And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
This is the formal inquiry sent from Jerusalem by the Jewish rulers as the highest authority, who dispatched priests and Levites to question John before the listening crowd about who he claimed to be. They came because his preaching and baptizing at Bethabara had stirred wide attention and drawn multitudes, and they demanded by what authority he taught and baptized and whether he was the Messiah, Elijah, or the expected prophet like Moses. John answered plainly that he was none of those, but only the voice foretold by Isaiah sent as a herald to make straight the way of the Lord. He used their questioning to turn hope away from himself to One mightier already standing unknown among them, preferred before him and so exalted he was unworthy to unloose His shoe, the long-promised Christ and Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. In this he refused honor not his own and stood humbly to connect the law and the prophets with Christ, pointing all attention from himself to the Saviour.
The Delegation and Setting
This is the record of a formal deputation sent from Jerusalem by the Jews, the Jewish rulers and highest authority acting as the Sanhedrin. Priests and Levites were sent as messengers and as a deputy to put the question to John, and they questioned him while a crowd listened. The inquiry came because his public ministry had drawn wide attention and created great agitation, calling whole cities and towns to hear his warning. Multitudes followed him from place to place, many sacrificed all to obey him, and even kings and nobles heard him gladly. The Sanhedrin regarded him as a public teacher subject to its jurisdiction though he had not sought its approval, demanded his authority to claim attention and to teach and baptize, and feared a possible uprising, a concern shared also by the Roman rulers.
This belongs to the beginning of John's work, a period of intense interest. At the time he was preaching and baptizing at Bethabara beyond Jordan. Crowds gathered wondering if God would again deliver Israel by a mighty display of power, and the memory of Israel crossing the Jordan and the overthrow of Jericho made his message especially stirring.
Their question, Who art thou, challenged him to say certainly whether he was the Messiah, Elijah, or that prophet. That prophet meant Moses, whom the Jews expected to be raised from the dead and taken to heaven, not knowing Moses had already been resurrected. Suspicion fell on John because he showed thorough knowledge of the prophecies and of Hebrew history and wilderness wanderings. The wonderful events of his birth to Zacharias — the angel visitation in the temple, the loss of speech for unbelief, and its restoration at his birth — were recalled after being measurably forgotten for thirty years. His unselfish life of humility and self-denial and his fervent, sincere, courageous teaching led many to think he might be the Coming One. They had studied only one side of prophecy and looked only for a mighty prince and worldly conqueror to work powerfully for them.
John's Answer and Witness
When asked who he was, John answered plainly and earnestly, confessing that he was not the Christ and denying that he was Elijah and denying that he was that prophet. That prophet meant Moses, whom those questioning him expected to be raised from the dead and taken to heaven. He identified himself instead as the voice of one crying in the wilderness to make straight the way of the Lord, as Isaiah had foretold. Like a herald sent ahead in eastern countries to clear obstructions so a king could travel safely without hindrance, he had come to prepare the way before the Lord.
He used the questioning to cut off hope centered on himself and to direct attention away from himself to One mightier than himself. That One was already standing among them unknown, coming after him yet preferred before him, and John's work and mission were so exalted by comparison that he was unworthy even to stoop to unloose His shoe's latchet. He identified Jesus as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. His earnest answer left no doubt he meant the long-promised Christ and gave a decided and unequivocal message that the Messiah was present.
The messengers were disappointed and turned away because they had not received the answer they wanted. Jesus' plain clothing and lack of worldly greatness did not match their expectation of a worldly conqueror, though His face showed dignity, power, compassion, and love. In this John refused honor that did not belong to him. He did not turn aside to court favor or applause and did not aspire to worldly honor or dignity, but was humble in heart and life.
He stood as God's representative to connect the law and the prophets with the Christian dispensation, pointing back to the law and the prophets and forward to Christ as Saviour of the world. When he saw attention turning to himself as the Coming One he used every opportunity to turn it from himself to Christ and to One mightier than himself. The verse begins the record of John's witness that leads to the finding of the Messias in John 1:19-51. His mission was to prepare the way for Jesus and testify that He is the Christ, the Son of God.
The people of Jerusalem and Judea heard his preaching and testimony about Jesus, and the rulers heard it through this deputy. The rulers had accepted John as a prophet and rejoiced in his message for a time, so rejecting Jesus while resisting John's testimony exposed their inconsistency. Jesus later recalled John's witness not because He depended on human testimony but to help them recognize their blindness and be saved.
