We hope you find these notes helpful. Do feel free to download the material on this website for your own personal use, and also to distribute if you so wish. Please be aware that all the writing is copyright, so no alterations should be made.

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The Authorised Version does not use capital letters for the pronouns relating to the Persons of the Godhead, (except, of course, at the beginning of sentences). Presumably this is because it was felt that, (seeing that capital letters are used sparingly in Greek), the insertion of capitals amounted to adding to the word of God, and in some cases, involved interpretation. Accordingly, the pronouns for God are without capitals in the direct quotations from scripture, whereas in my comments they are used. I hope you do not find this confusing.

These comments only use the Authorized (King James) Version of the scriptures, as it is the author’s firm belief that God specially superintended that translation so that there might be certainty as to what the word of God is until the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Scripture quotations are from the Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.

Survey of the New Testament
The Lord Jesus said “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Matthew 5:17. He did this in a three-fold way. First, He brought out the full meaning of the Old Testament, revealing truths that the rabbis had not seen before, and thus fully filled out its meaning. Second, He fully demonstrated in His life the character and conduct that the law and the prophets required of man. And third, He moved on to ensure that the predictions of the Old Testament would be fulfilled, not only in His death and resurrection, but also in His coming reign on the earth.

When the apostle Peter stood up on the Day of Pentecost and announced to the Jews that Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, was their Messiah, he did it by showing that he fulfilled the Old Testament scriptures, Acts 2:14-36. When the apostle Paul went into the synagogue in Thessalonica, and sought to prove that “Jesus…is Christ”, he did it by reasoning out of the scriptures of the Old Testament, Acts 17:2,3. And when Apollos mightily convinced the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, he did it by “shewing by the scriptures”, Acts 18:28.

So we should not think of the New Testament as a rival to the Old Testament. Rather, we should think of it in one sense as the sequel. But, having said that, we should remember that the New Testament contains truth that was not anticipated in the Old Testament, as a reading of Ephesians 3 will show. Whether we think of it as a sequel or a supplement, we should ever remember that the New Testament has equal authority with the Old Testament. The apostle Peter referred to the writings of the apostle Paul, and then alluded to “the other scriptures”, meaning the Old Testament, 2 Peter 3:15,16. Thus he thought of both New Testament and Old Testament as being on the same level of authority.

Survey of the four gospels
Each of the four gospels has its own character, and they present to us that four-fold view of the Lord Jesus that the Spirit desires we should have.

	MATTHEW	MARK	LUKE	JOHN
Key idea	Government	Giving, Mark 10:45	Grace	Glory
Emphasis	Sovereign	Servant	Saviour	Son
Challenge	Behold your King!  John 19:14	Behold My servant! Isaiah 42:1	Behold the man! John 19:5	Behold your God! Isaiah 40:9
Promise	I will raise unto David a righteous branch, Jer. 23:5	I will bring forth My servant the branch, Zechariah 3:8	The man whose name is the Branch, Zechariah 6:12	The Branch of the Lord…beautiful, Isaiah 4:2
Theme	Undisputed monarch	Untiring minister	Universal and unique Man	Ultimate manifestation
Son of…	Son of Abraham, Son of David	Son of thy handmaiden, Psalm 86:16; Luke 1:38,48	Son of Man	Son of God
Desired result	Subjects of the king to obey Him, Psalm 18:44	Servants of Christ to serve Him, Colossians 3:24	Samples of new man to duplicate Him, Eph. 4:24	Scholars to know Him, John 17:3
Beginning of gospel	Pedigree of the King	Preaching of two servants	Perfect understanding	Person of Christ
Birth of Christ	In relation to Israel	No mention	In relation to mankind	Word became flesh
End of gospel	All authority	The Lord working with them	Leaves behind praising people in the temple	Lovest thou Me?
Ascension of Christ	No record. He is to be King on earth in the future	Ascends to continue His service in heaven.	Ascends as the sort of Man heaven can welcome.	No mention, but see, John 3:13; 6:62; 20:17.

Each of the four gospels gives us a fresh aspect of the person of the Lord Jesus, and they complement and reinforce one another.

Matthew’s gospel takes the form of the title-deeds of the Sovereign, supporting His claim to the land of Israel as the True Isaac, the son of Abraham, and His right to the throne of David, as the True Solomon.

Mark gives us the timesheet of the Servant of Jehovah, who “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many”, Mark 10:45.

Luke’s gospel has the character of a treatise, or written narrative, in which he describes God’s Ideal Man, the Saviour of men. The Greeks were striving for perfect manhood, and Luke, a Greek himself, writes to his friend about God’s ideal man, the Lord Jesus.

John’s gospel is a testimony to the Deity of the Lord Jesus, and is arranged with this in mind. He tells us towards the end of his gospel, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:30,31. So his goal is to bring men to the point where they believe that Jesus, (the historical person) is the Christ, (the one predicted in the Old Testament), the Son of God, (the one who is detailed in the New Testament).

Survey of John’s gospel
Each gospel has a verse which seems to sum up the whole book. For a summary of John’s gospel, we might think of the Lord’s words, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father”, John 16:28. There are four positions in that statement. First, being with the Father. John tells of this when he writes, “and the Word was with God”, 1:1. Second, coming into the world. John tells us “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us”, 1:14. Third, leaving the world. John tells us that “Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world”, 13:1. Fourth, going to the Father. The Lord Himself said in His prayer to His Father, “And now I am no longer in the world…and I come to thee”, 17:11.

Another one of the features of John’s Gospel is that it is centred around four passovers. (This assumes that the feast of 5:1 is a passover. The fact that John does not tell us which feast it was can be explained by the fact that it is the sabbath, the weekly festival, that is emphasized. See Leviticus 23:1-3, where the sabbath is included in the holy convocations, being a weekly holy convocation). Those four passovers are found in John 2:23, 5:1, 6:4, and 13:1.

Now the passover was a memorial of the Exodus, the going out of the children of Israel from Egypt. How appropriate that the gospel which especially emphasises the going of the Lord Jesus out of the world should be structured around the feast that recalled the Exodus. The passover lamb was to be carefully scrutinised for four days before it could be sacrificed. So the Lord Jesus, announced to be the Lamb of God twice over by John the Baptist, was found at Jerusalem on four passover seasons, making Himself available to be assessed by the people, not just for one day, but during the whole of the feast.

The one who originally led Israel out of Egypt, Moses, was also the one who had come to them years before, for “it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel”, Acts 7:23, for he “supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not”, verse 25. So when he eventually led the people out, it was as one who had been misunderstood by them, for they did not realise his heart was towards them for blessing. So it was that the greater than Moses came to His own, and they did not understand that He was God’s answer to their need.

We could think of John’s gospel as being divided at the end of chapter 12. If at the beginning of the gospel He came unto His own, in 12:36 we read that He “departed, and did hide himself from them”. In chapter thirteen, however, there is another company called “His own”, and far from hiding from them, He reveals Himself to them in new ways. But He also tells them that He is leaving them.

The gospel of John consists of a prologue, a series of monologues and dialogues, and an epilogue, twice over, as follows:

(i) The first prologue

John 1:1-18
The way in which the Son has declared the Father.

(ii) The first series of monologues and dialogues

John 1:19-12:43
The ways in which men reacted to the Son.

(iii) The first epilogue

John 12:44-50
The Son surveys and summarises the truths He has set forth in the world regarding His Sonship.

(iv) The second prologue

John 13:1
The context in which the Son met with His own in the Upper Room.

(v) Part 1 of the second series of monologues and dialogues

John 13:2-17:26
Preparing His disciples for His departure and the Spirit’s arrival.

(vi) Part 2 of the second series of monologues and dialogues

John 18:1-20:31
The way in which He departed out of this world.

(vii) Second epilogue

John 21:1-25
Having told us that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”, 20:31, John now tells us He is Lord.

 

Survey of John 1
John begins with an introductory section consisting of eighteen verses, the theme of which is the knowledge of God through His Son, and the ways in which God has come out to man that he might have that knowledge, culminating in His personal appearance in the world as the Word made flesh. The climax to this opening passage is found in the very last phrase, “He hath declared him”, John 1:18.

John chapter one contains seven self-contained yet related sections, in which various aspects of the revelation that Christ gives of the Father are set out, as follows:

Section 1	Verses 1,2	Information about the Word
Section 2	Verses 3-13	Interventions by the Word
Section 3	Verses 14-18	Incarnation of the Word
Section 4	Verses 19-28	Introducer of the Word
Section 5	Verses 29-34	Introduction of the Word
Section 6	Verses 35-42	Influence of the Word
Section 7	Verses 43-51	Initiatives of the Word

Survey of the prologue
The prologue that introduces the first twelve chapters of John’s Gospel may be divided into two parts. John gives the title “the Word” to the Lord Jesus. A word may be defined as “thought in expression”, so as the Word the Lord Jesus is the supreme expression of the thoughts of God. In verses 1-13 the emphasis is on the fact that He expresses the thoughts of the mind of God. In verses 14, as the Only begotten Son, He expresses the thoughts of the heart of God.

After having made clear that the Word is equal with God, and as such is Creator, John proceeds to tell us the ways He communicated the mind of God to men. In verses 4 and 5 it is the light that men have because they are made in the image of God. In verses 6-8 it is the light that John the Baptist gave out as a lamp. But it was the Lord Jesus who was the true light, and sadly, after 40 centuries, it had to be said, “the world knew him not”, verse 10.

To deal with this situation, He comes into the world in person, instead of acting in the background, and gives the nation of Israel the opportunity to receive Him. After all, they were the nation in the Old Testament that were charged with manifesting God to the nations all around. His own people, however, received Him not. Undeterred, He gathered around Himself those who believed on His name, and they were sons of God, able to represent Him in the world. So it is that there was produced a company of people who knew Him and reverenced Him, and were able to appreciate His glory.

In the second part of the prologue, we learn the ways in which He related to different individuals. In verse 14, it is John and the other apostles. In verse 15 it is the testimony of John the baptist. In verse 16 all believers are in view. Then in verse 17 we have His relation to Moses the lawgiver, and finally, in verse 18, His relationship with God. All these persons, (with the possible exception of Moses), saw in Him the Son of God, the expresser of the thoughts of the heart of His Father.

Section 1  Verses 1,2
Information about the Word

1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

In the beginning was the Word- the beginning in Matthew’s Sovereign Gospel is Ancestral, linking the Lord Jesus with His royal forbears, Abraham and David. The beginning in Mark’s Servant Gospel is Ministerial, to do with the beginning of His work as a preacher. The beginning in Luke’s Social Gospel is Physical, having to do with His birth, and that of John the Baptist His forerunner. But the beginning of John’s Sonship Gospel is Creational, for only God can create.

When the first thing that had a beginning began, then the Word already was. This is a clear indication of His eternal existence. That the Lord Jesus is meant is evident from verses 14 and 17. However, John deliberately refrains from giving Him any personal name here, so that we may concentrate on His attributes. By calling the Lord Jesus “The Word”, John is telling us that He is the expression of the mind of God, for a word may be defined as “an expression of the mind so as to impart information in language we can understand”. Just as in normal conversation words tell us what is in the mind of the person talking, so John is telling us that if God is going to be told out, it must be through Him who, because He is the Word, is able to express His mind perfectly.

He is not a Word, one option among many, but the sole discloser of the mind of God. (It is true that some things about God may be known through creation, for instance, but creation came into existence through the Word, so He is superior to it, and, in any case, He designed creation so as to reveal God). So the prologue to the gospel, consisting of the first eighteen verses, begins with “The Word”, and ends with “he hath declared him”. God’s mind has been expressed intelligibly by the Son of God, as the Word.

John does not borrow the idea of the “Word”, or Logos, from Philo, (a Jewish philosopher who lived just before the coming of Christ), since this man’s teachings led to the Gnostic heresy which John and Paul write against.

The Jewish commentaries on the Old Testament often replaced the name of God with the Hebrew for word. So, for instance, in Genesis 28:20, where Jacob says, “if God will be with me”, they quote him as saying “if the Word will be with me”. It seems they were not, however, replacing “God” with “the Word” to uphold the Deity of the Word. They were simply substituting a vague expression for the word God in order to not mention His name. John has no such misgivings, for both the Old Testament and the New Testament are full of godly men and women who used the name of God. So John turns from the philosophy of men and also from their superstition, and unashamedly uses the term “the Word” for Christ, and asserts that the Word really is God.

The use of the word “beginning” shows clearly that there is a link with Genesis 1:1, where we read, “In the beginning God created”. But whereas Moses is starting at the beginning and going forward, John is starting at the beginning and going backwards into eternity, before time was. For Moses, the beginning is starting point, as it is for John in verse 3. But in this verse it is the end point. Thus John is telling us of One who is able to bring eternal realities within the reach of men.

The word “was” is in the Imperfect Tense, which denotes continuous action in the past. So the Word was present at the beginning of time, (for time began when the heaven and the earth began), but at that point He could be said to have an unbroken past, telling us clearly that He is eternal.

We are told seven things about the Word in these openeing verses, as follows:

1. He was in the beginning.

2. He was with God.

3. He was God.

4. He was those three things at the beginning.

5. He made all things.

6. He has life in Himself.

7. He so made man as a living person that he had light about God.

And the Word was with God- if the first phrase tells of the pre-existence of the Word before time began, and therefore indicates His eternal being, this phrase tells of His co-existence. To be with God tells us much more than that the Word was in the presence of God, although that is the case. By using a preposition that indicates “motion towards”, John is informing us that the Word was actively towards God, concentrating, in eternal perfection, on Him. This gives us great confidence, for it indicates that there is perfect harmony between the Word and God. Their interests are the same, and nothing disturbs their communion. This being the case, believing in His name is a safe thing to do, for it forges a link with God that cannot be broken. The fact that weight is given to both “Word” and “God”, is indicative of the distinct personality of the Word. When we speak of the Persons of the Godhead we are not talking of three separate entities, (as if there were three Gods), but three centres of consciousness in the one Godhead, each equal in nature and essence.

And the Word was God- this is clear statement as to the Deity of the Word. Note that although there are distinctions of Persons in the Godhead, for “the Word was with God”, yet there is identity of essence, for “the Word was God”. This expression assures us that the One who is pre-existent, and co-existent, is co-equal with God as well. This truth is emphasised not only in the teaching of the Lord Jesus, (see for instance John 5:17-29 and 10:30), but also in His miracles, which clearly demonstrated His Deity. For example, He who had made the vine on the third day, Genesis 1:12,13, acted on another “third day” in John 2:1, as He accelerated the lengthy process by which rainwater is made into vintage wine, and thus manifested His power as Creator, with the result that His disciples believed on Him, John 2:11.

1:2
The same was in the beginning with God.

The same was in the beginning with God- John makes it clear that the truths stated in verse one were all true together at the beginning, so it was not a question of development or progress. It was not that He was the Word, and then was with God, and then was God, but rather that He who was with God, and was God, was this eternally, for the nature of God cannot change. Deity does not develop, but is ever infinite. “I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed”, Malachi 3:6, a scripture which would have been a great comfort to the remnant in Israel as they faced four hundred years of change until Christ came. Their preservation in those times is testimony to the unchangeableness of God. We who wait for the second coming of Christ may likewise take heart.

Special note on conditions in eternity

The Scriptures tell us somewhat of conditions in eternity, before God created the heaven and the earth, as follows:

Divine Intention	“whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting”, Micah 5:2. (The scribes omitted to mention these words in Matthew 2:6).
Divine Intelligence	“the Word was with God”, John 1:1.
Divine Glory	“glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was”, John 17:5.
Divine Love	“thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world”, John 17:24.
Divine Counsel	“Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God”, Acts 2:23.
Divine Power	“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead”, Romans 1:20.
Divine Choice	“he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world”, Ephesians 1:4.
Divine Equality	“Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God”, Philippians 2:5,6.
Divine Promise	“in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began”, Titus 1:2.
Divine Fellowship	“that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us”, 1 John 1:2.

Section 2   Verses 3-13
Interventions by the Word

1:3
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

All things were made by him- having stated fundamental truths as to the nature of the Word, John now indicates the way in which the Word showed Himself to be God, even by bringing all things into being, something only God can do. Literally rendered, the verse reads as follows, “All things came into being through him, and apart from him not even one thing came into being which has come into being”. John is writing about things coming into being that did not exist before. It is not that they are revealed from their hiding-place. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Hebrews 11:3.

