Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
A deputation of priests and Levites sent from Jerusalem by the Sanhedrin and Jewish rulers demanded a definite answer from John about who he was to carry back to those who sent them, after he denied that he was the Christ, Elijah, or that prophet like Moses. The inquiry was prompted by his growing influence as whole cities and Jerusalem with the surrounding region came to hear his warning, and the leaders sought his authority for turning the world upside down. He was preaching and baptizing at Bethabara beyond Jordan, where memories of Israel's crossing and the fall of Jericho stirred hopes that God would again deliver Israel. In answer he identified himself only as the voice calling in the wilderness to prepare the Lord's way like a path cleared before a monarch, connecting the law and the prophets with the Christian dispensation and directing the people away from himself to Christ whose mission as Saviour of the world was far greater. His testimony presented at that inquiry identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God and Redeemer, whom the rulers for a season rejoiced in through John's light but then rejected with John himself when Jesus appeared plain and humble instead of as the great conqueror they expected.
Setting and Question
The question was put by a deputation of priests and Levites, a deputy sent from Jerusalem by the highest authority, the Sanhedrin and the Jewish rulers. They came to investigate John as a public teacher under their jurisdiction, though he had not sought their sanction or approval. They demanded a definite, certain statement of who he was, that they might carry back an answer to those who sent them.
The inquiry was prompted by John's growing influence and the great agitation he was creating. Whole cities and towns, and Jerusalem with the surrounding region, came to listen to his voice of warning, so that he was said to be turning the world upside down. The leaders sought his authority for this work.
The setting was his preaching and baptizing at Bethabara beyond the Jordan. There memories of Israel's crossing of the Jordan and the fall of Jericho stirred hopes that God would again deliver Israel.
The question followed his denial that he was the Christ, Elijah, or that prophet like Moses. It pressed him to state his identity and mission, to say what he said of himself. It arose because the people thought he might be the Coming One, while they expected a Messiah who would come as a great conqueror.
John's Answer and Witness
Pressed to give a definite statement of who he was, John answered that he was not the Christ, not Elijah, and not that Prophet, but the voice calling in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. The question itself was the demand of the priests and Levites for an identity they could carry back to those who sent them, and his reply met it with this self-identification as the preparer rather than the Coming One. He illustrated that office by the image of a path cleared before a monarch's journey, made ready for the Lord's coming. His prophetic work stood at the junction of the law and the prophets with the Christian dispensation, looking back to the former and pointing forward to Christ the Light. Instead of accepting attention for himself when men thought he might be the Coming One, he turned the people away from himself to Christ, whose mission was far greater than his own. He directed them to Christ as the mightier Saviour of the world.
The testimony given in connection with this inquiry identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God and Redeemer of the world. It defined John's own mission as solely to prepare the way for Him. That witness was heard not by the people only but by a deputation from the Sanhedrin, so that Israel's leaders with the people were given an early opportunity to hear who Jesus was during the Judean ministry when Jerusalem and the surrounding region heard John preach. For a season those rulers accepted John as a prophet of God and rejoiced in his light and message. Their deputy brought back his report of the baptism of Jesus and the wonderful manifestations of God at that time.
Their question had arisen from expectation of a Messiah who would come as a great conqueror, and because Jesus appeared plain and humble and did not fit that expectation, they turned from Him in disappointment. In rejecting Jesus they also rejected John whom they had received with joy. That course exposed their blindness and inconsistency.
A deputation of priests and Levites sent from Jerusalem by the Sanhedrin and Jewish rulers demanded a definite answer from John about who he was to carry back to those who sent them, after he denied that he was the Christ, Elijah, or that prophet like Moses. The inquiry was prompted by his growing influence as whole cities and Jerusalem with the surrounding region came to hear his warning, and the leaders sought his authority for turning the world upside down. He was preaching and baptizing at Bethabara beyond Jordan, where memories of Israel's crossing and the fall of Jericho stirred hopes that God would again deliver Israel. In answer he identified himself only as the voice calling in the wilderness to prepare the Lord's way like a path cleared before a monarch, connecting the law and the prophets with the Christian dispensation and directing the people away from himself to Christ whose mission as Saviour of the world was far greater. His testimony presented at that inquiry identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God and Redeemer, whom the rulers for a season rejoiced in through John's light but then rejected with John himself when Jesus appeared plain and humble instead of as the great conqueror they expected.
Setting and Question
The question was put by a deputation of priests and Levites, a deputy sent from Jerusalem by the highest authority, the Sanhedrin and the Jewish rulers. They came to investigate John as a public teacher under their jurisdiction, though he had not sought their sanction or approval. They demanded a definite, certain statement of who he was, that they might carry back an answer to those who sent them.
The inquiry was prompted by John's growing influence and the great agitation he was creating. Whole cities and towns, and Jerusalem with the surrounding region, came to listen to his voice of warning, so that he was said to be turning the world upside down. The leaders sought his authority for this work.
The setting was his preaching and baptizing at Bethabara beyond the Jordan. There memories of Israel's crossing of the Jordan and the fall of Jericho stirred hopes that God would again deliver Israel.
The question followed his denial that he was the Christ, Elijah, or that prophet like Moses. It pressed him to state his identity and mission, to say what he said of himself. It arose because the people thought he might be the Coming One, while they expected a Messiah who would come as a great conqueror.
John's Answer and Witness
Pressed to give a definite statement of who he was, John answered that he was not the Christ, not Elijah, and not that Prophet, but the voice calling in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. The question itself was the demand of the priests and Levites for an identity they could carry back to those who sent them, and his reply met it with this self-identification as the preparer rather than the Coming One. He illustrated that office by the image of a path cleared before a monarch's journey, made ready for the Lord's coming. His prophetic work stood at the junction of the law and the prophets with the Christian dispensation, looking back to the former and pointing forward to Christ the Light. Instead of accepting attention for himself when men thought he might be the Coming One, he turned the people away from himself to Christ, whose mission was far greater than his own. He directed them to Christ as the mightier Saviour of the world.
The testimony given in connection with this inquiry identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God and Redeemer of the world. It defined John's own mission as solely to prepare the way for Him. That witness was heard not by the people only but by a deputation from the Sanhedrin, so that Israel's leaders with the people were given an early opportunity to hear who Jesus was during the Judean ministry when Jerusalem and the surrounding region heard John preach. For a season those rulers accepted John as a prophet of God and rejoiced in his light and message. Their deputy brought back his report of the baptism of Jesus and the wonderful manifestations of God at that time.
Their question had arisen from expectation of a Messiah who would come as a great conqueror, and because Jesus appeared plain and humble and did not fit that expectation, they turned from Him in disappointment. In rejecting Jesus they also rejected John whom they had received with joy. That course exposed their blindness and inconsistency.