Sermon Notes: John 1:19-34 (I Am Not, but He Is)

Please turn to the Gospel of John, chapter 1.

We’ll be considering verses 19-34 this morning.

As you are turning there, let me say that the Gospel of John is a beautiful literary work. Greek scholars marvel at its elegance. Its words are simple, yet it has a depth of poetic beauty in how its themes are interwoven.

And because of that, the Gospel of John speaks to both those with little or no background in the Christian faith as well as to those who have studied the Scriptures their whole lives.

· On one level, the apostle John makes clear who Jesus is, what he has done, and why it matters.

· And on another level, we are given profound theological insights in a rich literary form.

We’ll continue to see that as we work our way through the book.

As I read, you will hear about John in these verses. This is referring to John the Baptist, not the apostle.

Reading of John 1:19-34.

Back in first grade, I was asked to give the opening comments for our first-grade play. That involved standing in front of the big curtain. I had a script which welcomed everyone, thanked the teachers, and gave a brief highlight of what they were about to see.

The drama teacher told me multiple times to talk slowly and to keep my hands out of my pockets. Which of course, I forgot to do. But nonetheless, I did my part, and then the curtain opened and the play began.

Well, the opening 18 verses of John’s Gospel are like the prologue to a play. They set the stage for what is to come. We’re given the book’s background and themes and we’re introduced to the main character.

As we’ve studied, verses 1-18 speak of Christ’s divine nature as creator and as the light of the world. We were also introduced to John the Baptist who bore witness to the light. We were told of what it means to believe. And then last week, we learned that the Word of God has come to us in the flesh, in the person of Jesus. And when he came, God displayed his glory and grace.

All of that was introductory. And as we now get to verse 19, the curtain opens. We don’t just hear about Jesus, but we are given story after story of his life and ministry.

To say it in another way, verses 1-18 are the theological treatise for the book… and verses 19 to the very end are the historical witness of the book. John makes the upfront argument that Jesus is God in the flesh and that salvation is found in him, and then from verse 19 on, he shows us that this is true by showing us Jesus’ life and ministry.

Speaking of a prologue, that was my prologue for this sermon.

Two points this morning. You can see them in your bulletin.

Point number 1: I am not

…and point number 2: But he is

I am not, but he is.

John the Baptist very clearly states that he is not the Christ, but he, that is Jesus, is.

1. I Am Not

So, #1. I am not.

Let me begin with a little context. It mentions here that John the Baptist was in the town of Bethany… specifically it’s just beyond the Jordan River. This is a different town than the other Bethany which was near Jerusalem just over the Mount of Olives. This one was much farther away. It would have taken a day or two to travel there by foot.

And in Bethany, John had attracted a crowd and a following. And one of the things he was doing was baptizing.

Well, despite the distance, that caused a stir in Jerusalem. News reached the ears of the Jewish leaders, and so, as we read, they sent a delegate. They had two main questions: who are you? (verse 19) and why are you baptizing (verse 25)?

John does answer both questions, but he does it in a way that redirects them away from himself and to Christ.

I learned something interesting this week. There are people today who believe that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet. They not only venerate John the Baptist, you know, worship him in a way… but they also reject Jesus as the Messiah. Now, it’s a relatively small group, several thousand. They live on the border of modern day Iraq and Iran. Their recorded history goes back to the 300s, so they’ve been around a while. And it’s very possible that their roots go all the way back to the 1st century when this book was written.

You see, one reason why the apostle John writes these things, is to make absolutely clear (1) who John the Baptist was and wasn’t and (2) who Jesus is. And he quotes John the Baptist’s words.

· He was not the prophet Elijah. Yes, he came in the spirit of Elijah – but he was not Elijah in the flesh. The Jews expected Elijah to return.

· He also makes clear that he was not “the prophet.” That is likely a reference to Moses or even the greater Prophet who was to come after Moses, namely Christ. John denies that as well.

But most importantly, in verse 20 – he states unequivocally that he is not the Christ. He is not the promised Savior who was to come. In the Greek, it’s the phrase “ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ὁ χριστός.” I am not the Christ. By the way, “ἐγὼ εἰμὶ” in the Greek is the phrase “I am.” It’s the same Greek words that Jesus used in his “I am” statements throughout the book. I am the light of the world. I am the vine. I am the great shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, etc.

And so when John the Baptist says he is not the Christ, it is in part setting up the rest of the narrative in the book. Who is Jesus? He is the Christ - the promised Savior.