All things came into being by, or through, the Word, “For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” Psalm 33:9. It follows logically, then, that He is not part of creation. There are those who appeal to this word “by” to say that the Word was only a high angelic intelligence, who was used by God to make all things as His subordinate. But in Romans 11:36 it is said of God that all things are through Him, (and the apostle uses the same word as “by” here), so on this theory of subordination, God Himself must be acting for another! This, of course, is impossible.

Perhaps as he penned these words the apostle John thought of the language of the prophet, “I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself”, Isaiah 44:24. Isaiah declared that the Lord, the God of heaven, had made all things by Himself, yet John, a sincere believer in the One True God, did not hesitate to say that the Word had made all things. Since John was inspired by the same Spirit as Isaiah was, then we can come to no other conclusion than that the Word is God, not only by the plain statement of verse 1, but also by the fact that He is Creator.

And without him was not anything made that was made- there is no secret store of matter that derives its origin from some other power-source. Note how John puts things positively and negatively, (“all things were made by him…without him was nothing made”), in order that the truth might be hedged about on every side. The first phrase “all things were made by him”, might be thought by hostile minds to refer only to things, and not beings with life, leaving the way open to say that the Word was created first, and then brought things into existence. This second statement of the apostle instantly and conclusively disposes of such a blasphemous notion. Everything that has ever come into being has done so through the Word, therefore the Word did not come into being, but ever is.

So John has now condemned atheism, (the belief that there is no God), for the Word was with God. He has condemned agnosticism, (the belief that it cannot be known whether there is a God or not), for in the beginning was the Word, making God known. He condemns pantheism, (the belief that matter is all there is, and everything is god), for the Word is separate from the things He created. He also condemns Arianism, (the denial of the Deity of Christ), for the Word was God.

Special note on life and existence
It is vital to see the distinction between existing and having life. Life and death are states of existence. When a man dies he changes from one state of existence to another state, but he does not cease to exist. All men will exist for ever, but only believers will live for ever. The unsaved will exist for ever in the lake of fire, which is the second death, Revelation 21:8.

1:4
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

In him was life- He is the source of life in all its forms, whether plant, animal, human, or angelic. God is the Living God, 1 Thessalonians 1:9, and since the Word is God, in Him is life also. The fact that John says life is in Him, rather than that He has life, emphasises the idea of the communication of life from a source, for life is in Him with the implication that it can be given to others. This is developed in verses 13 and 14.

The things God has created are designed to shed light on who and what He is, for as the apostle Paul wrote, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20.

Attributes of God made known through creation include the following:

His power, Psalm 147:4,5; Hebrews 1:3.

His greatness, honour, majesty, and wisdom, Psalm 104:1,24.

His gift of life, breath and all things, Acts 17:25.

His providential care, Psalm 104:10-23; Acts 14:17.

His impartiality, Matthew 5:45.

His glory, Psalm 19:1.

All these features have a voice to men, for God hath not left himself without witness, Acts 14:17. And the psalmist wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world”, Psalm 19:1-4.

The more specific idea in the phrase “in him was life” has to do with the formation of man. Adam was made in the image and after the likeness of God, Genesis 1:26,27. As the image of God he represented God to creation, and as one after the likeness of God he replicated God in creation. The psalmist described man at the beginning as crowned with glory and honour, Psalm 8:5. To be in the image of God meant glory; to be after the likeness of God meant honour. Man in Adam has failed to live up to this high calling, which is why the believer turns away from him, and sees Jesus, “crowned with glory and honour”, Hebrews 2:9.

Being in the image of God involved three main things. First, it meant man has rationality, the ability to think and reason. God has this intrinsically, and man has it by creation. This means that when God spoke to Adam and gave him instructions, in particular about which tree he should not eat of, Adam was able to process what God said to him, and come to a conclusion. He was also able to communicate this information to Eve once she had been formed.

The second thing that man has as created in the image of God is personality. God has personality; that is, He is aware of Himself. So is man aware of himself. He is conscious of being himself. What God is as a Person does not develop, but man’s personality does develop with time, experience and thought. (The word Person is used of God not, of course, in the sense that He is a man, but that He has a centre of consciousness).

The third thing God gave to man was spirituality, the ability to be aware of, and to respond to, God Himself. This means that man has the capacity to worship. No doubt it was when God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul, Genesis 2:7, that these capacities were imparted. The word “life” in that verse is in the plural, so man has rational life, personal life, and spiritual life imparted to him.

The apostle Paul reminded the philosophers of Athens of these things. They claimed to be searching for reality, yet they were in ignorance, Acts 17:23, for “the darkness comprehended it not”, John 1:5. He appealed to their rationality, for with the words “we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold”, verse 29, he is appealing to them to be rational. He reasons that if men have “life and breath and all things”, verse 25, and “live and move and have our being”, verse 28, it is because they are the offspring of God, as even their philosopher-poet said, verse 28. If that is the case, then God must live and move and have being as well. By such logical reasoning he appeals to their rationality. So just as God has personality, being aware of Himself, so do they, for as philosophers, they were aware of themselves. As one of their modern-day counterparts said, “I think, therefore I am”.

He also appealed to their spirituality, (that is, their ability to act in their spirits. Not spirituality in the Christian sense “the opposite of carnal”), for they had devotions, or objects of worship. Athens was full of idols. And they had erected an altar to the unknown God, verse 23, thus recognising that there was such a Being as God, even though He was unknown to them. The one they were ignorant of, Paul declares to them, and shows that if they acted upon what they already knew, they could feel after God and find Him, verse 27. In this way the life they had been given by the Word, would become their light. But they would need to repent if they were to escape judgement, verse 31, and by so doing they would exchange their wrong thoughts for God’s right thoughts. In other words, they would move out of their darkness into God’s marvellous light, 1 Peter 2:9.

Special note on the childhood of Christ
It is Luke who emphasises the true and ideal manhood of Christ, and he alone gives us a view of Christ when He was twelve years old. He records an incident that took place at passover time, when Joseph and Mary went up to the feast, and took Jesus with them. Either side of the passage, found in Luke 2:41-51, Luke tells us about the progress of the Lord Jesus. We read, “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.” verse 40. So the Lord Jesus grew physically, spiritually, and intellectually and as a result God’s favour continued to rest upon Him. Then in verse 52 Luke tells us “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” So now we learn that He is continuing to grow in wisdom intellectually, in bodily increase, physically, and He is also growing socially in relation to both God and men, manifesting those characteristics that God and unbiased men find pleasing in a young person.

Luke then gives us an illustration by means of a real-life incident. As he does so, he shows that the Lord Jesus was indeed true man, made in the image of God rationally, personality-wise, and spiritually.
His rationality. He was found “sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers”, verses 46,47.

His personality. We read, “the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem”, verse 43. Although only twelve years old, He makes the conscious decision to stay behind in Jerusalem. He also gently chides His mother and Joseph for not expecting Him to be in the temple, verse 49. “How is it that ye sought me” would mean, “How is it you looked everywhere else but where you should have known I would be?”

His spirituality. Even though Joseph and Mary had stayed the full week of passover and unleavened bread celebrations, the Lord Jesus was longing for more contact with those who served God in the temple, so He stayed behind. His interests lay with the doctors of the law, not His kinsfolk on their journey back home.

Luke gives us the first recorded words of the Lord Jesus, “How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” His desires were Godward, and He longs for nothing less than involvement in His Father’s interests, which lay in the temple.

So it is that as Luke writes to his friend Theophilus, he is able to present a Perfect Man. Perfect, even when but a child. He has every feature that God gave to Adam, unspoiled by Adam’s fall.

And the life was the light of men- the life that a man has enables him to think about who he is. When he does this, it is possible for him to realise, (the light dawns), that he must have been given life from God, and that as a living, thinking, conscious being he has responsibilities towards God. He also realises that if he has rationality, personality and spirituality, then his Creator must have these things too, for they could not come from anywhere else.

1:5
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not- the diverse magnificence of creation was not only for God’s pleasure, Revelation 4:11, but was also designed to enlighten men with regard to God as Creator. Sadly, men refused the testimony of the things around them, for that which may be known about God through creation, although clearly seen, was not received, and instead of worshipping God they suppressed the truth of His Creatorship and began to worship idols. See Romans 1:18-23. So it is that the light of creation shines, but because of sin man’s understanding was perverted, and is described as darkness, for he was in the dark as to the truth presented to him.

It was also true that the light that could tell men what God was like was found in their very own constitution as made in the image of God, as we have noticed in connection with verse 4. Sadly, although the light constantly shone, men rejected the light, and became characterised by darkness, both intellectually, morally and spiritually. So John is looking back on the Old Testament, and sees that the light was shining all the time, (“shineth”), but at the end of that age it had to be said, “the darkness comprehended it not”.

In such a situation, where darkness prevails, radical action is needed, so the next verses tell how that God sent John the Baptist to initiate a new era by introducing God’s Son as the Unique and Final unfolding of God.

Section 2   Verses 6-13
Interventions by the Word

Survey of the section
Having introduced us to the idea that the life the Word gave to creation was a light to men, (we could call it “the light of His handiwork”), informing them of their Creator, John now develops the idea, telling us of various further ways in which the light shone, culminating in the coming of the Light Himself. So we may summarise these verses as follows:

Verses 6-8
The lamp of the herald, John the Baptist.

Verses 9,10
The Lord of history.

Verses 11-13
The Life from heaven.

1:6
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John- the apostle now gives to us ways in which the Word manifested Himself. In verses 1-5 God’s Creator-glories are spoken of, now God’s grace in all its glory is dealt with. John the Baptist is the bridge between the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament. Christ said, “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” Matthew 11:13.

This is the fulfilment of God’s promise, for He had said, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me”, Malachi 3:1. He was sent from God as the prophets had been of old, but the apostle makes special mention of his name, which means “Jehovah is gracious”. At his naming, John’s relatives proposed to call him Zecharias, after his father, but he indicated that he should be called John. Zecharias had been struck dumb by the angel who announced that he and Elizabeth would have a son, for he had not believed him. Significantly, then, the Levitical priest, (whose lips should keep knowledge, Malachi 2:7), was dumb until “Jehovah is gracious” is named. Then his dumbness was removed and he praised God.

Just as John was born of aged and weak parents, so the old system is giving way to the new, just as “that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away”, Hebrews 8:13, a reference to the old covenant of the law. Significantly, John is named, not after his father as would have been usual, but is given a name none of his kindred had before him, Luke 1:59-64. His name represented a new start, and since John means “Jehovah is gracious”, it is a new start in grace.

John the Baptist was sent from God at the beginning of his ministry, whereas Christ was sent from God when He was in heaven. John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, Luke 1:17, and we note that Elijah came suddenly on the scene in 1 Kings 17:1 as he stormed into Ahab’s palace and announced a message from “the Lord God of Israel, before whom I stand”. Ahab had begun to stand before the idol Baal to worship him, but Elijah stood before God. So we read of John here that he was sent from God; that is, sent from being beside God, listening to His voice, enlightened by His light. Luke tells us of several notable political and religious figures that were prominent at the time, but “the word of God came to John the son of Zecharias in the wilderness”, Luke 3:1,2. The princes of this world were ignorant, but John had a word from God. He comes out to tell what he has heard. As a man sent from God he was sent as a man, whereas “the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world”, but He was not man before He was sent, but came from heaven.

1:7
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light- John the apostle never gives John the Baptist that title. He is emphasising his testimony to Christ and not his own particular ministry. It seems that John’s ministry was bisected by the baptism of Christ. Before that event he had baptised people with the baptism of repentance, to prepare them for the entrance of the Messiah. After he had made His entrance, John’s ministry, whilst continuing his baptism of repentance, was also to bear witness to the Messiah who had arrived, to tell the people exactly who He was.

The word for witness, “marturia”, gives us the word martyr, and John did indeed seal his testimony with his blood. Christ has a five-fold witness to His person, namely John the forerunner, the Father, His words, His works, and the Old Testament scriptures John 5:31-39.

That all men through him might believe- men need a word from God if they are to come to a meaningful relationship with Him. It is true that creation has a message to men, (“Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world”, Psalm 19:2-4), but as the psalm just quoted goes on to say, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” So John came with testimony from God. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, his message is “Repent!” In John’s gospel the emphasis is on faith, looking upon the Lamb of God. But repentance and faith are two sides of the attitude of the submission to God He is looking for. He who has truly repented towards God also puts faith in the Lord Jesus, as Acts 20:21 indicates. Repentance is the abandoning of my thoughts, and faith is the wholehearted acceptance of God’s thoughts. See special note on faith at 2:25. It is John’s task to see to it that every person who came to him should realise that they need to believe.

1:8
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light- John presents a contrast to Christ is several ways, as follows:

John was a lamp, with power to shine given him.
Christ is the light itself.

John was a voice.
Christ is the Word, who remains after the voice has died away.

John was the son of a priest.
Christ is the Son of God.

John is a Levite.
Christ is the Lamb.

John baptized with water.
Christ baptized with the Spirit.

John must decrease.
Christ must increase.

Here, John is a lamp, as the Lord Jesus called him, John 5:35, whereas Christ is the light. A lamp gives a certain amount of light because it is supplied with resources outside of itself, as Zechariah 4:1-6 shows. The light, however, is the source, and is not in any way limited to giving a partial illumination. Having said that, however, it is worth pointing out that such was the holy character of John, that he had to deny that he was Christ, and the people thought later on that Christ Himself was John come back from the dead, Matthew 16:14, such was the holiness of his character. The light had done its work in his life, before it began to shine forth in testimony.

Later on the Lord would say, “Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.” John 5:33,34. So in the ultimate sense the true witness to Christ is from the Father, and only in a secondary sense from men .

1:9
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world- John the apostle soon returns to the subject in hand, but he will give more detail of John the Baptist’s testimony in verse 19 onwards. He has mentioned him here because he represents the final intervention of the Word in the affairs of men before Christ came personally.

The true light lightens every man that comes into the world, for He is God’s only way of enlightening, either in the Old Testament or the New. This is why the verb is in the present. It is not “did lighten”, or “will lighten”, but He is present to lighten at any point in time. In olden times it was indirectly, now directly.

That He lightens every man does not mean universal salvation, but it does mean universal opportunity. A street lamp lightens the whole of the road, whether people choose to walk in its light or turn into a dark alley to avoid it. John writes for the whole world, not just for Israel. Zacharias, John the Baptist’s father thanked God that Christ was “A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” That He was the true light shows His reality. That He lighteth every man shows His impartiality and His availability.

That He is the true light means that He is the test as to whether any statement is true or not. Any system of belief that rejects Christ is false, for there is no truth apart from Him. Truth may be defined as “that which corresponds to reality”.

He is the true light also in that He perfectly exposes the dark hearts and ways of men, for “this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”, 3:19.

Those who move into His light find that they no longer abide in darkness, 12:46. Rather, they walk in the light of the presence of God, 1 John 1:7.

1:10
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

He was in the world- in case we wonder how He was the light of those who were born before He came, John tells us He was (already) in the world in Old Testament times as He intervened in grace, judgement, and providence. He could say, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work”, John 5:17, so Divine persons were active in Old Testament times. The same tense for the verb “to be” used here is also found in verse 1, where the point is that the Word already was when the first thing that had a beginning began.

And the world was made by him- He especially made the truth (light) known through creation, whether of things or men, hence the reference here to all things being made by Him.

And the world knew him not- despite the clarity of the revelation through creation, (and Romans 1:20 asserts that through creation men could clearly know about God), the world did not get to know Him.

1:11
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

He came unto his own- now John uses the word came, for he is now referring to the incarnation. In the previous verse it was His presence behind the scenes, hence the verb “was”; here it is His presence in person. “His own” is the same expression as is used in 16:32, where the Lord tells the disciples that when He is arrested, they will scatter, “every man to his own”. It has to do with things, whereas the second “own” has to do with people.

