Outline/Summary
John confirms he is not the Christ
John was at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, baptizing people, when the Jewish leaders sent the priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He freely told them, “I am not the Messiah.”
They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He answered, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He replied, “No.”
Finally, they said to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
John replied, “In the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of the one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
The Pharisees asked, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
John said,
“I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
What the story means to us today
John elevates Jesus’ importance as the savior of the world
John’s purpose in the Gospel is clear. He aims to guide others toward eternal life by encouraging belief in Jesus as the Son of God. He openly admits that he is not the Messiah but shares a powerful insight: the true Savior is already present, destined to bring salvation to the world. Throughout the Gospel, John consistently minimizes his own significance while emphasizing Jesus’ role as the savior of humanity.
Deeper thoughts and additional considerations
Why would the delegation ask John if he were Elijah?
2 Kings 2:11 tells us:
“As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.”
Ancient Israelites would have remembered that Eligjah never died but rather was taken into heaven. They would have wondered if possibly Elijah had returned to them. More likely, they would have tried to encourage John to proclaim himself a prophet who was announcing Christ’s return, a point they may have been able to manipulate into a prosecutable offense.
John’s baptism rights
Oral tradition and Mosaic Law significantly influenced the Israelites. Thus, the delegation likely viewed baptism as a rite that would be performed by a true leader in the last days, normally only for Gentiles who were converting to Judaism. They would have assumed this rite would have only been conducted by someone who was assigned the task by God. John’s acts, therefore, could be considered a violation of law.
Jewish leaders fail to recognize the Messiah
John says, “Among you stands one you do not recognize.” It is a tragedy that the Jewish leaders of the day were unable to recognize the very Messiah who stood before them. They were expecting something quite different. And in their eagerness to expose false Messiahs, they failed to recognize the one true Christ.
The science behind the story
Bethany, on the other side of the Jordan
John ends his account of the event by pointing out where it occurred.
“This all happened in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.”
This appears to not be the Bethany near Jerusalem but rather an unknown village east of the Jordan River, possibly in the region of Batanea (Bashan).
The uncertainness of the village’s name has led some to translate the location as Bethabara instead.
Bible text
NIV
19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders h in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ” m
24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
NET Bible
1:19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 1:20 He confessed—he did not deny but confessed—“I am not the Christ!” 1:21 So they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No!” 1:22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
1:23 John said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” 1:24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 1:25 So they asked John, “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
1:26 John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize, 1:27 who is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal!” 1:28 These things happened in Bethany across the Jordan River where John was baptizing.
NKJV
19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
And he answered, “No.”
22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said: “I am
‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the LORD,” ’
as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”
28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing
The Message
19–20 When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest. He didn’t evade the question. He told the plain truth: “I am not the Messiah.”
21 They pressed him, “Who, then? Elijah?”
“I am not.”
“The Prophet?”
“No.”
22 Exasperated, they said, “Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself.”
23 “I’m thunder in the desert: ‘Make the road straight for God!’ I’m doing what the prophet Isaiah preached.”
24–25 Those sent to question him were from the Pharisee party. Now they had a question of their own: “If you’re neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?”
26–27 John answered, “I only baptize using water. A person you don’t recognize has taken his stand in your midst. He comes after me, but he is not in second place to me. I’m not even worthy to hold his coat for him.”
28 These conversations took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing at the time.
KJV
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou ||that prophet? And he answered, No. 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? 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. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Image Credits:
• St. John the Baptist Preaching via WIkimedia Commons by Mattia Preti with usage type - Public Domain, circa 1665
• The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist via Wikipedia Commons by Pieter Brueghel the Elder with usage type - Public Domain, The author died in 1569, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer.
Featured Image Credit:
• The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist via Wikipedia Commons by Pieter Brueghel the Elder with usage type - Public Domain, The author died in 1569, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer.
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