you too are like these religious leaders, steeped in the traditions of the elders and so-called teachers; caught up in errors and mis-interpretations, which would keep you from seeing the truth as it is in Jesus. So bound in darkness, that you cannot discern the signs of the times. ‘ Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him (Jude 14,15).'
I am a road builder, preparing the way for the arrival of my king, that you might be ready for when He comes.
(3) You are Not
‘ And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet (1:24,25)?'
What a tragedy - the answer has just been given by John, yet in their darkness these men did not perceive the light. What a tragedy!
Verse 24 is better read as, ‘ those who were sent of the Pharisees,' who made up a portion of the official Sanhedrin delegation, have a question to ask. They have missed the true spiritual significance of the Baptist, of his spiritual likeness to Elijah.
These men were Pharisee’s, who ‘ knew their stuff, and knew it ‘ - yet they knew nothing. They were keen to uphold their traditions and understandings concerning the Law, but they missed the real significance of the whole deal.
They considered themselves OK, to be the true sons of Abraham, the leaders of the blind, the upholders of the law, the separated ones, the Elite... BUT ‘ But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14).' These men were without the Light, without spiritual life.
They looked for a Messiah yes, but only one who answered to their own imaginations ... they did not know, they did not understand the great darkness of their own being, and so they did not look for a true spiritual Messiah who would save His people from their sins.
If John wasn’t party to their temporal messianic expectations, hopes and outlook, he had to be stopped and silenced ... he had no right to perform tasks that properly belonged to their expected Messiah.
And we face a similar situation today ... when the faithful preacher truly represents the Lord, proclaiming the message of the true king. The religious people want none of it, for it disrupts their own traditional systems, which they have devised and cherish.
They look for a salvation, deliverance, BUT it is only from present hardships, present grief's, present financial difficulties, present unhappiness, and present feelings of dissatisfaction.
From the present fleeting pleasures of sin they want no deliverance, from the allurements of Vanity Fair no freedom, from the entanglements of this world no disentangling.
From such people will come only harassment, ridicule, mocking and censure for the true Christian preacher and everyday Christian. How dare you take up a role that is to be reserved for those who satisfy our criteria for ministry, who do you think you are, you are not what we want!
And so the Baptist is treated with contempt - your no one, you have no right to do this.
What a tragedy, for there they were, right at the very gate of the kingdom, and they rejected entrance into it to pursue that which was fantasy, and temporal at best.
My friends, is it so with you? Are you chasing after that which will leave you bereft of all at the end? Your Messiah, your deliverance, your religion is nothing - what can it truly do for you? Are you satisfied with an hour or two of religion a week.
What a tragedy, for the entrance to the Kingdom of God is right here this morning. Do not be satisfied with that which will leave you wanting at the last day.
(4) He Is
‘ John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose (John 1:26,27).'
What is John’s response to the interrogation of the Pharisee’s? In short, ‘ I’m nothing. ‘ The Baptist had a job to do, he got on with it, knowing he was very little in the overall scheme of things.
Yes, I do baptise with water, I do carry out this symbolic ritual, that which is symbolic of being cleansed from sin - but that’s nothing really.
But everyone’s been coming out to you John - surely your something. You have the ears of the masses John, don’t put yourself down like that.
No, says John, I’m nothing. It’s He, ‘ there stands one among you whom you do not know ‘, the real thing, the genuine article, the true Messiah whom you do not know - it is He who is someone. He is there even now, He has arrived, but you are in so much darkness that you don’t even recognize it.
The very one who will save His people from their sins, who will set the captives free, ‘ He will baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire,’ He will bring life to the spiritually dead.
‘ It is He, who coming after me,’ in terms of time, yet He ‘ is preferred before me,’. He points this delegation of religious leaders to the true Messiah, to whom they must flee for true deliverance, from a fate worse than the Romans - It is He!
He is the One to whom the Scriptures point. He is the Christ! He is the Prophet! Me, I’m nobody, ‘ I’m not worthy to even loose His sandal straps ‘
What a contrast to religious leaders and people who think they are something today. People who always want a pat on the back, be it for a battle with sin, a job done in Christ’s name, a sermon preached, a soul saved ... yet the Baptist whom Christ describes as ‘Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Mt 11:11),' he saw himself as nothing ... A voice pointing to He who is someone. He didn’t seek to put himself forward as the centre of attention, that’s Christ’s position, not his.
A someone who is a far greater Deliverer than all the temporal Messiah’s you could wish for. He is far greater than wealth, than a great body, than a partner, than a family, than a country, than a religious system - it is He who saves with a mighty spiritual deliverance as we have begun to understand over the last few weeks.
He is still the One! And though I can preach about Him, and describe the salvation that He brings, it is He who actually does the real thing - He gives spiritual life to all who go to Him, ‘ the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name ‘.
The opportunity exists even today, to call upon His Name, and to live.
Next week we want to focus more closely on this true Messiah ... but for now, let me just say, ‘ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, ‘ (Heb 2:3).
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10/10/2006
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