Special note on His own things
He came to His own world, for “The earth is the Lord’s”, Psalm 24:1. He came to His own land. The land of Israel was His, for two reasons. First, because God said to Israel, “The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine”, Leviticus 25:23. They could buy and sell land, but in the year of jubilee it reverted to the original owner, so it was sold, but not sold for ever. Second, because He was the True Isaac, the seed to whom God gave the land of promise, Genesis 15:18. As the son of the virgin, whose name is Immanuel, the land is Immanuel’s land, Isaiah 7:14; 8:8.
He came to His own home-town, Bethlehem, for He is heir to all that is promised to David, and Bethlehem was David’s city. There is a distinct possibility that the inn at Bethlehem where there was no room for Him was David’s ancestral home, where Boaz and Rahab had also lived, and possibly bequeathed by David’s servant Chimham, one of the sons of Barzillai, David’s friend. See 2 Samuel 19:37-40; 1 Kings 2:7 and Jeremiah 41:17. How significant if there was no room in what was literally His own home! How significant, also, if the reason there was no room was that it was already full up with sons of David, come to be taxed, yet the only one who had a claim to David’s throne was born outside.
He came to His own tribe, “for it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah”, Hebrews 7:14.
He came to His own city, for Jerusalem is the city of the great King, Matthew 5:35, but He was taken outside of its walls and crucified.
He came to His own temple, for it was His Father’s house, John 2:16, and He was His Son.
He came to His own throne, for the promise of the angel was, “and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David”, Luke 1:32.

Not only was He Heir to these things by virtue of His birth, but He was the Former of these things by virtue of His Deity.

And his own received him not– now the reference is to His own people, the nation of Israel. This company is distinguished from the world here, for they were the favoured nation. He who had every claim to the things listed above, was refused His due place in the hearts of the people. He had come into the world in general, as the one who was responsible for making it, verse 10, but as He said Himself, “The Son of Man hath not where to lay his head”, Luke 9:58. And John tells us “Every man went to his own home. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.” John 7:53; 8:1. It is noticeable that the Devil and demons recognised Him, the animals (ass), birds, (cockerel), and fish responded to Him, the winds and the waves obeyed Him, but His own chosen people rejected Him!

The idea behind the word “received” is “to have taken that which is within reach, anxious to make its one’s own when handed over by another”. In a sense the prophets handed Him over in their predictions, then John the Baptist handed Him over by pointing Him out as the Lamb of God. But the climax was when the Father introduced Him to the nation at His baptism. He was well pleased with Him, and they should have been too; but they were out of fellowship with God.

1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

But as many as received him- there were exceptions to the general rule that His own received Him not, (hence the “but” of contrast), and John now tells how a new company was formed whom the Lord could call His own in 13:1. They were like the woman of Luke 7:44-46, who gave to the Lord what Simon the Pharisee withheld from Him, namely, a welcome.

To them gave he power to become the sons of God- Christ has the ability to give to men the authority to become, or rightfully take their place, as the sons of God. He has this authority because He has control of the spiritual world as well as the physical. As He Himself said in His prayer to His Father, “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” John 17:2. As we shall see later in the gospel, “For as the Father has life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.” John 5:26.

Special note on the translation “sons of God”
The Authorised Version has been criticised for translating the Greek word tekna as “sons”, when the root of the word has to do with childbirth. It is contended that the word should be translated “children”. But we should remember that the men who translated the Authorised Version were learned men, who were very well qualified for the task. They would have weighed up the question of whether they should translate as sons or children very carefully.

We should remember also that at the end of the scriptures there is a solemn warning about taking from and adding to the words of scripture. This would include taking from and adding to the sense of the words, as well as the words themselves. This warning was given in the context of the promise of Christ’s coming again, so it is clear that there would be something that could be called the Word of God that was not to be tampered with, and that would last until the Lord’s coming. In the goodness of God the Word of God is with us in its perfect form, and we seek to change it at our spiritual peril.

Could it not be that John is looking on to the future? It is God’s purpose to reveal His Son to this world in a day to come. At that day He will come accompanied with multitudes whom Paul calls the sons of God, Romans 8:19. They will have been conformed to the image of God’s Son, as Romans 8:29 tells us. But what they will display is “the glorious liberty of the children of God”, verse 21. Their glory as children is that they have liberty. Their glory as sons is that they are like the Son of God. It is the same company in view in each case, but the emphasis is different. So in John 1:12 it is “become the sons of God”, whereas in the next verse the same people are born of God, and are therefore His children. The new birth is the beginning, whereas being the sons of God as conformed to the image of God’s Son, is the ending. Notice the way in which the apostle Paul speaks of believers as sons and children in the same passage, Romans 8:14-21. We should remember that in normal circumstances it was a Greek or Roman’s own child that he made his son, as we see from Galatians 4:1-6. This is not to say that believers only become sons after they have been children for a while. The apostle writes in Romans 8:17, “if children, then heirs”, and yet in Galatians 4:7, “if a son, then an heir”. So if believers are heirs of God as children, and heirs of God as sons, they are sons as soon as they are children.

It is God’s purpose to give to His sons even now the power to become the sons of God in the sense that they become increasingly son-like. The word for power is the one that emphasises authority, that is, freedom to act. It would be presumption for believers to take the place of sons if the Son of God Himself had not given them the right. They are trusted to mature in sonship. This is a fitting climax to the section in which John is detailing interventions by the Word. It is as if the sons of God are authorised to continue the task begun by the Word, namely, to manifest God. The grand result of His interventions will be when He comes again with those who have responded to Him and have been made like Him.

Even to them that believe on his name– John needs to introduce the idea of believing, since many in Israel were trusting in the fact that they had been born naturally of Abraham. John speaks of those who believe on His Name, but has not told us any personal name for the Word yet, but will proceed to do so throughout the rest of the chapter. This believing on His name is the same as receiving Him, which is the force of the “even”, a word of explanation.

The various titles used of Christ throughout the chapter build up a profile of His person and character, and this is summed up in His name. The godly of old time were greatly interested in the name of God, as we see from the words of Agur, “what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?” Proverbs 30:4. Now there is opportunity to know it.

One of the reasons why John’s gospel is so much taken up with Christ’s ministry in Jerusalem is because it was the “place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there”, Deuteronomy 12:11. He was there in the person of His Son during His ministry, and John shows He is competent to reveal the Name. It is important to remember, also, that when God graciously showed His glory to Moses, it was by declaring His name to him, Exodus 34:5-7. That name has now been set forth in the Son of God made flesh.

It is the purpose of God that the gospel should promote the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The apostle Paul wrote of his ministry that it was “among all nations, for his name”, Romans 1:5. The last phrase meaning “for the good of his name”. It is important for the gospel preacher to promote Christ, and not dwell on sinners. The gospel is the gospel of the glory of Christ, not of the shame of the sinner. When Christ Himself is preached, it is He that is believed in.

1:13
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Which were born- to the Jews, descent from Abraham was everything, as John 8:30-42 shows. The Lord had to firmly point out to them that Abraham had more than one child, and if they persecuted Him as Ishmael had persecuted Isaac, then they, like Ishmael, had no right to be in the father’s house. If they believed on Him as the Son of the Father, however, they would be free as Isaac was. See also Galatians 4:26,31.

Not of blood- three negatives come first, to deal with the wrong thoughts of the Jews about the rights of birth. Ishmael could have claimed privileges as being of Abraham’s blood-line, but he was cast out. The sons of Keturah, Genesis 25:1-6, could also have claimed natural descent, but this did not put them in the family of God. Only personal faith can do this, Romans 4:9-12.

Nor of the will of the flesh- nothing which self can determine can bring to pass the new birth. Abraham adopted the custom of the time and used his wife’s maidservant to give him a son, Genesis 16:1-16, but Ishmael was born after the flesh, Galatians 4:29.

Nor of the will of man- Abraham, thinking that he was departing this life without a son and heir, had made Eliezer his servant “the son of possession of his house”, Genesis 15:2 margin, a term meaning one who would inherit from him. Eliezer was, quite literally, in Abraham’s will. This was the will of Abraham coming into view, irrespective of the will of God, which was, in fact, to give him a proper son.

Notice that being born again, verse 12, and believing, are linked together, just as they are in John 3:1-16. These two things happen simultaneously, as a person responds to the movements of the Spirit through the word of God. Peter speaks of being born again through the incorruptible word of God which liveth and abideth for ever, 1 Peter 1:23, and James concurs, saying that God of His own will has begotten believers with the word of truth, James 1:18. The mention of the word of God tells us that faith’s response to God’s word is needed before a soul can be born again. It is not a matter of God being coerced into blessing us, but rather of God sovereignly ordaining that a person is born again when they believe. This was made clear to Nicodemus in chapter three. He asked, when told about the new birth, “How can these things be?”. In other words, how can they come about. The Lord answered by speaking about faith.

We have seen that the culmination of the interventions of the Word in the world has resulted in a new company being formed, those whom John will describe as “his own” in 13:1. His own people of Israel received Him not, so there is a fresh start. All in this new company have eternal life, which gives the capacity to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent, John 17:3. So it is that John will now show the ways in which these believers come to know God better.

Section 3   Verses 14-18
Insight through the Word

Survey of the section
As we turn to verses 14-18, we may see the apostle’s progress of thought more easily if we omit for the moment all parenthetical and explanatory matter, and read as follows; “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…full of grace and truth…no man hath seen God at any time; the Only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him”. In the intervening statements there is the experience of John the apostle, (“we beheld his glory”); the exclamation of John the Baptist, (“he was before me”); the experience of all believers, (“of his fulness have all we received”); and then the example of Moses, (“the law was given by Moses”). John the Baptist and Moses are especially mentioned because Moses was at Sinai at the beginning of the law-age, and John the Baptist was at the end of it.

John has penned verses 1-13 so that we might know, and as a result, might live intelligently as sons. He pens verses 14-18 so that we might do what Moses did, even bow his head toward the earth, and worship, Exodus 34:8, when he was shown somewhat of the glory of God. We may see its fullness in Christ, so how much more should we worship.

In verse 14 glory is beheld. In verse 15 Christ is preferred, or has precedence. In verse 16, grace and truth are received. In verse 17 grace and truth come and are maintained. In verse 18, God is declared and expounded.

1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

And the Word was made flesh- note the “and”, which links back to verses 1-3; “In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was made flesh”. Intervening verses have spoken of His pre-incarnation involvement with the world He had created, but now John speaks of the Word as He is made in the likeness of men. Eternity is meeting time; God is coming into flesh; He who was with God is now with men. The change is radical and His manhood is vital, just as vital as His Godhood. He cannot be either Last Adam, Kinsman Redeemer, Mediator, or High Priest, unless He is truly man, for all these offices depend on His death, and unless He takes flesh and blood He cannot die, Hebrews 2:14.

Special note on flesh
The word is used in several senses in scripture, as follows:

All mankind, as in Genesis 6:13, where we read “the end of all flesh is come before me”, and 7:21, “all flesh died that moved upon the earth”. In the latter verse all flesh includes birds, cattle, wild beasts, creeping things and man. This is flesh as a physical body, of whatever kind, for “All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.” 1 Corinthians 15:39.

Flesh as in the expression “flesh and blood”, which all men share, and of which the Lord Jesus took part through Mary, Hebrews 2:14. It is a term that takes in all parts of the material body of a man, as one who is fitted to live upon earth. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, 1 Corinthians 15:50, which is why the body of the believer will have to be changed, to fit it for heaven.

Flesh as distinguished from blood, as in the Lord’s words, “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him”, John 6:56. This is a metaphorical statement, where the flesh of the Lord Jesus stands for His life on earth, and the blood His death on the cross. To eat His flesh and blood is to take in the truths surrounding His life on earth and His death on the cross.

The self-principle in man, which as far as the believer is concerned is opposed by the indwelling Spirit, Galatians 5:16,17. This is why the apostle exhorts believers to not live after the flesh, but to mortify or put to death the deeds of the body, those things which the sin-principle within us incites us to do. Because of its associations with the sin principle within us, the apostle is careful to protect the integrity of the person of Christ by saying that He came “in the likeness of sinful flesh”, Romans 8:3. He took a body which with us is the seat of sin, but in Him was not. He did not come in the likeness of flesh, as if He was not true man. Rather, He came in the likeness of that which in us is sinful but in Him was not, for “in him is no sin”, 1 John 3:5.

Whereas in verses 1-3 we have been told what the Word is, now we are told what He became, for this is the sense of the word “made” here. Just as all things “became” by Him, verse 3, with something not there before coming into existence, so now He Himself becomes something that He was not before, namely flesh. Wisely, the Authorised Version translators did not use the word “become” here, lest we mistakenly think that he started to exist when He became flesh. What did start was His form of existence as one who is now both God and man. This took place at the moment of His conception in the womb of Mary. No doubt this happened when she was in Nazareth, giving a fresh dimension to His title of Jesus of Nazareth, not Jesus of Bethlehem. We read that Cana was “where he made the water wine”, 4:46. But the water existed beforehand, and then was manifested as something else. So Christ existed in all eternity, but He became that which He was not before, even a man, and He became man never to cease being man.

Special note on the incarnation
First, He gained the attributes of man without losing the attributes of God. He who is in the form of God took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, Philippians 2:6,7. It is in John’s Gospel, that especially emphasizes the Deity of Christ, that He describes Himself as “a man that hath told you the truth”, John 8:40. His manhood is real, for He was born of Mary, but His manhood is ideal, for He was not begotten of Joseph.

Second, He united manhood and Godhood for ever in His person. John insists in his epistle that one way of discerning whether a man is an antichrist is by asking whether he believes Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, 1 John 4:2. The sense of the participle he uses for “come” is, “having come in the flesh and continuing to be in the flesh”. The precision of the Greek language expresses the truth that the manhood Christ has taken, He will never discard. The Jesus of Nazareth who was here, is the Jesus of Nazareth who spoke to Saul of Tarsus from heaven, Acts 22:8; the same Jesus that will come again to earth, Acts 1:11.

Third, He did not merely come in man’s guise, as angels have done when visiting men, but became flesh. Not flesh in contrast to spirit, (as if He became a body, or clothed Himself with one), but flesh consisting of spirit and soul and body, the constituent parts of man, 1 Thessalonians 5:23. When Isaiah spoke of all flesh seeing the salvation of God, he meant all mankind. So Christ became flesh by taking the nature that man has. The scripture states, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same”, Hebrews 2:14. Adam was a real man before he sinned, so a sinful nature is not an integral part of man. Christ can be, and is, real man, without having a sinful nature.

Fourth, He now possesses two natures, yet remains one Person. He never spoke of Himself as “Us”, as the Godhead does at times, Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:7. Who can begin to understand the great mystery of godliness, that “God was manifest in the flesh”? 1 Timothy 3:16. If the god Dagon fell on his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord, 1 Samuel 5:3, how much more should we, before Him of whom the ark speaks.

Fifth, the attributes of both natures, His Godhood and His manhood, are properly ascribed to the one Person. This means, for example, that the one who stilled the storm on the lake was a man, Matthew 8:23-27, (note verse 27, “What manner of man is this”), even though to still storms is Divine work, Psalm 107:23-30. And the one who slept in the boat was God, even though the God that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep, Psalm 121:4. We ought not to say that He slept as a man and stilled the storm as God. He both slept, and stilled the storm, as one blessed, undivided Person. Well might the apostle write, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh”, 1 Timothy 3:16.

And dwelt among us- or literally, “pitched his tent among us”. In wilderness days God had “walked in a tent and in a tabernacle”, 2 Samuel 7:6, (a reference to the two innermost curtains of the tabernacle), but now in a deeper sense God has made His presence known in the midst of Israel again.

The reason God was able to be amongst His people of old time was because of the work of atonement, Leviticus 16:16. God said, in connection with atonement, “and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness”. If the Word is God, can He be here on any lesser basis? Clearly not, but John the Baptist is able to announce Him as the one who would take away the sin of the world, and on the basis of what He would do at Calvary, Christ can be amongst men despite their sin.

When Israel sinned at the giving of the law, Moses pitched a tabernacle outside the camp, “And it came to pass, that every one which sought the Lord went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.” Exodus 33:7. When Moses had gone into this tabernacle, the cloudy pillar, the sign of God’s presence, stood at the door, verse 8. When they saw this, the people worshipped, verse 10. So the tabernacle in Moses’ day was outside the camp, whereas the tabernacle which is the Word made flesh, is dwelling amongst the people, and is available to them all.

And we beheld his glory- we may define glory as “the display of excellence”. To behold is to contemplate and interpret. The word John uses is the same as in 1 John 1:1 when he spoke of looking upon the Lord Jesus when He was here. He initially looked, but his interest deepened and he contemplated and studied Him. John and his fellow apostles saw with calm and detailed scrutiny the glory of Christ, He giving them ample opportunity to do so. The word beheld denotes attentive contemplation, and careful and deliberate interpretation. With this we may compare the experience of Moses when he requested a sight of the glory of God. He was put in the cleft of the rock, covered with God’s hand, and only saw the back parts or afterglow of God’s glory. There were no views of Christ’s glory barred to the apostles, however, for the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:6, and that face is not veiled. It is not only apostles that are able to see the glory, for it is seen by all those who believe the gospel.

