The Gospel of John: John 1.29-34

Read and meditate on John 1.31.
John the apostle chose just the words from John the Baptist that would give direction to his gospel. He didn’t tell us as much as some of the others gospel writers, but he told us as much as would help to keep us focused on Jesus and His mission, and their place in Scripture and the historic unfolding of God’s work of redemption.

                  ³¹And I knew Him not because
He was to be revealed to Israel. So
I came baptizing, that you all might know
Him.”

- John 1.31

Reflect
1.  John explains that he didn’t know Jesus as the Lamb of God until the moment He arrived to be baptized. John is the forerunner of Jesus, but he is also a kind of forerunner for Israel. Explain. Complete this prayer: Let me see Jesus in Your Word today, Father, so that others may see Jesus…

2.  The apostle John is going to show us how Jesus takes away the sin of the world. He did this by being first revealed to Israel. Why did it make sense for Jesus to be born in a place like Judea rather than in the imperial capital at Rome? How had God been preparing the Jewish people for the coming of the Lamb Who takes away the sin of the world? Lord, I know the Old Testament is rich with teaching about Jesus (Jn. 5.39). Help me, as I read it…

3.  It’s clear from John the Baptist that his baptizing was preparatory for the coming of Christ. But this is not the way we practice baptism in the Christian community. What is the purpose of baptism, if not to prepare us for Christ? Ask a pastor or church leader, if you don’t know. But does baptism still have a kind of preparatory role in Christian life? Explain. Lord, as I remember my own baptism, I…

4.  John says that, for anyone to recognize and acknowledge Jesus as the Lamb of God – to receive and believe in Him (Jn. 1.12) – He has to be revealed to them. What does he mean by that? How is Jesus revealed to people? How was He revealed to you? Can Jesus be clearly revealed to people without a work of God? Explain. Reveal more of Yourself to me today, O Lord, that I might be used to reveal You to…

5.  John the apostle will insist that his gospel is intended as a means whereby Jesus might be revealed to people as the Savior of the world (cf. Jn. 20.30, 31). Can we hope to point people to Jesus without using the Word of God in Scripture? Why not? Bring together into one prayer the prayers you wrote for questions 1-4.

Summary
“Eliezar sought Rebekah as a bride at a well of water. Jacob sought Rachel at a well of water, as Moses did so with Zipporah. Thus, all of these were types of the Lord, who sought his church as a bride by the baptism at the Jordan River. And just as Eliezar made Rebekah known to his master when he came to meet her in the field, so also John made our Savior known at the Jordan: ‘See, the Lamb of God, for he takes away the sin of the world.’” Ephrem the Syrian (fl. 363-373 AD)

Your Personal Mission Field is what the Jordan valley was to John the Baptist, and what Judea and Samaria were to our Lord Jesus during His incarnation. What are you learning from John about how you should work your Personal Mission Field?

Closing Prayer
When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
And we are glad.
Bring back our captivity, O LORD,
As the streams in the South.
Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
He who continually goes forth weeping,
Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,
Bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126

Psalm 126.1, 2, 6 (Truro: Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates)
When God restored our fortunes all,
We were like those who sweetly dream.
Our mouths with joy and laughter filled,
Made Him our constant song and theme.

They who in tears of sorrow sow
And cast their seed on ev’ry hand,
With joy shall reach their heav’nly home,
And bring the harvest of their land.

T. M. Moore

To learn more about working your Personal Mission Field, sign up for Mission Partners Outreach, a six-month online training program to help you identify and begin preparing the way to Jesus for the people to whom God sends you each day. The training is free, and you can go through it with a friend, right where you are. Click here to watch a brief video introducing this opportunity.

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, can show you how Jesus is central to all aspects of life in the world – and beyond! Our course is free, and you can study at your own pace, watching videos and using the free materials provided.

We are happy to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in our series on the Gospel of John by clicking here. Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

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.