CHAPTER 1
Come, and ye shall see.
John opens his gospel by declaring the true identity of Jesus as the Christ. He deliberately takes his readers back to Genesis with the statement,
"In the beginning ... was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. (Joh 1:1-3)" ......... vs, 10-11 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. ............ vs. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.
John clearly wanted to present Jesus of Nazareth as Yahweh in the flesh. As he makes his introduction to the audience (readers of the gospel) with a lesson in theology or more specifically, Christology (the study of the person and work of Christ), he continues; "He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
The first dramatic encounter recorded by the Apostle John is made with John the Baptizer, a distant cousin of the Lord. John's Mother Elizabeth carried him during the pregnancy of Jesus' mother Mary. His birth took place about four months prior to the birth of Jesus. The Apostle bears witness to John as the forerunner of Messiah preparing the way.
John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me. For of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou? (Joh 1:15-19)
As John the Baptizer was speaking to his disciples, "behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." We witness the first dramatic encounter. To say that John truly understood his purpose would be an understatement. His preaching and baptizing in the wilderness had drawn great crowds. It also drew the attention of the Pharisees. These were a group of super religious Jews that controlled the religious and social life of the people. They prided themselves with their piety and religiosity. They had a form of godliness which was quite impressive, but completely devoid of any relationship with the God they supposedly worshiped or the people they proposed to minister to. John's ministry in the wilderness was so successful that even the Pharisees were curious about him. John completely shunned the religious trappings they were so accustomed to, preaching a doctrine of holiness and repentance not unlike that of their own, the Pharisees wondered, "who is this itinerate preacher?"
And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? (Joh 1:19-22)
The religious establishment, consisting of the Pharisees, the priests, Levites, and scribes had a monopoly on the socio-economic life of Israel. Although they were under Roman rule, it was the practice of Rome to allow their conquered territories a limited amount of autonomy and self rule. As long as the locals behaved themselves and submitted to the final authority of Caesar, they were allowed to control much of their own destiny. Rome was more interested in their tribute money than controlling every aspect of people's lives. Under this system, the establishment in Israel could not allow too much controversy, because it would cause Rome to intervene into their affairs. All of Israel was aware of the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Their hope was that Messiah would come and bring an end to the Roman rule. John was a herald declaring the coming of Messiah.
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; (Joh 1:23-26)
The Baptist had set the stage for the first dramatic encounter recorded by the Apostle. Downplaying his own encounter with the scribes, his retort, "He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose." Unlike any scribe or Pharisee, who would never in a million years defer religious importance to another nor ascribe to another preacher or teacher more eminence than themselves. John was not a part of the religious establishment and was not concerned about making a name or reputation for himself. His only ambition was to make way for the coming of the Lord. As he awaited Messiah, he continued with his ministry baptizing in Jordan and preaching repentance. When the dramatic day occurred, John was busy carrying out his mission, which brings us to the next significant controversy.
Behold..........the Lamb of God
On that day, countless individuals came to John, submitting to his baptism. He continued to preach the doctrine of repentance and the coming kingdom without any controversy until the next dramatic encounter occurred. Having received revelation knowledge by God the Father, that one whom he would baptize was indeed the Christ. He would know him by the sign of the dove descending like a spirit and remaining on him. Normally, doves would avoid humans but this was no ordinary dove, as the one he landed upon was no ordinary man. Once the baptism of Christ was complete, and the heavens opened up declaring God's pleasure in Him, John made no special mention of Him. Perhaps the...