The glory as of the only begotten of the Father- if an earthly only begotten son and his father were to manifest their relationship in an ideal way, there would be a glory about that relationship. How much more so when the relationship is between Divine persons! And this is precisely the glory that John saw and wrote about. As God’s only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus is deeply loved of His Father, and stands in dignified and intimate relationship with Him. This relationship is expressed in mutual affection, complete unity of intention, and absolute confidence. These things, perfectly expressed by the Son when here, are glorious, and John was privileged to see the glory of them. Thereafter the apostles recorded what they saw and heard, so that others might have a share in the sight of the glory too, 1 John 1:3.

Full of grace and truth– the grace and truth in Christ may be looked at as His personally, and His to give to others, which we might call His mediatorial grace and truth. His personal grace is His moral beauty, His total acceptableness to God. His personal truth is His absolute conformity to that which corresponds to reality, as it is expressed in the nature of God, the fount of all truth.

His mediatorial grace is His free favour towards the undeserving. His mediatorial truth is His telling forth of God. The glory of God which Moses asked to see in Exodus 33:18 was known by the proclamation of His name, Exodus 34:5-8. Moses simply heard the recital of various aspects of the Name of God, whereas John saw them worked out in practice in the life of God’s Son.

The proclaimed name of God may be resolved into two components. His grace, for He declares Himself to be merciful, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness, keeping mercy for thousands and forgiving. His truth, for He is abundant in truth, by no means clears the guilty and visits the sins of the fathers. Of these two things Christ is full, and since grace reveals the God who is love, 1 John 4:8, and truth reveals the God who is light, 1 John 1:5, and Christ is full of grace and full of truth, by Him God is told out to perfection.

The word “full” relates to both grace and truth, so He was not half-full of grace and half-full of truth, so making Him full, but full of both grace and truth.

He was full of grace, so there was no legality with Him. He was full of truth, so there was no licence. Since John tells us in verse 16 that of His fulness we have all received, as believers we should aim to have no legality or licence either. The true Christian position is one of liberty. The parable of the prodigal son illustrates this, Luke 15:11-32. The prodigal as he engaged in “riotous living”, verse 13, illustrates licence. His elder brother who protested to his father that “these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment”, verse 29, illustrates legality. The prodigal, repentant and back in the father’s house, wearing the best robe, a ring, and shoes, verse 22, illustrates liberty.

1:15
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

John bare witness of him, and cried saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me- this is the first of three references to the testimony of John. It is found here in anticipation, and as a summary of what he said about Christ. It is found in its chronological place in verse 27, and then again in verse 30, in reference to what was said the previous day. The apostle inserts it here to reassure us that what was seen in Christ was fully in harmony with the Old Testament, for “the law and the prophets were until John”, Luke 16:16, so he is the one uniquely placed to give his verdict on Christ and the revelation of God He brings.

So here is the exclamation of John, who was of Levi’s tribe, as to the suitability and worthiness of God’s chosen. The tribe of Levi had sided with Moses at Sinai when the people broke God’s law, Exodus 32:26, and now their representative is siding with the one who came in grace. The apostle John never calls the forerunner John the Baptist, but rather describes him as a witness, or testimony bearer. Here John testifies of Christ’s superiority. This is powerful testimony, for it is ranked amongst the testimonies of the Father, Christ’s works, and that of the Old Testament, John 5:33,36,37,39.

John the Baptist’s ministry seems to be in two parts. He preached the baptism of repentance before Christ came to him to be baptised. After this his ministry was more one of testimony to the person of Christ. He said himself, “And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.” John 1:34. So he saw the Spirit descending on Christ, and remaining on Him, and that was the sign to him that Christ would baptise with the Holy Ghost, a Divine Person, and therefore must be a Divine Person Himself. So it is that from that point onwards John bore testimony to the fact that He was the Son of God.

The words “he was before me”, show that John the Baptist has grasped the truth as to the Deity of Christ, and therefore His fitness and ability to display God. He will say in verse 33 that he did not always have that knowledge of Him, but what happened when he baptized Christ revealed it to him. As to birth, the Lord Jesus was after John, but as to worth, He has precedence. As to birth, John was six months before, but as to worth, John is infinitely far behind.

The Lord said, “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” Matthew 11:13, and it is fitting that this representative of the law should bear witness to the superiority of Him who came in grace, and summarise who He is as He presents Himself to men. The name John means “Jehovah is gracious”, and it is fitting that a man with such a name should close the age of the law and introduce Christ in grace.

1:16
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

And of his fulness have all we received– John describes the experience of all believers, not just the apostles, when he speaks of all receiving of His fulness of grace and truth.. Since the grace and truth expressed in Christ is the outworking of Divine Life, and the believer shares in that life when he is born of God, then at that moment of new birth grace and truth are received out of His glorious fulness. All that His grace bestows and His truth reveals is made good to us. Any pleasing and Christ-like features which God can see in His people have been produced only because we have received of His fulness of grace and truth. That grace is regulated by truth, lest we turn it into sentiment or licence. The truth is accompanied by grace, lest we turn it into legality.

And grace for grace- the apostle assures us that the grace we receive from Christ, whether initially or constantly, exactly corresponds to our need at the moment, so that the grace (expressed in Christ), corresponds to the grace (we need from Christ). We needed grace to deliver us initially, and we need expressions of God’s free favour constantly, so that we may live in a way which pleases Him.

Note there is no corresponding “truth for truth”, for that would mean that truth is revealed progressively to us, and is not received by us in its fulness when we believe in Christ. Circumstances change, but the truth to deal with those circumstances does not change, and is available in its entirety to us in the word of God. It is up to the believer to store his mind with the truth, so that he will know how to react in each circumstance.

1:17
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ- John is putting two parallel statements in sharp contrast. The word “for” is present because John sees the need to explain why grace and truth are needed, and also to tell us how the constant supply of them is maintained.

Having given to us the testimony of John, who ended the age of the law, the apostle now tells about Moses and the inauguration of the law age. Moses gave the law to Israel, but he did not see the glory of God when the tables were intact. It was only when the law had been broken that he appealed for a sight of the glory on the basis of the grace of God. It was not found in its fulness in the law. Note the nine references to “grace” and “gracious” in Exodus 33:12-34:9. Whereas the law was given through Moses on cold, unyielding tables of stone that were external to the mediator, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, expressed in a living person, the Word become flesh. Instead of grace and truth being abstract ideas, they are now fully expressed in a man. This had not happened before, and the law certainly could not have brought it about.

One idea behind the word “came” is that there is a contrast between tables of law written on stone coming down from mount Sinai in the hands of Moses, (in other words, external to himself), and grace coming in the living person of Christ from heaven. But there is also the thought of a contrast between tables of stone that were broken, and grace and truth kept intact by Christ. And what was true during His life here, is still true now in the lives of His people, for He enables grace and truth to be maintained in their hearts. Christ is said to come, but He does not pass by as God did in front of Moses, but remains for us to behold continually. Speaking of the respective glories of the law and grace, the apostle Paul wrote, “For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.” 2 Corinthians 3:11. Moses saw in the continued presence of God the evidence that the nation had found grace in His sight, Exodus 33:16.

We should always remember that the righteous principles contained in the law of Moses still stand true, but the law as the means of displaying aspects of God’s glory has been superseded by the fulness of glory seen in Christ.

When God showed His glory to Moses He did it by explaining His name, Exodus 34:6,7. His words were these:
The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation”.

We could see a succession in these words, rather than a simple list of characteristics. The Lord is the Lord God, so He combines the fact that He is ever-existing, with the fact that He is the Creator of all things, and is therefore the Moral Governor of the universe, and men are responsible to Him. He is full of compassion, even though men do not deserve it, (for He is gracious, and grace is undeserved favour), and is long-suffering even though men despise His goodness and grace. That goodness is ungrudging, (for He is abundant in the showing of it), but is always exercised with due regard for the truth. These glories are known only by those who come by way of propitiation, (for the word “forgiving” can be translated “bearing away”, which is what the scapegoat did in relation to iniquity and transgression and sin on the Day of Atonement). But this forgiveness is not at the expense of justice, (for He can by no means clear the guilty). If these glorious features are spurned, then the consequences for the person concerned and his family are serious.

So when a person believes “on his name”, John 1:12, he is saying that the name of God is perfectly represented in the Word, Jesus Christ. The features of God listed in that declaration to Moses, but only dimly seen by him as representative of the law, (as indicated by the words “my face shall not be seen”, Exodus 33:23), are fully seen in Jesus Christ, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6. .

1:18
No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

No man hath seen God at any time- this is an echo of the words of God to Moses, “There shall no man see me, and live”, Exodus 33:20. Having spoken of John at the end of the law-age, and Moses at the beginning of it, the apostle now ranges over the centuries between. The physical eye cannot look upon God, but the spiritual eye can, as He is made manifest in Christ, who said, “he that hath seen me, hath seen the Father” John 14:9. John the apostle, who did see Him with the physical eye, does not give any description of Him as to His appearance, even though he says “That which we have seen…declare we unto you”, 1 John 1:3. So the sight is not physical but spiritual, the discerning of the glory as in verse 14.

The only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father- having excluded everyone else by the phrase “No man hath seen God at any time”, John brings his opening section to a climax by telling us three further things about the Word.

First, John declares that the Word is the Son of God, and as such is in direct and intimate relationship with the Father. Sonship involves the sharing of character and nature, and since God’s character and nature are eternal, so must the Sonship of Christ be eternal. In John 10:30,36, “I and my Father are one”, and “I am the Son of God”, are used by Christ as identical terms. To be the Son of God is to be God.

Second, He is only begotten Son, which tells of His uniqueness. Although it is God’s will that His people should be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brethren, yet the sonship of these brethren is derived, for they are sons by adoption, Galatians 4:5,6, Romans 8:15, having been slaves before. Believers are sons of God in association with Christ as God’s firstborn, not as His Only Begotten. His Sonship is distinct, for if the sonship of believers was only a question of degree, with the Word merely being closer to God in some way, then He could not be the only begotten Son. His sonship, therefore, is a matter of kind, not of degree.

The title only begotten is also one of affection, as it was in the case of Isaac. Abraham had two biological sons when God said to him “Take…thine only son”. But since the word God used there was equivalent to the word for only begotten that John uses, he did only have one son in that sense. Isaac was the darling of his father’s heart, but Christ is the eternal object of His Father’s affections in a far deeper way than was the case with Isaac. God is love, but to be meaningful love must have an object. It is the Son of God who is the object of His Father’s love in eternity. Love may be defined as “the expression of an attraction”.

Third, He is said to be in the bosom of the Father. This indicates intimacy. Scholars tell us that the words “which is in the bosom of the Father” are in the form of a present participle with the article in the nominative, which means to say, “having been, and being, in the bosom of the Father”. This amounts to a title, that He is “The Dweller in the bosom of the Father”. There is room for none else there, so He alone tells forth the secrets of His Father’s heart.

So not only is the Lord Jesus in eternal relationship with the Father as His only begotten Son, but also is privy to His counsels and purpose. When Peter wished to inquire of the Lord in the upper room, he did it through the one who was leaning on His bosom at supper, John 13:21-25. From his position of nearness and affection, John was able to ask of the Lord, and receive an answer. John was in Christ’s bosom because he had moved there, whereas Christ is eternally in the bosom of the Father, such is the force of the word “being”. He is uniquely able to disclose to us what is in the Father’s heart.

The word bosom here and in John 13:23 means “a bosom, or hollow thing”. What a contrast with Moses, who was placed in the clift (or “bored out place”) of the rock whilst God’s glory passed by. The law was written on hard tables of stone, whereas grace is made known by a living Christ. It is appropriate, then, that Moses the lawgiver should be hidden in a hollow in a cold, hard rock, whereas Christ is in the hollow of the Father’s bosom.

Special note on the descriptions given to the Son here
1. He is God’s Son, so His relationship with God is a living relationship.

2. He is God’s Son, which means He shares the nature of God, so He has a level relationship.

3. He is only begotten Son, so He has a loving relationship.

4. He is ever in the bosom of the Father, so it is a lasting relationship.

5. He is the Son in the Father’s bosom, and who hath declared Him, so He has a lucid relationship.

He hath declared him- John uses a verb here which was used in Greek literature for the interpreting of sacred things. Having told us of the uniqueness of the person of Christ, John now makes sure we realise that it is He who has revealed the mind of God fully, as He alone can. He does this not only because He is God’s Son, privy to the secrets of His heart, but because He, as the Word, is the chosen means by which those secrets are disclosed.

Summary of verses 14-18
As one who is in eternal relationship with the Father, is deeply loved of the Father, and who fully knows the mind of the Father, the Son of God is uniquely able to declare Him, and this He has done fully. He is the Word, the one who discloses God’s thoughts, and has discharged the responsibility laid upon Him when He was sent to declare God. In words and deeds of grace and truth, as detailed in the rest of John’s gospel, the Lord Jesus told out the Father, and thus the glory of God is revealed in a way that can be understood and appreciated. There is no Divine hand now, as there was with Moses, shielding us from the sight of the glory. All is revealed, and God may be known by those who have the capacity to do so. And it is the possession of eternal life which gives that capacity. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3.

Section 4   Verses 19-28
Introducer of the Word

1:19
And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

And this is the record of John- the apostle now begins the main part of his gospel after the prologue of verses 1-18 in which he set out the leading principles governing him as he wrote. John the Baptist had a unique role. Not only was he one sent that men might believe on Christ, verse 7, but he was also the one who introduced the Lord Jesus at the beginning of His public ministry. See Acts 13:24, where Paul declared that John preached before His coming, or entrance. He was the porter who opened the door for the True Shepherd to come amongst the sheep, John 10:3. The apostle John does not ever call him John the Baptist, but rather the witness.

When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? remember that John was the son of a priest, so some of those sent to him may very well have been his relatives. In John’s gospel the title Jews means the Jewish authorities. They are coming from the centre of Judaism, Jerusalem, no doubt anxious as to whether John represented a threat to their authority and position. When they ask who he is they are inquiring as to his claims. This expression can be used even if the person asking knows the other. We see an illustration of this when Naomi asks Ruth, “Who art thou, my daughter?”, Ruth 3:16. Naomi knows who her daughter-in-law is, but does not know the outcome of her visit to Boaz, and whether Ruth is now his prospective wife. The thought is, “What position do you hold; what is your status?”

1:20
And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ- John agrees that he is a man sent from God, (he confessed), and at no point did he deny his own confession that he was not Christ, (denied not); he was steadfast in his testimony. From Daniel 9:24-26 it would be possible to know that the time of the manifestation of the Messiah was near, and the Jews are wondering if John is He. Despite being the greatest prophet among those born of women, Luke 7:28, John is quick to honour Christ. The people later thought that Christ was John the Baptist come back from the dead, Matthew 16:14, which says much for his likeness to Christ.

Some of the features of John’s character come out in these verses. In verse 20, we see his honesty as he denies he is the Christ. In verse 23 his humility, as he claims only to be a voice; his confidence in God, for the idea of being a voice is from the prophecy of Isaiah foretelling his coming; his awareness of his mission and his limitations.

1:21
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not- John came in the spirit and power of Elijah, Luke 1:17, but his birth is carefully recorded by Luke to show, amongst other things, that he was not Elijah back from the dead. His similarity to Elijah is seen in several ways. He appeared on the scene suddenly; he wore distinctive clothing; he was persecuted by a wicked woman; he denounced the sins of a king; he was a messenger of judgement and wrath; he became depressed when he felt his ministry had not achieved anything; he gave way to a successor.