This is the formal inquiry sent from Jerusalem by the Jewish rulers as the highest authority, who dispatched priests and Levites to question John before the listening crowd about who he claimed to be. They came because his preaching and baptizing at Bethabara had stirred wide attention and drawn multitudes, and they demanded by what authority he taught and baptized and whether he was the Messiah, Elijah, or the expected prophet like Moses. John answered plainly that he was none of those, but only the voice foretold by Isaiah sent as a herald to make straight the way of the Lord. He used their questioning to turn hope away from himself to One mightier already standing unknown among them, preferred before him and so exalted he was unworthy to unloose His shoe, the long-promised Christ and Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. In this he refused honor not his own and stood humbly to connect the law and the prophets with Christ, pointing all attention from himself to the Saviour.
The Delegation and Setting
This is the record of a formal deputation sent from Jerusalem by the Jews, the Jewish rulers and highest authority acting as the Sanhedrin. Priests and Levites were sent as messengers and as a deputy to put the question to John, and they questioned him while a crowd listened. The inquiry came because his public ministry had drawn wide attention and created great agitation, calling whole cities and towns to hear his warning. Multitudes followed him from place to place, many sacrificed all to obey him, and even kings and nobles heard him gladly. The Sanhedrin regarded him as a public teacher subject to its jurisdiction though he had not sought its approval, demanded his authority to claim attention and to teach and baptize, and feared a possible uprising, a concern shared also by the Roman rulers.
This belongs to the beginning of John's work, a period of intense interest. At the time he was preaching and baptizing at Bethabara beyond Jordan. Crowds gathered wondering if God would again deliver Israel by a mighty display of power, and the memory of Israel crossing the Jordan and the overthrow of Jericho made his message especially stirring.
Their question, Who art thou, challenged him to say certainly whether he was the Messiah, Elijah, or that prophet. That prophet meant Moses, whom the Jews expected to be raised from the dead and taken to heaven, not knowing Moses had already been resurrected. Suspicion fell on John because he showed thorough knowledge of the prophecies and of Hebrew history and wilderness wanderings. The wonderful events of his birth to Zacharias — the angel visitation in the temple, the loss of speech for unbelief, and its restoration at his birth — were recalled after being measurably forgotten for thirty years. His unselfish life of humility and self-denial and his fervent, sincere, courageous teaching led many to think he might be the Coming One. They had studied only one side of prophecy and looked only for a mighty prince and worldly conqueror to work powerfully for them.
John's Answer and Witness
When asked who he was, John answered plainly and earnestly, confessing that he was not the Christ and denying that he was Elijah and denying that he was that prophet. That prophet meant Moses, whom those questioning him expected to be raised from the dead and taken to heaven. He identified himself instead as the voice of one crying in the wilderness to make straight the way of the Lord, as Isaiah had foretold. Like a herald sent ahead in eastern countries to clear obstructions so a king could travel safely without hindrance, he had come to prepare the way before the Lord.
He used the questioning to cut off hope centered on himself and to direct attention away from himself to One mightier than himself. That One was already standing among them unknown, coming after him yet preferred before him, and John's work and mission were so exalted by comparison that he was unworthy even to stoop to unloose His shoe's latchet. He identified Jesus as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. His earnest answer left no doubt he meant the long-promised Christ and gave a decided and unequivocal message that the Messiah was present.
The messengers were disappointed and turned away because they had not received the answer they wanted. Jesus' plain clothing and lack of worldly greatness did not match their expectation of a worldly conqueror, though His face showed dignity, power, compassion, and love. In this John refused honor that did not belong to him. He did not turn aside to court favor or applause and did not aspire to worldly honor or dignity, but was humble in heart and life.
He stood as God's representative to connect the law and the prophets with the Christian dispensation, pointing back to the law and the prophets and forward to Christ as Saviour of the world. When he saw attention turning to himself as the Coming One he used every opportunity to turn it from himself to Christ and to One mightier than himself. The verse begins the record of John's witness that leads to the finding of the Messias in John 1:19-51. His mission was to prepare the way for Jesus and testify that He is the Christ, the Son of God.
The people of Jerusalem and Judea heard his preaching and testimony about Jesus, and the rulers heard it through this deputy. The rulers had accepted John as a prophet and rejoiced in his message for a time, so rejecting Jesus while resisting John's testimony exposed their inconsistency. Jesus later recalled John's witness not because He depended on human testimony but to help them recognize their blindness and be saved.