John 1:15-18
John the apostle, whose view of Christ was expressed in verse 14, appears to
shift to reporting the viewpoint of John the Baptist. In verse 15, John the
Baptist says that even though Jesus started His ministry after he (John) did,
He has precedence because He existed before him. John the Baptist was born six
months before Jesus was born, but Jesus existed from all eternity and John
recognized this. But it appears that JTB went on to explain that it wasn't
merely the pre-existence of Jesus that made Him preeminent, but also the fullness
of grace and truth that He imparted to His followers. Since John the apostle
made a similar statement in verse 14, we might wonder if the two viewpoints are
conflated in John the apostle's record. However, John the apostle does not
appear to be confused and so I think we should infer that John the apostle is
making the point that they are in complete agreement on this point. Out of the
mouth of two or three witnesses a matter is confirmed.
The
final verse in this section could have been attributed to either John. I will
leave it to Greek language specialists to opine on whom this should be
attributed to. The simple statement is that despite all that is recorded in the
Old Testament, no one has actually seen God. Jesus, the only begotten Son, has
revealed Him. In view of the various visions and appearances in the Old
Testament, the implication is that it is not a physical or graphical
representation of God's presence that truly reveals Him. It is the revelation
of His heart, His nature and character. These were revealed through the
presence and actions of Jesus on the earth. The essence of God is not thrones
and glory and angelic worship. These attributes of God are consequences of His
essence, which was described above by both Johns. Jesus, the incarnate Word of
God, revealed God's true essence.
John 1:19-28
John describes an extended discussion between John the Baptist and the priests
and Levites who had been sent by the Pharisees, about who he is and what his
ministry consisted of. John said that he was not the Messiah, and furthermore
he was not one of the promised coming prophets, either Elijah (Malachi 4:5) or
the promised messenger (Malachi 3:1). Since the Romans had conquered the Greeks
and now ruled over Judea, the Jews were hoping for another deliverer on the order
of Judas Maccabaeus. They interpreted the promised Messiah of Old Testament
scriptures as another king, perhaps on the order of David, who would lead
Israel's armies to victory over the infidels and establish the Messianic
kingdom. John the Baptist knew that was not his calling. However, his response
to the questions about being either Elijah or the promised prophet was to quote
Isaiah 40:3 to the effect this God had called him to cry out in the wilderness
to make the path of The Lord straight. In the passage of Isaiah that John
quoted, the very next verses state that the glory of YHWH will be revealed and
all flesh will see it. This is John explicitly and unambiguously announcing the
coming of Messiah, and that he is not that Messiah, but he is announcing His
arrival.
The
priests and Levites asked why he baptized. John's response was perhaps a bit
hard for them to understand. He did not directly answer the question, but told
them that there was among them, unrecognized, one who was far greater than himself.
In other words, a continuation of the fulfillment of the promise made by God
through Isaiah.
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