Elijah is indeed prophesied by Malachi to return when God judges the earth in the Tribulation Period, Malachi 4:5,6; Matthew 17:11, but John the Baptist announces the One who came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them, Luke 9:54-56. The following are the words of the Lord Jesus when the disciples asked Him about the coming of Elijah, just after he had appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses:

Matthew 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? The word “then” shows that the disciples are drawing a conclusion. Had they misunderstood the words “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom”, 16:28? Did they really think that the kingdom was about to begin? The sight of Elijah now reminds them that God had said “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”, Malachi 4:5. If the kingdom was about to begin, then they think that Elijah should have come beforehand. Matthew 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things- without reference to the scribes, the Lord reinforces what Malachi had written, for it was the promise of God. He shall “turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers”, Malachi 4:6. What this means may be learned from the similar words spoken of John the Baptist, for the angel said to Zecharias, “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:17. If “to turn…the disobedient to the wisdom of the just” is the equivalent of turning the heart of the children to their fathers, then it means that the fathers will be exercised to teach their children the law, (for this is mentioned in the previous verse in Malachi 4), and the children will be willing to respond, and so be turned back to the wisdom of the just men who wrote the Old Testament. In this way Elijah shall restore all things. In his first ministry, Elijah had brought the people back to the Lord at Carmel, and he will do so again in the future. He appealed to the “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel”, and God answered by fire, 1 Kings 18:36. He was turning the hearts of the children to the wisdom of the just. As a result we read, “thou hast turned their heart back again”, and the people fell on their faces and worshipped God, verses 37,39. Elijah had restored all things. He will do so again, in the sense that he will be one of the witnesses who will be stationed in the temple during the tribulation. He will have the power to prevent himself and Moses, the other witness, from being arrested, for, as before, he will be able to command fire from heaven, 2 Kings 1:10,12,14; Revelation 11:5. For three and a half years they will prevent the setting up of the image of Antichrist in the temple, and prophesy in the sense that they expound the law pertaining to idol-worship, thus turning many away from apostasy. Matthew 17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed- so not only is there a future coming of Elijah, but also a past one, for by coming “in the spirit and power of Elias”, John the Baptist’s ministry was identical to Elijah’s. His spirit was the same as Elijah’s, a strong condemnation of sin. His power was in his preaching. Sadly, however, his ministry was not appreciated by the rulers, and he was put to death. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them- this is a solemn warning to the disciples that the path to the kingdom, both for Christ and for them, would be through suffering. Of course, death for Christ would not be the swift swing of the axe, as with John the Baptist, but the long cruel death of the cross. Matthew 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist- as often, they took in one truth, but seemed to ignore the other. They realise that John the Baptist was as good as Elijah for that time, but that Elijah would come in person at the end times. But they seemed to have missed the reference to the Son of man suffering.

We return to John 1:21.

Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No- the word prophet has the definite article before it, so the prophet is some well-defined person, as well-defined as “the” Messiah. At Sinai the people of Israel requested that the direct voice of God be not heard any more. So Moses told them that “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him shalt thou hearken.” Deuteronomy 18:15. That this prophet was Christ is made clear by Peter in Acts 3:22,26, and Stephen agreed, Acts 7:37.

In John 7:40,41, the people were confused about this prophet, thinking Him to be a different person to the Messiah. Perhaps this gives a clue as to why John sent to Christ to ask if he was really the Christ, or whether they should look for someone else. The Lord’s answer emphasised both His miracle ministry and His preaching ministry, showing that He combined the miracle ministry of the Messiah, (see Isaiah 35:4-6), with the prophetic ministry of the Prophet, for He not only worked miracles, but preached the gospel to the poor, Luke 7:16-23.

1:22
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? Frustrated by his denials, they press John to give them an answer. As Pharisees, they could not understand someone who did not promote himself, for that is what they did all the time. He had purposely made his three-fold denial to dispel any illusions they might have about him being the Messiah. Once he has done that, he is free to declare who he is. Notice that even when he does this, he emphasizes the person of the Lord, as his father Zacharias did when he spoke more about the unborn Christ than his own, long awaited new-born son, Luke 1:67-80. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” was John’s motto, John 3:30, and should be ours too.

1:23
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias- Zecharias was struck dumb by the angel because he had not believed the message that he would have a son. Now that son is anything but dumb. The priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and the people should seek the law at his mouth, Malachi 2:7, so John, the son of a priest, is imparting knowledge, but not about the law, but about the One who had come in grace. He was able to do this because “the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness”, Luke 3:2. God bypassed the great ones of the earth, whether political or religious, Gentile or Jew, and gave His word to John, not in palace or temple court, but in the desert. This initial word of God to John about being a voice had been spoken prophetically by Isaiah, and now it came to John personally.

The contrasts between the word and the voice were pointed out long ago:
The word is in the mind, before the voice is heard, so Christ was before John.
The word is of more importance than the voice that utters it, so Christ has precedence over John.
The truth expressed in the word continues when the voice has died away, so Christ’s glories remain after John has passed off the scene.

Note that he cried in the wilderness, for the temple courts were not ready for such a message as John brought. The nation of Israel was in a moral and spiritual wilderness, and it is fitting that John should preach in a literal wilderness. It is also fitting that he should use the muddy waters of the Jordan to baptise, rather than the sanctified water of the laver in the temple courts. The people were defiled, and they must be immersed in defiled water. Those who were seekers after truth must seek after John. John quotes the language of Isaiah 40:3 about himself, whereas Matthew, Mark and Luke quote it of him. He is conscious of his mission, and that he is the messenger that Malachi prophesied would come, see Mark 1:1-4 with its two quotations from the Old Testament. It shows clearly that he is only a mouthpiece, for he bases his ministry on the words Isaiah foretold he would say. He does not come to innovate, but he does introduce the one who will, even Him who will say “Verily, verily I say unto you”, for His word has prime authority.

The title Lord is “Jehovah”, and so John the Baptist is really setting out the theme of John the apostle’s gospel, that Jesus is equal with the Jehovah of the Old Testament. Note the change that Mark, (by the Spirit), makes to the quotation from Malachi that he gives at the beginning of his gospel. Malachi wrote, “Behold I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me”, Malachi 3:1. Mark wrote, “Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee”, Mark 1:2. In the prophet’s words we see the way is prepared before the Lord, meaning Jehovah, the God of Israel. In Mark’s words the way is prepared before the Lord Jesus, a testimony to His Deity. This is the point Mark is making in the opening verses of his gospel; that even though Christ Jesus has taken upon Himself the form of a servant, (the theme of Mark’s gospel), He still retains the form of God.

Like John, Christ will be in the wilderness too, but as one who leads His people on the better things ahead, just as the movement of the Tabernacle was the sign for the people to move with it through the desert to the promised land.. The path must be made straight for Him, because He is sinless, and does not walk a crooked way; nor will those who follow Him. They must repent, therefore.

1:24
And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

And they which were sent were of the Pharisees- these were of the “most straitest sect ” as Paul, a former Pharisee said, Acts 26:5. But the Lord Jesus said, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven”, Matthew 5:20. So even their strict interpretation of the law was not enough to gain them an entrance into the kingdom. They still needed to “make his paths straight”, Matthew 3:3. by repenting and preparing their hearts to receive their Messiah.

As Pharisees, they would be interested in religious ritual, and are curious about John’s baptism. But the word of God has come to John in the wilderness, not in the temple courts, and he does not officiate as a priest at the laver, but baptizes in the muddy river Jordan. This is an eloquent commentary on the state of things in the religious life of Israel at that time, and it is no surprise that those in authority were wary of John. They rejected the counsel of God against themselves by not being baptised with his baptism, which was a baptism unto repentance, Luke 7:30.

1:25
And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? They do not enquire about the person to whom John witnesses, but are only focussed on possible threats to their influence if John begins a new movement by baptising. They are questioning his authority to introduce what they would think of as a new ritual, water baptism. He is acting independently of the temple authorities, for as Luke pointedly tells us, “Annas and Caiaphas being high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zecharias in the wilderness”, Luke 3:2. God ignored the religious hierarchy in Jerusalem and gave His word to John, and the Pharisees, and those who sent them, resent this. There was nothing in the Old Testament about the forerunner baptising, hence their question. They have listened to John’s denials about himself, but not his affirmations about Christ. Sadly, their disinterest will soon turn into hostility.

1:26
John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not- at this point, their ignorance of Christ is understandable, for He has not yet been revealed. John is preparing their hearts for the time when He will be. The fit man who took the scapegoat into the wilderness bearing its load of sin, was literally, “a man standing ready”, Leviticus 16:21 margin. So Christ is amongst them, fit to do the work that will be His at Calvary. His fitness not only lay in His blameless life in Nazareth, but His triumph over the Evil One at His temptation in the wilderness. John will say in verse 33 that in the past he had not known Him either, but for him that ignorance was changed to insight. It is interesting to notice that the fit man in Leviticus 16 is unnamed, and in that sense is like Christ, unknown to the people as yet, but fit to do the task ahead of Him.

1:27
He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me- this is John’s initial statement to this effect; in verse 30 he refers to the statement; in verse 15 the apostle John refers to it. “Preferred” is the translation of a noun, and signifies, “hath precedence over me”. John is not making a comment about the relative popularity of Christ, but is making a statement of fact as to His person. He does not tell the Pharisees why He had precedence over John, for they showed no interest. He will not cast pearls before swine, Matthew 7:6.

Whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose- John will later say that “He must increase, but I must decrease”, 3:30, so he will go from being the royal herald, to merely the servant who carries the King’s shoes. All four gospels record John’s saying about the shoes, as follows:

Matthew John said, “he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, Matthew 3:11. In ancient times a trusted servant would carry the monarch’s shoes as he was carried in procession, so that when he reached his destination he did not make his feet dusty as he stepped down from his carriage. John does not count himself worthy to bear the shoes before the King as He comes in royal procession on “the way of the Lord” as their king, Matthew 3:11. The Sovereign is on His way to the House of Israel. Mark In this gospel, John’s words are, “There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose”, Mark 1:7. John is not worthy even to stoop down and do the servant’s lowly task,. Even though Christ has made Himself of no reputation and taken the form of a servant, and even though John is the greatest of those born among women, he is still not worthy to do the most menial task for Him. The Servant is at the door of the House of Israel, and ready to have His shoes removed to enable His feet to be washed, not only to refresh Him after His journey, but also to show that He is really welcome, and has come to stay.  See Luke 7:44. Luke John confesses, “one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose”, Luke 3:16. He makes no mention of stooping down in this statement. Does he feel that if he did stoop, he might be praised? He emphasizes the menial task of loosing the Divine Visitor’s dusty shoes. He is not even worthy to bow at His feet. Does he sense the truth of the words that Christ will later use, when speaking of John and his greatness, “but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he”? John defers to others in the house who perhaps are greater than he, and more worthy to do the servant’s task for the Lord.  The Saviour enters the House, and those within should be prepared to volunteer to remove His shoes. John Here it is not so much His greater might, but His greater rank, for He has precedence over John. He realises his proper place is at the feet of Christ, but feels unworthy to serve Him in the smallest way whilst there. Nonetheless he is prepared to serve Him, always remembering that worship not service is the first priority of those who know the Son of God in all His greatness. The Son of God, no less, is present in the House.

1:28
These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing- Bethabara, (east of Jordan and south-east of the Sea of Galilee), means “House of passage”, and was one of the best-known fords across the Jordan into Perea, 20 miles from Nazareth. It would be a convenient crossing place for pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem for the feasts, and these would be more likely to have an ear for the word of God as John preached.

Whilst it was a ford, enabling people to cross when the waters were low, it was not in that way that the Kingdom of God could be reached. They must go through the waters in baptism if they wish to enter there. An alternative meaning for Bethabara is House of the Ferry, or the Ferryman. But John was no ferryman, offering the people an easy way across. They must come by way of repentance if they are to be ready for the King.

Oreb and Zeeb were defeated at Bethabara, in a battle compared by the psalmist with the classic battle between Barak and Sisera, Psalm 83:9-11. There was a sense in which John came to make war. But on the sins of the people. He had a garment of camel’s hair, an animal noted for its vengeful behaviour, Matthew 3:4. The word for camel is translated elsewhere as recompense, and requite. He ate locusts, a symbol in the Old Testament of God’s judgement on the people, (see, for instance, Deuteronomy 28:42; 2 Chronicles 7:13,14; Joel 1:4).

He ate wild honey, showing his fearlessness in dealing with hostile forces, Matthew 3:4; Psalm 118:10-12, for he must be a brave man who is unafraid of wild bees, and raids their nest to obtain the honey. Jonathan, Saul’s son, was a valiant fighter, but even he only gathered some honey that was overflowing onto the forest floor by dipping the tip of his rod into it. John the Baptist however, fearless and strong, fought off the angry bees to gain the honey he needed to sustain him in the hostile desert. His diet and his dress were an indicator of his character, as he fearlessly condemned the people for their sin. But he did more than defeat the enemy at Bethabara, for he enabled the repentant ones to cross over the Jordan to be with Christ, who would effectively deal with sin at Calvary, the greatest battle of all.

Section 5   Verses 29-34
The introduction of the Word

1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him- the apostle is now giving us a sequence of days, culminating with the seventh day, (the third day after the last day mentioned), when the water is turned into wine in chapter 2.

We could think of each of these days as being representative of a particular period of time. So the first day, (implied here by the mention of the next day), was when John is questioned as to his mission. The Lord Jesus said that “the law and the prophets were until John”, so this day represents the Old Testament era, the day of anticipation, verses 19-28,

The day of this verse tells us of John seeing Jesus coming unto him, just as the prophets had looked for His coming, and also foretold His death, so this is the day of manifestation, verses 29-34.

The next day represents the present era, and it was a day of contemplation verses 35-37, as the two disciples first of all looked on Jesus as He walked, then a day of education, verses 38-39, as they dwelt with Jesus, and then it became the day of evangelisation, verses 40-42, as Andrew finds his brother Peter and leads him to the Lord. These are the characteristics of the present age.

The next day was the day of revelation, verses 43-51, as Jesus goes forth into Galilee, and Nathaniel, “an Israelite indeed”, acclaims Him as Son of God and King of Israel, just as the nation of Israel will receive Him when He comes to them to reign.

The third day of chapter two is linked with this day, and being a marriage day, looks on to the day of celebration and consummation, verses 1-11, when Christ promises that His earthly people will no longer be forsaken and desolate, and the land of Israel will be “Beulah” land, the word meaning “married”, Isaiah 62:4.

In verse 26 Jesus is standing, ready to serve God; in verse 29 He is coming to John, the realisation of all the prophets hoped for; in verse 35 John stood, for he has brought the people as far as he can. Jesus is coming to him after His temptation experience, in which He showed Himself to be untouchable by temptation, and therefore fully qualified to deal with the question of sin. He is not only suitable to bear the sins of others, but He is also like the fit man of the Day of Atonement, standing ready to carry out the task given Him.

The baptism of Christ was, amongst other things, His commitment to Calvary. His temptation demonstrated His qualification for Calvary. John’s announcement was a prediction of Calvary. Couple this with the idea suggested by “there standeth one among you” of verse 26, and a picture is being built up reminiscent of the Day of Atonement ceremony. To complete the picture, we have the announcement in this verse that Christ is the Lamb of God that bears sin.

Jesus coming unto John, the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets, is indeed what had been true down the centuries. The Messiah had been coming, so that He and the prophetic testimony might coincide, as they do when John and Jesus are standing together. Like John before He came, the prophets did not fully understood what they wrote, 1 Peter 1:10-12, but now is the time for all to be made plain.

And saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world- there is special significance in the word “behold”, for the Lord Jesus has been in obscurity in Nazareth for many years, hidden from the wider public. But now He is full view, and hence John exhorts the people to take advantage of this, and take in the sight.

Remember that John is son of a priest, yet instead of officiating at the laver he baptises in Jordan, and instead of ministering at the altar, he announces the Lamb of God. The time when animal sacrifices, literal altars and lavers will be needed is soon to be over, and a new era will begin. Isaac had said, “Where is the lamb?” Genesis 22:7, whereas John is in effect saying, “There is the lamb”.

There were two goats on the Day of Atonement that made one sin offering. One was the goat on which the Lord’s lot fell, corresponding to “the lamb of God”, and the other was the scapegoat, on whose head was laid the sins of the nation to be taken away into the wilderness, corresponding to “beareth away the sin of the world”.

These two aspects are seen in Isaiah 53, where in verses 4-7 the emphasis is on sufferings borne, (and Peter quoted from this section when he was writing about sufferings, 1 Peter 2:22-24), whereas in verses 8,9 the emphasis is on death endured, (and Philip used this section when he was talking to the Ethiopian eunuch, who immediately asked for baptism, which has to do with identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, Acts 8:32-37).