A few years ago, a friend of mine passed away. He had a sudden heart attack. He was a single guy in his 40s, so he wasn’t that old. Vocationally he was a nurse, but interestingly he had also been to seminary. He was a great guy. He loved to participate in ministry and mission work including medical missions. He also had a great Scottish accent. He was originally from the Isle of Skye.

As one of his pastors I went to the funeral home shortly after they received his body. I was there with a close friend of his. And I learned something about him that I didn’t know before. On his chest, he had a tatoo. It was a Greek phrase. “ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ὁ χριστός.” I am not the Christ.

You see, he had been so moved by this verse in John 1, that he wanted to remind himself each day in the mirror who he was not and to whom he should direct people. He was not the Christ… he was not his own savior nor a savior for others, but he had a savior who has come.

That is what John the Baptist was doing in these verses. He was redirecting people away from himself and to Jesus.

I count 6 times in these verses where John redirects people away from himself and to Christ. No, I am not him but let me tell you and show you who he is.

A couple of examples are found in his further answers to the delegation. By the way, they were very persistent, as we read. They asked him, ok, then if you are not Elijah nor the prophet nor Christ, then who are you and why are you baptizing?

· First, John answers who he was. He quotes the prophet Isaiah. He says, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” You see, Isaiah had prophesied that one would come. This prophet’s very purpose was to prepare the way for the Messiah. John was saying that he is that one. His whole ministry was to direct people to Christ. It was to prepare the people for the arrival of the Lord.

· And second, John answered why he was baptizing. His answer also revealed Christ. Verse 31 makes that clear. John said, “I came baptizing with water that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Here’s what that means. John’s baptism was about calling people to repentance and warning them about judgment. The water symbolized the cleansing that they needed. It showed them that they needed God to truly cleanse them… and it reminded them that a Savior was promised who would bear their judgment.

By the way, this is why we don’t connect John’s baptism with the baptism that Jesus established.

· #1, John’s baptism was a ceremonial cleansings from the old covenant. That’s why the delegate was asking him why he was baptizing since he was not Elijah nor the prophet.

· #2. John’s baptism was not done in the name of Jesus nor the Trinity as Jesus directed. It was very different.

· #3 …perhaps the clearest reason. In the book of Acts, chapter 19, some of John the Baptists disciples were living in Ephesus. They had only been baptized into John’s baptism. The apostle Paul explained to them that John’s baptism was only a baptism of repentance. So, John’s disciples were then baptized into Jesus’ baptism – that is, into the new covenant baptism in Jesus’ name.

To say it again, John’s baptism was to prepare the people’s hearts for the coming of Christ. They needed to see their need for a Savior and repent.

Ok, to summarize main point #1: John’s identity in these verses is directly related to Christ, both in the negative and the positive. The negative - I am not him. And the positive - the very purpose of my life is to point people to him.

And point to him, he does.

2. But He Is

Which bring us to #2. But He Is

John is not the Christ, as he says, and implicit in that statement is that the one to whom John directs people is the Christ.

Look at verse 29. This is a new subsection. We read that it’s now the very next day. The previous day, John had been answering the delegation about who he was not and that his purpose was to direct people to the Lord. But now, Jesus has come to John. And with absolute clarity, John gives witness to who Jesus is.

Look how John describes Jesus in 29. He says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Remember, the apostle John’s primary audience was Jewish. When they read or heard this, they would have no questions about its meaning. Jesus is identified as the sacrificial lamb, whom God sent to atone for the sin of the world.

Sacrificing lambs had been part of their annual Passover celebration. Back when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, the very last command that God gave them was to sacrifice a lamb. They were to put its blood over their doorpost. And if they did that, the angel of death would pass over them and spare their firstborn. And the angel did spare them. But the Egyptians were not spared. And so Pharaoh released the Israelites from their bondage.

Every year they were to celebrate their deliverance from Egypt by sacrificing a lamb. It was both a remembrance of God’s deliverance out of Egypt, and a foreshadowing of the deliverance from sin that God would accomplish for them through the Messiah.

So here, John the Baptist testifies that Jesus is that sacrificial Lamb – He’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…

Now, you may be asking, Why is a Lamb of God needed? Why a sacrifice? That is a critical question.

As we work our way through the book, the answer will become clear. But in the meantime, let me try to briefly answer.

You see, in the heart of each and every human is a rebellion against God and against our fellow man. We see and experience this every day. We see and experience deceit, and anger, and betrayal. Evil exists in many forms – oppression, rape, and murder. And truthfully, if we just search our own hearts, we know our own selfishness and bitterness and desires for that which is not ours. All of those things fall under Scripture’s category of sin.

