The Gospel of John: John 1.19-28

Read and meditate on John 1.26-28.
John understood his baptism to be strictly preparatory. It had temporal significance only, as a sign pointing to One yet to come. Jesus would honor John’s work of baptism, as a sign and seal of the grace of God, by establishing it as a sacrament for all generations (cf. Matt. 28.18-20). John’s work of baptizing pointed to Christ and prepared the hearts of those who submitted to it for His coming. The work God has given us to do is intended for this same end.
                                                                                         ²⁶But
he answered, “I baptize with water. One
among you stands, Whom you have not begun
to know. ²⁷He’s coming after me, but He
must be preferred and honored more than me,
I am unworthy even to untie
His sandal.”

                            ²⁸These events all happened by
the Jordan River, near to Bethany.

- John 1.26-28

Reflect
1.  At first, it appears there is a disjunction between John’s opening statement and his reference to the coming One. He omits what Luke records in Luke 3.16. He will come to that a bit later, as he continues to unpack the Baptist’s witness to Christ (see v. 33). Can you see how even the way John the apostle phrases the Baptist’s response, he is pointing from himself and his work to Christ? Should our work do the same? Explain. Complete this prayer: Lord, today You have given me the work of…

2.  When John says that the One coming after him “is preferred before me,” what does he mean? In what sense is this also true of us? Lord, let my life lead others to prefer You. Help me today…

3.  John says that the coming One was “before” him. But John was six months older than Jesus (cf. Lk. 1.26, 39-41). In what sense was the coming One “before” John? Has the apostle John already prepared us to understand this? How? Lord, You are before all things! Today, in my life, be before…

4.  Commentators differ a bit on John’s reference to unloosing the sandal of the coming One. We may safely assume that this was a task assigned to servants, and may have been coupled with foot-washing (cf. Jn. 13.1-15). John was considered to be a great prophet, perhaps even Elijah or the Christ. But how did he regard himself – that is, how did he explain himself, with respect to the coming One. How does this instruct us? Lord I want to be Your servant, and to that end I’m willing…

5.  The mention of Bethany (in the Greek; in the NKJV, Bethabara) is one of many historical referents John will season throughout his gospel. He wants us to think in terms of real places, and to immerse us in those places, so that we enter his story more personally and truly. To this point as well, John has been speaking of events in the past tense, using two Greek tenses (aorist and imperfect) to describe the action. That will soon change. Beginning in verses 29 and 38, John will employ the present tense more consistently. This historical present use of the verbs is another way he tries to make the action real to his readers. When we talk about Jesus with others, do we talk only in terms of what He has done, or are we able to share freely concerning what He is doing now? Give some examples of the latter from your life. Bring together your prayers from questions 1-4 into a single prayer.

Summary
“John, who had no concern for the crowd’s opinion or anyone else’s opinion, which he would rather trample underfoot, proclaimed to all with an attractive kind of freedom the things about Christ. And therefore the Evangelist marks the very place, to show the boldness of the outspoken herald. For it was not in a house, not in a corner, not in the wilderness, but in the middle of the multitude. This was after he had made his presence known at the Jordan when all that were baptized by him were present (for the Jews came upon him as he was baptizing). It was here that he proclaimed aloud that wonderful confession concerning Christ, full of those sublime and great and mysterious doctrines.” John Chrysostom (344-407 AD)

The witness of John the Baptist provides a template or paradigm for all witness to the Lord. Our work and words point to Jesus. We seek nothing for ourselves, but only that the hearts of others might be readied for His coming. We do not occupy ourselves with what others might think, or worry about how they may try to intimidate or threaten us. We are called to a particular place and to the particular people God puts in our path. Our calling is to proclaim and point them to the King Who has come and is coming again. How’s that going in your life at this time?

Closing Prayer
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people,
And praise Him in the company of the elders.
He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into watersprings.
There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.

Psalm 107.31-37

Psalm 107.1-3, 33-38 (Faithfulness: Great is Thy Faithfulness)
You make the desert a river o’erflowing;
You make a wasted life fruitful and strong!
You bless the hungry with fields for the sowing;
Bless and increase us who to You belong!
  Lord, for Your wondrous works, and for Your steadfast love,
  We give You thanks, we exalt Your great Name!
  We who from east and west, north and south gather,
  Boldly redemption in Christ we proclaim!

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.