“Which taketh away the sin of the world” does not mean He was taking it away then. The structure of the grammar makes it a title, “The taker away of the sin of the world”. He was not doing it then, but whenever it happens He will be the doer of it. It tells us His ability and competence, but it does not tell us when the taking away takes place. That is not the point here, for it is the Person that John is drawing attention to.

Special note on sin
The word sin is used as a verb and as a noun in scripture. As a verb it means in the majority of cases “to miss the mark”, as when an archer fails to hit the target. God has set the standard for man’s behaviour, and man fails to attain that standard; that failure is sin.
As a noun it either refers to an individual act of missing the mark, or, “the tendency and ability to act lawlessly”.
Different aspects of the word sin in the scriptures are as follows:
1. Sin in the aggregate, the totality of all the sins that have ever been and ever will be committed. Examples: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29. “But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself”, Hebrews 9:26.
2. Sin as an individual act. Example: “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17.
3. Sin in the abstract. Example: “and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation”, Hebrews 9:28.
4. Sin as the ability to act lawlessly. Examples: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. “Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Romans 7:17.

There were two goats for the people on the Day of Atonement. They made but one sin offering, Leviticus 16:5. One was killed, and its blood sprinkled on the mercy seat or place of propitiation, verse 15. The other had the sins of the people figuratively laid upon it, and it was taken by a fit man into the wilderness, never to return, verse 21,22. So not only was the death of Christ, and the shedding of His blood, necessary in order to make propitiation, but the bearing of sins was essential also. So He not only needed to die, and “pour out his soul unto death”, but He also needed to be dealt with by God in the hours of darkness prior to His death, as one who had sins upon Him. As a result of these aspects of the work of Christ, the following things have been achieved:

The demands of God have been fully met
To satisfy God as the Moral Governor of the universe, an adequate and final answer must be found to the question of sin. The demands of His holiness and righteousness are such that every sin must be responded to. Only Christ is adequate for this situation. He it is who has “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself”, Hebrews 9:26. To put away in that verse means to abolish. As far as God is concerned, and in this context, sin is not. No charge can henceforth be made against God that He has ignored the presence of sin. On the contrary, He has taken account of each and every sin through His Son’s work at Calvary. John wrote, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2. Of course “the sins of” is in italics in that verse. But the words must be supplied because they are implied in the “ours” of the previous statement. If John had written “not for us only”, then he could have continued “but also for the whole world”. Since, however, he uses the possessive pronoun “ours”, then “the sins of” must be inserted. Now the apostle will write later that “we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1 John 5:19. He sees mankind divided into two clearly defined sections, believers, and the whole world. The same whole world whose sins God took account of at Calvary.

God’s dealings have been vindicated
In Old Testament times God blessed men by reckoning them righteous when they believed in Him. Romans 3:24,25 indicates that the propitiatory work of Christ vindicates God for so acting. In can be seen now that God was blessing anticipatively, crediting believers with the results of Christ’s work before they had been achieved. He also remitted, or passed over, their sins in forbearance, holding back from judging those sins in virtue of what His Son would do at Calvary.

God’s glory has been fully displayed
There is no attribute of God that has not been fully expressed at Calvary. This is why the apostle Paul speaks of rejoicing in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement, Romans 5:11. Atonement in this verse means reconciliation, one of the effects of propitiation. By His sacrificial work at Calvary Christ has brought the character of God out into full and glorious display. Those who are brought by faith into the good of that work are enabled to behold that display, and rejoice in it. Would we know Divine holiness, or righteousness, or love, or wrath, or any other aspect of the Person of God? Then we must look to the cross for the sight of it. We shall not be disappointed.

God’s mercy has been made available
The repentant sinner who called upon God to be merciful to him, is the first person in the New Testament to use the word propitious, for the sense of his words is, “God be merciful to me on the basis of propitiation”. He went down to his house justified, Luke 18:13,14. Under the terms of the New Covenant, God says “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness”, Hebrews 8:12, where the word merciful is not to do with pity, but with propitiation. The mercy-seat, (or propitiatory), was the same width and breadth as the ark, telling us that the ark (the person of Christ) and the blood-stained mercy-seat, (the work of Christ), were perfectly matched. But we are not told the thickness or depth of the gold of the mercy-seat, for there is an infinite supply of mercy for those who believe, enough to keep them secure for all eternity.

God’s forgiveness is assured to those who believe
In Hebrews 10:5-8 we have the Spirit of Christ in the psalmist telling of His work of sacrifice. Then we have the Spirit’s testimony in the prophet telling us of the results of that work, Hebrews 10:15-17. God promises emphatically that He will not remember the sins and iniquities of His people any more, since He brought those sins into remembrance at Calvary, and Christ dealt with them effectively there. “No more” means in no way, nor at any time. Note that God pledges to positively not remember, not negatively to forget. We may forget, and then remember again, whereas God promises never to remember for ever.

God’s people are preserved
The Lord Jesus told Mary Magdalene that He was about to “ascend to my Father, and your Father, to my God, and your God”, John 20:17. Thus He would still be the link between his people and God, maintaining them in His dual role of Advocate with the Father, and High Priest in things pertaining to God.

The basis of His advocacy is two-fold. His person, for He is Jesus Christ the righteous, and His work, for He is the propitiation for our sins, 1 John 2:1,2. The apostle John was concerned about believers sinning. The sins of believers are just as obnoxious to God, and just as deserving of wrath, as those of unbelievers. But we are “saved from wrath through him”, Romans 5:9, as He pleads the merits of His work. He is, says John, the propitiatory offering for our sins. Not was, but is. In other words, the one who acts for us in heaven as our advocate, is the very same one who hung upon the cross as a sacrifice for our sins.

He is also our High priest. The language of Hebrews 2:17,18 is clear: “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” These verses form a bridge between chapter two, with its emphasis on the reasons why the Lord Jesus took manhood, and chapter three, which describes the way in which Israel were tempted in the wilderness. Note in particular the word “for” which begins verse 18. If we do not note this word, we shall lose the connection between verses 17 and 18.

The reason why we have a high priest who is merciful and faithful is that He has been here in manhood and suffered being tempted. When His people pass through temptation, then He undertakes to deal with their cause. Because He has been here, and has been tempted in all points like as we are, He is able to help us when we cry to Him for help. The word for succour is used by the woman of Canaan in Matthew 15:25 when she cried out, “Lord, help me”. He is able to point us to the ways in which He overcame in the wilderness temptation, and thus we are strengthened to resist temptation.

But what if we fall, and sin? In that case He comes to our aid in another way. We see it typified negatively in Leviticus 10:16-20. The priests were commanded to eat the sin-offerings, if the blood thereof had not been brought into the sanctuary. But at the end of the consecration of the priesthood, Moses was angry on God’s behalf, for the priests had failed in this. Moses said, “God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord”, Leviticus 10:17. One of the functions of priesthood, then, was to personally identify with the sin-offering by eating it, and by so doing bear the iniquity of the congregation, taking responsibility for their failure, but doing so safeguarded by the fact that a sin-offering had been accepted by God. As they did this the scripture explicitly says they made atonement for the people, Leviticus 10:17. We see then what the writer to the Hebrews means when he talks of Christ making reconciliation for the sins of the people. He is indicating that Christ personally identifies Himself with His sin-offering work at Calvary, and thus takes responsibility for the failures of His people under temptation. This is acceptable to God, and His people are preserved, despite their failure.

God’s purpose for the earth is furthered
When Adam the head of the first creation fell, all creation had to be subjected to vanity, or else a fallen man would have been head over an unfallen creation. Now that He has obtained rights over the earth by His death, the Lord Jesus is able to bring in new conditions for God. He can now righteously deliver the present creation from the bondage of corruption that the fall of man brought it into, Romans 8:19-23. Colossians 1:20 assures us that on the basis of the blood of His cross, all things, whether in earth or in heaven, can be reconciled to God, for that alienation between God and His creation which took place at the Fall, can be remedied.

God’s intention to create a new heavens and new earth can be realised
Unless the sin which has marred the first creation is dealt with, God cannot righteously introduce an eternal earth and heavens, for it would not have been evident that He was able to deal with the fall if the first creation. Having dealt with it through Christ, He is able to bring in new things that will never be spoiled. Daniel was told that Messiah the Prince would bring in “everlasting righteousness”, Daniel 9:24, and this He will do, on the basis of His death. It only remains for God to announce “Behold, I make all things new”, Revelation 21:5, and a “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”, will be established, 2 Peter 3:13. At last there will be a settled and congenial place for righteous to dwell in, after all the turmoil brought in by Adam’s sin. At last those profound words spoken by John the Baptist will be fully brought to pass- “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29.

There is another way in which we may think of John’s statement. The expression Lamb of God reminds us of the first feast in Israel’s calendar, the passover, when a lamb was the means of redemption. The expression “which taketh away the sin of the world”, on the other hand, is a reminder of the scapegoat on the day of atonement. These two ideas, redemption and propitiation, (the latter being the main object of the Day of Atonement in Israel), are the basis of the message of the gospel. The apostle Paul, in his classic exposition of the gospel, writes like this: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood”, Romans 3:24,25. Propitiation, the satisfying of the demands of God against sin, is the basis of redemption, the setting free of those who are slaves to sin. Sin must be accounted for before redemption can be known. The sinner who repents aligns himself with God’s hatred of sin, and its need to be dealt with. The sinner who believes is like the man who sprinkled the blood of the redeeming lamb on his doorposts and lintel, thus protecting everyone inside from judgement. If repentance and faith are absent, then the value of the double work of Christ is not known, nor is the benefit of it gained.

1:30
This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me- John now repeats the statement he made to the Pharisees about Christ’s superiority to him, but now he can add the reason. The Pharisees had shown no interest, and God does not enlighten those who are careless of Divine things, Matthew 13:12. In fact, He forbade the disciples from giving that which is holy to the dogs, or casting pearls before swine, Matthew 7:6.

He was before me, says John, even though he was older than Christ and began preaching before He did. His goings forth have been from of old, (as indicated in verse 10, He had been active providentially before He came into manhood), even from everlasting, (as verse 1 indicates He was already there when time began). He could say, “Before Abraham was, I am”, John 8:58. He was the one that Melchisedec, (who lived nineteen centuries before Christ’s birth), was made like unto, Hebrews 7:3, and He was the body or substance that cast the Old Testament shadows, Colossians 2:17. So He has precedence over John because of the supreme claim of His Deity.

1:31
And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

And I knew him not but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water- John was the porter to open to the Good Shepherd, John 10:3, Acts 13:24, (where “coming” means entrance). John’s mother, a kinswoman of Mary, (even though they were of different tribes in Israel), knew when Mary came to stay with her that she was the mother of her Lord, Luke 1:43, for the angel had said to Mary, “that which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”, Luke 1:35. John himself knew that he was to make straight the way of the Lord, but he did not know Him to be the baptizer with the Holy Spirit, for that was not revealed in the Old Testament.

The word of God came to John twice. Once, to send him to baptize, and then to reveal to him that the one upon the Spirit would descend and remain, was the baptizer with the Holy Spirit, John 1:33. It was when he baptized Christ that he realised who He really was, as he tells us in the next verses. On both occasions when John says “I knew him not”, verses 31 and 33, he uses the pluperfect tense, which puts the action further back than the perfect. So he is saying that “Before I began my ministry I did not know Him to be the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, but now I do, for the voice at His baptism and the sight of the dove convinced me”. He is implying that those listening to him should be convinced also.

1:32
And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him- it is beautifully appropriate that the Spirit should come, as Luke puts it, “in a bodily shape like a dove”, Luke 3:22, for this was in harmony with the character of Christ. The dove could be used for sacrifice, so it was holy; it was noted for harmlessness, Matthew 10:16; noted too for shunning defilement, Song of Solomon 5:2; and was a bird that frequented the wilderness, Psalm 55:6,7. As such, it represented perfectly He who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, Hebrews 7:26. The Holy Spirit adopts this symbol for Himself, so Luke tells us that He came in bodily shape like a dove, for Christ had taken a body. But he came as a dove; he did not swoop like a bird of prey, ready to pounce on his victim. Christ came in grace, and so does the Spirit.

It is surely significant that when Mary brought the poor person’s offering at the presentation of her Child in the temple, she offered either a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons, Luke 2:24; Leviticus 12:8. We are not told which she brought, perhaps because either would have been appropriate. The turtledove was a migrant to the land of Israel, and Christ had come to them, but would return to His homeland after His death and resurrection. But in another sense the pigeon was appropriate, for that bird was a resident, and He had come to abide with His people as long as they would have Him.

1:33
And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost- John’s ignorance came to an end when the dove descended and remained on Christ. This told him that here was the one who, because He was a Divine person, (John knew that already), could bestow another Divine person, the Holy Spirit, (an action he did not know about beforehand).

The Holy Spirit had left King Saul, and he was deposed from his office as king. David feared lest his sin with Bathsheba meant that the Spirit would be taken from him and he would lose the kingship. But there is neither disobedience nor sin with Christ. The Spirit abides on Him, never to be grieved.

The four gospels present Christ as the baptiser with the Holy Spirit in different ways, as follows:

Matthew 3:11,12 “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire”. Matthew has Israel nationally in view, and shows that when the Messiah comes to reign He comes to His threshingfloor, (the nation and the land), and will first pour out His Spirit upon the believing part of the nation, as Joel predicted with the words, “And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids will I pour out my Spirit”, Joel 2:29, words which relate to the day of the Lord, verse 31. He then divides between the true and the false by applying the Spirit like the wind to separate the chaff from the wheat, and then gather the wheat into His garner, the kingdom. Remember that the word for wind and spirit is the same. It is not expressly said that the Spirit acts like a fire; rather, that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire, as if they are two separate entities. The fire is mentioned because the words about the baptism are addressed to Pharisees and Sadducees, who are in danger of the fire. Mark 1:8 “I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” Mark’s account is very brief, and simply indicates that if any are to serve God they must have the Spirit within, Mark 1:18. The same Spirit that energised God’s Perfect Servant indwells all believers, Galatians 4:6. There is no mention of fire here, for John is speaking to those who have come to his baptism in repentance. Luke 3:16,17 “He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable”. Christ divides men according to whether they are wheat or chaff, that is, whether they believe or not, for wheat has the germ of life in it, but chaff is empty and lifeless, the test here being whether they are baptized with the Spirit or not. Those who were already believers on the day of Pentecost were baptized with the Spirit after conversion. Those who believe subsequently are baptized at conversion, and are incorporated into the body of Christ, the church. So the apostle Paul could write to the Corinthian believers, (many of whom were carnal), “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Greeks, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13. This incorporates the true believers into “the garner”, the church. Unbelievers will be consigned to the lake of fire, into “the fire that never shall be quenched”, Mark 9:45. There are those who believe that this is a one-off event, with that which took place at Pentecost credited beforehand to all whom the Lord knew would believe during this present age. It is instructive to notice, however, that when the Spirit came on Cornelius and his household, Peter was reminded, not of what the Lord had said in the Upper Room about the coming of the Spirit, but His words just before He ascended back to heaven. He said to the disciples, “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” Acts 1:5. But notice that Peter quoted those words as follows, “John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost”, Acts 11:16. In other words, he applied the Lord’s words to what happened to Cornelius, but without the words “not many days hence”, showing that the latter phrase related only to those baptized on the Day of Pentecost, with others baptized at a later date when they believed. The use of the aorist does not demand that it all happened at Pentecost. The aorist tense is used for an event complete in itself, whenever it happens, past, present or future. The apostle Peter’s baptism in the Spirit was a complete event. The baptism of Cornelius likewise, the baptism of the Corinthians also, when they believed. The baptism of Cornelius in the Spirit is also connected to the fact he received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This happens at conversion, therefore so also does the baptism. The same Spirit that is used to baptize into one body, will be used again, this time as a wind, fanning away the chaff. When the Lord comes for the church saints only the wheat will be “gathered into his garner”, or in other words, be taken to the Father’s house in heaven. Those who remain unrepentant shall know the Spirit’s burning heat in the lake of fire. In Luke, John’s words are addressed to the multitudes that he describes as a “generation of vipers”, hence the warning about the wrath to come and the fire. John 1:33 “Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost”. John, as is his policy, emphasises the person of Christ and not His offices, and sees in His role as baptiser a testimony to His Deity. There is no mention of fire here because the Baptist is only concerned with what the coming of the Spirit signified, irrespective of who else He baptizes.