Over the years, I’ve had conversations with friends and family about the truth of Christianity. They’ve brought up good questions. For example, they’ve asked, if God really exists or if Christianity is really true, then why is there so much evil in the world. It’s a very important question. I’ve usually respond that Christianity’s view of the world includes a very clear understanding of evil and sin.

I believe Christianity is true, in part, because it answers the questions of evil… it answers other life questions as well like meaning and morality and existence… including the difficult things in life and our rebellious hearts.

Sometimes that will be followed up with the question. But if God is as you say he is, then why doesn’t he do anything about it? About the evil and sin…

He has. He’s sent a Lamb. And that Lamb is Christ, and as John the Baptist says in verse 34, he is the Son of God. He sacrificed himself to deliver us not from the bondage of Egypt, but from the bondage of sin and the corruption of the world.

The reason that a sacrifice was necessary goes all the way back to the beginning of the Bible. The very first command that God gave was to not eat of that which was forbidden. And the consequence of doing so was death.

We cannot escape the consequences of sin. Those consequences include death and separation from God and his judgment. But God sent his Lamb to be sacrificed on our behalf. As the author of Hebrews puts it, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.

And so, when John sees Jesus, he calls him the Lamb of God and as the Son of God. John furthermore testifies that even though he came before Jesus, yet Jesus ranked before him because Jesus was before him. John had said earlier that he was not even worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals. That was one of the most lowly of jobs reserved for a servant. John was saying that he wasn’t even worthy to do that. Jesus’ worthiness so far exceeds our unworthiness. Yet he has come to us.

Let me note one more thing about John’s testimony. These verses say that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, but Jesus’ baptism is a baptism of the heart. By the way, this is talking about true baptism – not the outward sign like you saw earlier this morning, but baptism of the heart when we receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ. And the reason that we can receive the Spirit of God from Christ, is because God’s Spirit remains on Christ.

Did you notice that phrase used twice? The Holy Spirit descended and remained on him. It indicates God the Father anointing Jesus as King. In the Old Testament, God’s Spirit would rest upon God’s anointed kings. But God’s Spirt would leave when that King departed from God’s way, like he did for King Saul. That is why King David prayed in Psalm 51, Lord, take not your Holy Spirit from me. In other words, do not remove your hand of Spiritual blessing on my kingship. May your Spirit remain on me as king of your people despite my sin. By the way, this Holy Spirit anointing of kings is different from the Spirit’s work in the hearts of believers… old and new. I just want to be clear about that.

What John the Baptist was witnessing in verses 32-34 was God the Father anointing his Son through his Spirit. When it says that God’s Spirit remained on Jesus, it was indicating Jesus’ eternal kingship. Next week we’ll see that title King given to him.

And let me mention one more thing about chapter 1. Every single title for Jesus in the entire book of John is introduced in chapter 1. Jesus is the Word of God. He is Christ, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Messiah, He is Rabbi (which means Teacher), King of Israel, and the Son of Man. Some of those we’ll come across next week.

In other words, this whole chapter bears witness to who Jesus is. Besides John the Baptist and the apostle John, God the Father and the Holy Spirit also bear witness to him.

He is the Christ - Lamb of God and Son of God who takes away the sin of the world.

I am not, but he Is.

Application and Conclusion

In Southern California, there’s a very interesting solar power facility. It’s in the Mojave Desert. It’s different because it does not use a single solar panel. No, instead, this facility uses mirrors that direct the rays of the sun to central boilers. The boilers are super-heated by the sunlight reflected off of the mirrors. That causes the water boil, which creates steam, which then turns turbines, and which then generates power.

There are 347,000 mirrors there. And as the sun moves across the sky, they all reposition themselves to keep the light shining on one place.

Friends, you and I are not the Christ. No, but we are to reflect him and direct others to him. Like John the Baptist, we are to believe the Lamb of God for others to see. We are to testify that he has come to take away the sin of the world. We are to exalt Christ, witnessing to him in all the ways highlighted here.

We are in a sense to be like mirrors that direct others to Jesus. And when we all work in concert, God is glorified and Christ is exalted. When people see us individually, they see him. And when people see a church whose members reflect Christ, they will see him.

I would argue that our number one responsibility is to show forth Christ. It’s tempting to have our number one focus be on other things. I am not saying that we should not have careers or serve our communities in different ways or have opinions about important matters. But if any of that puts the spotlight on us rather than Christ or if it overshadows our witness to him, then we are not fulfilling our responsibility to reveal him.

So, May we each recognize that we are not our own savior, nor the savior of others. We are not the Christ… but Jesus is. May we, like John, direct others to him, the Lamb of God, who is the Son of God and Savior of the world. Amen