1:34
And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God- John sees the dove descend and remain, and then repeats the truth he heard when the Father spoke. So John the Baptist and John the apostle concur in their belief. And both testified so that all might believe also, for verse 7 says of the Baptist that he bore testimony to the light, so that all men might believe, and John the apostle indicates in 20:30,31 the same desire. It is fitting that John the baptist should announce Him as the Son of God, for this marked the start of the manifestation of eternal life in the world of men, the “beginning” of 1 John 1:1, when the Son came forth into public view.

Special note on the baptism of Christ

Association with the remnant
The first thing we may say is that by being baptized amongst them He thereby associates with the repentant remnant of Israel. It is of such that the words were written, “But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.” Psalm 16:3. Isaiah 57:15 speaks of God as dwelling “with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones”, and this is manifest in this incident.

The beginning
Then His baptism marked the beginning, as we have already noted, of the public manifestation of eternal life in the world, eternal life being the life of the Eternal God. Of course, all who were in communion with God in old time must have had the life of God, or else they could not have shared Divine things and worshipped God. But the perfect expression of that life by one who is equal with the Father awaited the coming of Christ. It is in Him that the life of God is seen to perfection, without anything of the life of Adam the sinner. The very pointed contrast between these two expressions of life is made by the Lord Jesus Himself in John 17:2,3. He distinguishes very clearly between “all flesh” and “life eternal”, showing that the life of men in the flesh is not the life of God.

That which the apostles saw and heard, they recorded for us, so that we might share with them in the joy of eternal life. John later on writes to the fathers in the family of God, those who were mature in Divine things, and describes them as those who had “known him that is from the beginning”, 1 John 2:13. This is all the remarkable because he writes of the babes in the family of God that they know the Father, yet the maturer ones know the Son! This is clear testimony to the equality of the Son with the Father, and also to the way in which the Son has manifest in manhood the features of eternal life, so that they can be taken in by the renewed mind, and growth in Divine things can take place.

Commitment to Calvary
It is interesting to note that Luke records the imprisonment of John before he records the baptism of Christ, Luke 3:19-22. Luke is emphasising that Christ was baptized despite knowing that the world was opposed to Him, even more than it was opposed to John the baptist. Christ’s baptism represented His commitment to Calvary. How significant the waters of Jordan were to Him. They represented the barrier that confronted the children of Israel as they approached the land of promise. Yet when the feet of those who carried the ark touched the brim of the waters, those waters were cut off, and the people were free to pass over on dry land, Joshua 3:15,16. For them the waters were an obstacle no longer, (the waters were held back some sixty miles upstream, at Zaretan), and the inheritance could be entered. So in the baptism of Christ we may see an illustration of what would happen at Calvary. Did He not speak of His death as a baptism, Luke 12:50? There is a difference, however, for not only did the people in Joshua’s day not have to battle with the waters, the ark did not either, for the waters were driven back from it. In Psalm 114:5 the psalmist asks, “What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? Thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?” Not so with the Saviour, for He felt the full force of the flow of the waters of judgement, (Jordan means “river of judgement), so that we may pass over into our inheritance. It had been the same in Noah’s day, (remember that Peter links baptism with the ark of Noah, 1 Peter 3:20,21), for the ark was pitched within and without with pitch to repel the entrance of the waters, so that those inside never saw the waters of judgement. How different was it for Christ, in one sense, for He could say, in the language of the psalm, “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.” Psalm 69:1.

A demonstration of the harmony of the Godhead
The baptism of Christ also gave opportunity to the other Persons of the Godhead to show that each was fully in harmony with Christ and His mission. The Father is heard, and the Spirit is seen. Never before had the Triune God manifested Himself in such a way. In Old Testament times the unity of the Godhead was in view, especially since the nations were sunk in polytheism, in direct defiance of the One True God of heaven. The nation of Israel were charged with the duty of upholding the uniqueness and oneness of God amongst the heathen world.

With the coming of Christ, however, another feature of the Godhead comes into prominence, namely its triune nature. Each of the persons of the Godhead may rightly be called God, and may represent God. This change of manifestation came about because the Son came from heaven to reveal and manifest God. So it is that at His formal introduction into public ministry, the three Persons make their presence felt. The Father speaks to the Son; the Spirit descends upon the Son; the Son sees the Spirit descending; the Son prays to the Father.

The endorsement of John the Baptist
Another result of the baptism of Christ was that John the Baptist and his baptism were endorsed by heaven. The comment of Luke later in his gospel is that the Pharisees refused to be baptised by John, and thus showed that they rejected the counsel of God against themselves, Luke 7:30. And still later, as His earthly ministry came to a close, Christ Himself challenged the chief priests and elders about their attitude to John the Baptist. He had purged the temple, and they had asked His authority for so doing. It was in fact the same authority that John the Baptist had, for God had sent and commissioned him, Matthew 21:23-27. If they received not John’s testimony, they would not receive Christ’s. It was a form of judgement upon them when Christ refused to answer their demand. On the other hand, He did answer in the form of the two parables which follow, that of the two sons, and that of the son and the vineyard, which left them in no doubt of the consequences of failing to recognise His authority.

The fulfilling of all righteousness
So it is that coming to be baptised by John supported what he was doing, that it was of God. When John protested that he was not worthy to baptize such a person as Christ, the Lord Jesus insisted with the words, “thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness”, Matthew 3:15. Several things are involved here. First, it was a righteous thing for John to demand that the people repent of their sin. The Law and the prophets demanded this also, and “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John”, Matthew 11:13. Christ affirms this by being baptised, but not because he had sins to repent of.

Second, the ministry of John was of God, and therefore was a righteous ministry. Christ ever supported that which was righteous before God.

Third, His baptism in the Jordan was a preview of Calvary, and Romans 5:18 refers to Christ’s death as “the righteousness of one”, meaning Christ’s act of righteousness whereby He dealt with sin on the cross in a just way. What He did at Calvary in obedience to His Father was in direct contrast to Adam’s single and momentous act of disobeying God by sinning.

Fourth, by His death at Calvary Christ would lay the foundation whereby everlasting righteousness could be brought in and maintained, Daniel 9:24, and a new heavens and a new earth could be established in which righteousness shall dwell, 2 Peter 3:13.

Fifth, His baptism was the introduction of the King to His people, and He will reign in righteousness, Isaiah 32:1. His baptism by John was a sign of this. It was followed by His anointing with the Holy Spirit, showing He was God’s Approved One. David had been anointed king in relatively obscure circumstances, “in the midst of his brethren”, 1 Samuel 16:13, and then anointed again before all the elders of Israel when he began to reign, 2 Samuel 5:3. So it is with Christ, for He was anointed of the Holy Spirit at His baptism, and will also be hailed as God’s anointed in a day to come, when God introduces Him into this world again, Hebrews 1:6,9.

Gaining an entrance
The baptism of Christ was also His entrance into the fold of Israel as the true and good shepherd. The Lord Jesus contrasted Himself with those who had gained position in Israel by climbing up “some other way”, John 10:1. He had come by way of the door, and the porter had opened to Him. If we link this with what Paul said in the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia, Acts 13:24, we learn that John preached before Christ’s coming, and the word used for coming is “entrance”. He is confirmed as the genuine shepherd as John heralds His arrival and introduces Him to Israel at His baptism.

Humbling Himself in readiness for Calvary
In Philippians 2 the apostle Paul divides the period of Christ’s manhood before the cross. He was “made in the likeness of men”, signifying His conception and birth, so that He is “found in fashion as a man”, and men have the opportunity to realise that He is a real man as He lived amongst them for thirty years in obscurity, verse 7. Then the apostle declares that “being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself”, verse 8. This marks the point where He deliberately re-affirmed His commitment to the work of the cross, for His self-humbling involves obedience to His Father even the extent and extremity of Calvary. His baptism therefore marks a critical point in His movements down here, as He made His way to there.

Indication of Sonship
So it is that John immerses the Lord Jesus into the waters of the Jordan. It is interesting to notice that when John baptised all the others who came to him, no mention is made of their coming up out of the water. They did come out, of course, but it is surely significant that it is not mentioned. John was the last representative of the Law and prophets, and as such could only condemn sinners, for the law was a ministry of condemnation, 2 Corinthians 3:9, not salvation. Christ, however, came to introduce a new era, where grace would reign, and this not only because of His death, but also His resurrection. So it is said of Him alone that He came up out of the water.

Furthermore, He came up “straightway”, for there was no delay. Peter was able to tell the nation on the Day of Pentecost that death was not able to hold Christ. Death holds the bodies even of God’s saints, for their full redemption has not arrived, but with Christ it was not so. Having met every claim that sin and death could make, He rose quickly from the grave, and this was pre-viewed at His baptism. He was “raised from the dead by the glory of the Father”, Romans 6:4, for the Father’s glory demanded that such a person be raised from the dead.

The fact that He came up from the water straightway also shows His eagerness to begin His public ministry. Further, it shows that He has nothing to fear from the wilderness temptation that will come so soon after He has emerged from the waters of baptism. The Father’s commendation ringing in His ears will be replaced by the jarring sound of the Tempter’s crafty attempts to drive a wedge between Him and His Father, with manifest and total lack of success.

Section 6   Verses 35-42
Influence of the Word

1:35
Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples- having seen Jesus come to him in verse 29, just as the Old Testament prophets had done, John now comes to a halt. He can go no further as the representative of the law, and he can take his disciples no further either, so they stand also. The law was Israel’s schoolmaster until Christ came, but now He has come, faith in Him is required, Galatians 3:24. Will his disciples realise this is the case and move across to Christ? Perhaps they were his special helpers in the task of baptizing, so they need to be convinced it is right to leave John. What will convince them?

1:36
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! Once we have seen the Lamb of God as the bearer away of the sin of the world, and repented of our sin; seen Him as the Son of God, and believed on Him; received the gift of the Holy Spirit which He bestows when we believe, then we are in a position to look upon Him as He walked on earth, and imitate Him, as 1 Peter 2:21 and 1 John 2:6 exhort us to do. So many want to follow the good example of Christ, but have never known Him as the sin-bearer.

John exhorts us to behold twice over, for both views of Christ are worthy of careful attention. Like the scapegoat, Christ walked into the wilderness to be the sin-bearer. Now He walks to be the example. We cannot imitate Him as the sin-bearer, hence John does not add the second time, “that taketh away the sin of the world”. That was a once-for-all work, whereas looking on Jesus is a life-time occupation, that will extend into eternity.

Peter writes, “For even hereafter were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps”, 1 Peter 2:21. He is careful to distinguish His sufferings when He “bare our sins in his own body on the tree”, from His sufferings for the sake of righteousness during His life. It is only these that we may imitate. John writes later, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” 1 John 2:6.

John calls special attention to the walking of the Lamb of God. When David sinned in the matter of Bathsheba, he wrote in one of his repentance psalms of “the bones that thou hast broken”, and trusted that they would rejoice, meaning they would be healed, Psalm 51:8. The reference is to the practice of shepherds like David, who, when they had a lamb that was wayward, and strayed into danger, would break one of his legs, so that while the bones were healing, the lamb would be forced to stay close by the shepherd. Ever after, however, the lamb would have a limp. Not so this Lamb, for He had never had to be disciplined by Jehovah His Shepherd. And to follow Him is to walk in paths of righteousness without straying. As the son of a priest, John would know how to examine a lamb to ensure that it was acceptable to God, and he clearly has confidence that Christ does have this acceptableness, and can therefore be safely followed.

1:37
And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus- we read no more about John the Baptist in the chapter, for the end of the law age is in sight, and full occupation with Christ marks this present age. These two disciples gladly leave John to follow the Lamb, and John was happy that they did, for he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” 3:30. The more we contemplate the life of Christ as made known to us in the four gospels, the more the life of Jesus will be manifest in our mortal body, 2 Corinthians 4:10, and the less there will be of self. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” was Paul’s motto, Galatians 2:20. We do not read of these disciples saying farewell to John, for they were too absorbed in Christ now. They were putting their hand to the plough and not looking back, Luke 9:62.

1:38
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? Like a true shepherd, the Lord was going before His sheep, and they are happy to follow, confident that He will not lead them astray. He is greatly interested in whether we are following Him; He is not so concerned with moving forward that He has no time to look back over His flock.

And saith unto them, What seek ye? He does not ask who it is they are seeking, for that is obvious. The question is, why are they doing it? He is looking for intelligent followers, not those who are impressed by a new movement. Since not all who profess to follow Him are genuine, John 6:66-71, He probes their motives. Is it curiosity, obedience to John, or a desire to go on to things John cannot give them? That it is the latter is seen in that they address Him as Rabbi. Do they realise He is the prophet like unto Moses that John the Baptist had referred to?

They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? This is the first word directly addressed to Christ in the chapter. By calling Him “Master”, meaning “Teacher”, they show that they wish to be with Him to be taught by Him in the things of God. Later, Peter will want to make three tabernacles so that he and his companions can sit to learn of the Saviour, Luke 9:33. His mistake on that occasion was to want to make three tabernacles, for Moses and Elijah could not teach the things the Lord taught. The word came to them from heaven, “This is my beloved Son: hear him”, verse 35.

1:39
He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day- the actual place is not specified, to forestall any superstitious reverence for physical locations. The Crusades of the Middle Ages did much harm at the time, and still do prove a stumbling-block to Muslims, who view them as an attack by “Christians” on them. The Crusades were carried out by the religious establishment to deliver the “holy” sites in Palestine from the “infidels”, and to secure the safe passage of pilgrims to those sites. As such, they were totally meaningless, as there are no holy sites on earth. The mount of transfiguration became a “holy mount” when the Lord Jesus was there, 2 Peter 1:18, but it was not holy the previous day, or the next day, nor ever after, for it was not intrinsically holy, but only holy by association.

These disciples show that they were not merely curious about where He was staying, for they continued with Him. They continued steadfastly, as the early believers did. They valued His presence above all else. They were not concerned about lavish accommodation, for they were concentrating on learning of Him. They set us a good example. It was after the Roman emperor Constantine began to try to make Christianity appeal to the heathen that grand buildings began to be built. Much money can be squandered on lavish buildings that could be more sensibly and profitably used to relieve the suffering of fellow-believers.

Abide is a favourite word with John, and is otherwise rendered remain, dwell, or continue. Those who have everlasting life have staying power, for everlasting life is not just for ever, but lasting as well; it combines quantity of life and quality of life. John will emphasise in his first epistle the need to continue in the things of Christ. See 1 John 2:6,10,24,27,28.

For it was about the tenth hour- not long after this the Lord Jesus met the woman of Samaria at “about the sixth hour”, John 4:6. But at that point two things had already happened. First, Jesus had become weary with His journey, and second, the disciples had gone away into the nearby city to buy food. If the sixth hour is reckoned by Jewish time, it was noon. If by Roman time, 6 o’clock in the morning. The latter is not likely, especially as one would expect the well to be surrounded by women eager to fill their waterpots at the start of the day. It is more likely that the Lord would be weary with His journey after travelling all morning in the hot sun, and the disciples would go for food at a normal time. In addition, would the Lord be prepared to speak to this woman in the dim light of dawn, rather than the full light of day?

1:40
One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother- the apostle is sure we will not think that they heard John and followed John. To hear John in this context was to hear him point out Christ as the Lamb of God. John does not mention who the other disciple was, probably because it was himself. He, like John the Baptist, is decreasing in favour of Christ, and he indicates this by remaining anonymous. 

1:41
He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ- note the balance here. Before they arrive at where Christ dwelt, Andrew finds his own brother, so that they may be with Christ together. It is important to sit at Christ’s feet to learn of Him; it is also important that we encourage others to learn.

Does Andrew interpret the name to Peter, or is it John the apostle interpreting it for his readers? Probably the latter, as Simon would know the meaning of the name Messias, and would not need his brother to explain it to him. Messias is the Hebrew word for “Anointed One”. Hannah sang that God would “give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed”, 1 Samuel 2:10. And the angel Gabriel informed Daniel about “Messiah the Prince”, Daniel 9:25, and that He would be cut off, verse 26.

Prophets, priests and kings were anointed in the Old Testament, and this signified that they were appointed to their office by God. The Lord Jesus was anointed at His baptism, for He could say later, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor”, Luke 4:18. And Peter told Cornelius and his friends that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power”, Acts 10:38. This anointing marks Him out as God’s choice, and He fulfils the prophetic office in His ministry down here, His priestly office at the present time in the heavenly sanctuary, and His kingly office in a day to come will be on earth.

1:42
And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, He said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone- the word for look means a close penetrating look. It is used of the maid in the palace court at the trial, when she looked on Peter and concluded he was one of Christ’s disciples. And of the look of Christ towards Peter after he had denied His Lord. On that occasion, the Lord’s look dissolved him to tears. But at this point, with His Divine insight into the hearts of men, (see 2:24,25), the Lord could see a man who would be steadfast for Him, even though he would have his lapses.

We see here another feature that marks the present age, namely the idea of being a living stone built into the house of God. Peter himself wrote about this in 1 Peter 2:4-6. So there is not only the personal abiding in communion with Christ suggested by dwelling with Him, but also the collective idea of believers being built up together.

In His response to Peter’s confession of faith, the Lord said, “Thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”, Matthew 16:18. He did not say, “Thou art Peter, and on this stone I will build my church”, so just as John was careful to tell us that Peter was named “a stone”, so the Lord carefully distinguished between Peter and the rock; and so should we.

Section 7   Verses 43-51
Initiatives of the Word

If section four gave us a scene with an Old Testament flavour, and then section five told us about the Messiah who had finally arrived, and section six gives features that mark the present age, then section seven gives us insights into the coming Millenial age, after the church believers have been taken to heaven at the Lord’s coming for them. It is important for us to have a general view of future events, for our God delights to let us into His secrets. God had challenged the false gods of heathendom to foretell the future if their claim to be true was genuine, Isaiah 41:21-24. If He could not tell either, His challenge was pointless. But tell us He can, and we may learn God’s plan for the future from His word.

Special note on future events
1. The rapture of the Church, when the Lord Jesus descends into the air to take His people to the Father’s House, John 14:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:47-58.

2. The last seven-year period of Daniel 9:24-27. This period is divided into two equal parts. During the first part God’s judgements will commence, but He will also send forth 144,000 evangelists, 12,000 from each tribe of Israel, Revelation 7, to preach the gospel of the kingdom, in the same way as John the Baptist prepared the people for the coming of the King. Matthew 24:1-14.

3. During this time the Antichrist, Satan’s final world-ruler, will confirm a covenant with the apostate part of the nation of Israel, protecting them from their many enemies, and allowing them to recommence the temple rituals, Daniel 9:27.

4. In the middle of the seven years, he will break that covenant, and install himself in the temple at Jerusalem, and claim the worship of men, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11. This will be the signal for the Great Tribulation to begin, a time of unparalleled judgement and suffering, Matthew 24:12-28.

5. Those who believe the gospel of the kingdom will be preserved through this time of trouble, and will enter the kingdom of the Messiah when He comes to earth at His appearing, Matthew 24:29-35.

6. Then will follow the 1000-year reign of the Lord Jesus, and this will merge into eternity, after the judgement of the Great White Throne has taken place, Revelation 20:1-15; Isaiah 65:17-25.

1:43
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee- we come now to scenes which present a picture of future events after the church age has finished. Going forth into Galilee represents an emergence from obscurity into manifestation, just as the Lord is now hidden, but one day will be revealed to the world. At the ascension of Christ, the angel who told the watching disciples that Christ would come again in like manner to the way He went, (which would include the idea of Him coming to the mount of Olives, Zechariah 14:4 at His return to earth), addressed them as men from Galilee, Acts 1:11.

Philip is a Gentile name, and Galilee was known as Galilee of the Gentiles, Matthew 4:15, because the influence of the outside world was felt most there. In John 12:20,21 the Gentile seekers first approached Philip, as one most accessible to Gentiles. So there is a combination of blessing for Israelites and Gentiles suggested by the passage, and that will indeed be the case in the age of the Messiah’s reign.

And findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me- note that the Lord Himself finds this man; he is not brought by others. Some have wondered how the 144,000 preachers of the gospel of the kingdom will get saved. (See Revelation 7:1-8 for the preachers, and verses 9-17 for their converts). This is surely the answer, that they will be converted by direct Divine intervention. It is a real possibility, however, that their hearts are being prepared even now, that they might be ready to receive the truth after the Rapture of the church saints. It is important for church saints to refrain from doing or saying anything which will be a hindrance in that day.

1:44
Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter- Bethsaida was one of the towns where most of Christ’s miracles would be done, and yet they would be unresponsive to His claims, as Matthew 11:20-24 shows. So Bethsaida reminds us of the hardness and blindness of Israel at this present time, Romans 11:8,25. Only a minority will turn to Christ after the Rapture, for the Antichrist will confirm a covenant with many, or the majority, Daniel 9:27.

The miracles Christ performed were the demonstration of the powers of the world or age to come, Hebrews 6:5, the proof that He was the true Messiah, for Isaiah 35:5,6 had foretold His works, which shall be repeated during His reign. Bethsaida means “place of nets”, and reminds us of the fact that evangelism is fishing for men, Matthew 4:19. Philip “fishes” for Nathanael in the next verse, and so represents those who during the Tribulation Period will fish for men by preaching the gospel of the kingdom. See the Parable of the Dragnet in Matthew 13:47-50, which relates primarily to the preaching during the Great Tribulation period.

It seems from Luke 4:31 and 38 that Peter lived in Capernaum, so either he moved house soon after meeting the Lord, (perhaps when He Himself moved to Capernaum, Matthew 4:13), or the house mentioned in Luke 4:38 belonged to Peter’s wife’s mother, and the Lord lodged there. In which case Peter might still have kept living in Bethsaida. But it is possible that Bethsaida was simply the fishing port of Capernaum. It has not been definitely identified, which is not surprising, given the condemnation spoken about it by the Lord, Matthew 11:21,22.

The fact that John tells us that Philip lived in the same town as Peter and Andrew would suggest that they knew one another, and were all converts of John the Baptist. So this verse looks back to what happened the previous day, when both Andrew and Peter met the Lord. Philip’s acquaintance with them would help him when he was told about the Lord by Philip. It may be, therefore, looking at the matter as a preview of future events, that the twelve thousand Jews from the twelve tribes of Israel who will be sealed at the beginning of the Tribulation Period will be in the same situation as John’s disciples were when Christ began His ministry, and will have been influenced by the testimony of church saints during this present age. It could also be that some who call themselves Messianic Jews are in this position. The words of Hebrews 6:4-8 will be a great help to them.

1:45
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph- note the mention of Moses, the law and the prophets. At present a veil is on the heart of the nation of Israel when Moses is read, 2 Corinthians 3:4-16, for they have been blinded nationally because of their refusal of Christ, John 12:38-41; Romans 11:25. When the nation turns to the Lord, the truth of the Old Testament will dawn upon them as never before, for they will discover that Christ is the answer to it all, John 5:46; Luke 24:27,44,45; Revelation 19:10.

It is very possible that Nathaniel was reading the Old Testament scriptures as he sat under the fig tree, and this gave Philip an opening. Note the connection Philip makes between the glorious Messiah of Old Testament scripture, and the humble Jesus of Nazareth. This is what the one hundred and forty four thousand preachers spoken of in Revelation 7 will do as they go forth to preach the gospel of the kingdom during the tribulation period. They will realise that the one their nation rejected by crucifying Him, was in fact the Messiah.

Did Philip say He was son of Joseph to connect Him with the genealogy of the king in Matthew chapter one? The angel had addressed Joseph as son of David, thus establishing that heaven recognised him as of the house of David. But he was not the biological father of Christ. But it was recognised that the man who married a woman carrying another man’s child was legally thought of as being the father of the child. Of course, in the case of Mary, the child was not another man’s, but the principle would still apply. The Lord Jesus is therefore legally the heir to David’s throne, since all other possible heirs are disqualified by the curse pronounced by God on Jechoniah, (or Coniah as he is known at that point), Jeremiah 22:28-30. This would be important to Philip, as it will be important to the Jews in the future who contemplate receiving Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

1:46
And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Isaiah had said that the Messiah would be despised and esteemed not, Isaiah 53:3, and part of that was because of His association with the humble poor. Even today a Jew will call Jesus “The Nazarene” in contempt of His person, and “The hanged one”, in contempt of His death. All this will change in a day to come. Isaiah 53:4,5 will be the confession of the believing remnant in a day to come, as they recognise how wrong they were about Jesus of Nazareth, and who in fact He really is, and what His death was really about.

Perhaps Nathanael meant the Messiah by his expression “good thing”, implying that He was not prophesied to come out of Nazareth. There would be a dispute later on between those who thought Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, and those who said Messiah would come from Bethlehem, John 7:41-43.

Isaiah 11:1 uses the word “netser” of The Branch, a title of the Messiah, and perhaps this is the basis of the word Nazareth. Is this why Matthew wrote that He was taken to live in Nazareth in order that what the prophets said might be fulfilled? See Matthew 2:23. No prophet wrote the exact words, “he shall be called a Nazarene”, but they did all foretell in one way or other that He would be despised. How appropriate that the Despised One should be taken to live in the despised place.

Philip saith unto him, Come and see– this reminds us that the nation of Israel as a whole will only be converted when they see Christ for who He is really, when He comes as the one their nation pierced centuries before, Revelation 1:7; Zechariah 12:10.

Paul is a pattern to them which “should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting”, 1 Timothy 1:16, and he was converted through seeing Christ in glory. There will be others also who will see Christ before He comes in glory, and they are represented here by Nathanael.

1:47
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! If the Lord made His way towards Galilee on the east side of the Jordan, (where John was baptizing, verse 28), He may very well have crossed the brook Jabbok, where Jacob had his experience of wrestling with the angel, and where his name was changed from Jacob, meaning “supplanter”, Genesis 27:36, to Israel, meaning “prince with God”, Genesis 32:22-32. Christ had no need to be changed however, for He was ever princely.

Nathanael, however, did need to be changed and he had been. With His insight into the hearts of men, (see 2:24,25), the Lord knew that Nathanael had responded to the testimony of Philip and the scriptures, (and very likely before that to the preaching of John), and would respond to further light as he came face to face with his Messiah. He would not seek, Jacob-like, his own advantage, but would be Israel-like, a believer with princely dignity. The rough places had been made plain, and the crooked places had been made straight in his heart and life. David described a man whose sin had been forgiven as one “in whose spirit there is no guile”, Psalm 32:2, and the Lord knows that this is now true of Nathanael.

1:48
Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? For Nathanael the critical question is how this Jesus knew about him. If Philip had told Him about his conversation with Nathanael, then nothing remarkable had happened. But if otherwise, (and the next phrase tells us conclusively that it was otherwise), then Nathanael would know that Jesus of Nazareth was beyond the ordinary.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee- Isaiah 11:3 says the Messiah will “not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears”. In other words, He will not need evidence presented to His view, nor witness given in His hearing, for He is able to see what is in the heart. Nathanael is convinced that He is that Messiah, for He knew what he was doing, where he was doing it, and his attitude of heart as he did it.

The fig tree is a figure of the nation of Israel after the flesh, whereas the olive tree and the vine present different aspects of the spiritual testimony of Israel in the world. Nathanael is seen by the Lord under the fig tree, symbolic of the nation of Israel in unbelief. But then Nathanael came from under the fig tree and moved towards Christ, for in a day to come the believing remnant of Israel will be morally separate from the unbelieving part of the nation. As to his present calling, Nathanael would be incorporated eventually into the church, but he is also a representative of that part of the nation of Israel that will respond to the gospel of the kingdom, just as Philip is representative of the evangelists that will be raised up in the Tribulation Period to preach it, Revelation 14:1-5.

1:49
Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Nathanael answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel- Nathanael knew that the only one who knows the human heart is the Lord Himself. As Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:9,10.

We should remember that it is at least six weeks since the Lord Jesus was baptized, and the voice from heaven was heard declaring Him to be God’s beloved Son. John the Baptist had testified to this once he knew it, and it is very possible that Nathanael had heard him preach, and had subsequently returned to his home, or at least, was returning from the Jordan, perhaps comparing what he had heard from John with the Old Testament scriptures.

The Messiah will administer for God as His Firstborn Son, as both Psalm 2:7, (originally said of David), and 2 Samuel 7:14, (originally said of Solomon), indicate. See also Hebrews 1:5, where both these statements are applied Christ. The declaration at His baptism that He was God’s beloved Son was the signal for the start of His prophetic ministry, as He unfolded the mind of the Father to others Nathanael has believed this, and gives personal testimony to his belief.

But Nathanael would be aware that the title “King of Israel” is a Divine title. Isaiah saw “the King, the Lord of Hosts”, in his vision, Isaiah 6:1. He describes the Lord as “our king”, 33:22. In 43:15 the Lord describes Himself as “the creator of Israel, your King”, and in 44:6 as “the Lord the king of Israel”. So “thou art the King of Israel is not an anticlimax after saying “thou art the Son of God”. In fact it shows discernment, and assures us that he thought of “Son of God” as a Divine title.

All this confirms him as a representative of the nation of Israel in the future, when they at last recognise the Deity of Jesus of Nazareth their Messiah. As Isaiah wrote, as he described the coming of the Messiah to them, “say unto the cities Judah, Behold your God!” 40:9. And after having referred to the resurrection of Old Testament saints, he writes, “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation”, 25:9.

1:50
Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? The demonstration that the Lord knew Nathanael’s heart from a distance was but the beginning. He had come to the conclusion that Jesus was both the Son of God and the King of Israel by relating what John the Baptist had testified about Jesus of Nazareth, and what He Himself had said to him. He had seen no miracles, but believed nonetheless.

Thou shalt see greater things than these- he would see greater things in that he would see the mighty miracles Christ performed to prove that He was the Son of God, and the true King of Israel. If, as many think, Nathanael is the same as Bartholomew, one of the apostles, then he was one of those present when the Lord performed His miracles, John 20:30, and therefore witnessed them first-hand. Because of this his faith was strengthened further, for like the nobleman of John 4:43-54, he would believe Christ’s word, and then believe more when he saw that a miracle had taken place.

1:51
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man- because this statement begins with “Verily verily”, it signals a fresh truth, as it always does in John’s gospel, this being the first example. In other words, it introduces an advance on what has been said in the previous verse.

Note the change from “thou” in verse 50 to “you” and “ye” in this verse. “Ye”, being plural, takes in the whole of the born-again nation of Israel, for all of the nation of Israel who refuse to worship the beast shall be saved when the Deliverer comes out from Zion, Romans 11:26,27. See a similar change from “thee”, (singular) to “ye”, (plural), in 3:3,7.

Hosea indicated that when Christ comes to reign heaven and earth will respond the one to the other, Hosea 2:21,22. The one who links them together is Christ, for God will gather together into one both things in heaven and things in earth in Him, Ephesians 1:10. He will be the personal counterpart to the ladder Jacob saw in his dream, whose top reached to heaven, Genesis 28:12. At that time the God of Abraham promised him that he and his seed would possess the land of promise. When this comes to pass it will be no dream, but a glorious reality.

The apostle Paul called this the mystery of God’s will, that it would be the Christ who would head up all things. The Jews were used to the idea of their Messiah controlling the earth, but this goes further and tells us He will control heaven and earth together. He will be the one who links the two. The Son of Man is relevant to all men everywhere, and will see to it that under His rule heaven’s rights are maintained in the earth.

Just as Jacob was assured at Bethel that God was with him, and was his protector and supplier, as he dreamed of a ladder up to heaven, and angels ascending and descending, Genesis 28:10-12, so the Lord will be the supplier and sustainer of His people, and of the whole earth, through the agency of His servants the angels. They will be “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation”, Hebrews 1:14.

It could well be that the angels will personally escort believers from the earth to and from the heavenly city, which will hover over the earth in that millenial day. This is why they ascend first, because it will be those on earth who visit the heavenly city. But they will not remain there, for the angels descend also, to escort them back to earth again. If we ask how those with bodies can fly through the air, the answer is perhaps found in the fact that Elijah was taken to heaven by a whirlwind, and Elisha said, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof”, 2 Kings 2:12.

The gates of the city will have the names of the twelve tribes inscribed on them, indicating that each tribe will have its own entrance into and out of the city, Revelation 21:12. Abraham “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God”, Hebrews 11:10. So it is that the saved nation of Israel shall have access to the city of God, the heavenly things, and see things even greater than they will see on the earth during the reign of Christ.