The Gospel of John: John 1.29-34

Read and meditate on John 1.32.
John testifies that the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus “like a dove.” This may mean in the form of a dove or like a dove as it lands. Did John see an actual dove? Or is this just a metaphor? It doesn’t really matter: John knew the Spirit when he saw Him.

             ³²John bore further witness saying, “I
saw when the Spirit of our God on high
descended on Him like a dove, and on
Him rested and remained.”

- John 1.32

Reflect
1.  Meditate on John 6.63. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism. What did this symbolize? How does it further confirm what John the apostle has already told us about the Word-become-flesh? According to Acts 1.8, what role does the Spirit have in our witness for Christ? How does that occur? Complete this prayer: Let Your Spirit fill me today, Lord, so that…

2.  In a very real sense, the Spirit bridges the gap between heaven and earth, God and people, eternity and time. Why was it important that this be signified concerning Jesus at the outset of His ministry? What does it indicate about the Word of God’s purpose in becoming a Man? Lord, I want to be more consistently filled with Your Spirit. Let me know Him today, Lord, filling me…

3.  John emphasized that the Spirit remained on Jesus – probably not in the form of a dove. How did the Holy Spirit relate to Israel in the Old Testament? Does this descent of the Spirit signal a difference? In what ways? How does Jesus’ coming make that difference happen? Today, Lord, I’ll know that Your Spirit remains with me as…

4.  John testified God had revealed to him about the descent of the Spirit. Look at Isaiah 42.1-9. Could John have been referring to a passage like this? Is it a good idea to look to the Old Testament to bolster our understanding of and witness to Jesus? Explain. The Spirit anointed You as the Lord’s Servant, Lord Jesus. Let Him anoint me today for…

5.  God revealed to John the coming of Jesus, partly by the Old Testament, and partly, we may assume, by revelation given to him in the wilderness. God told John what to look for in recognizing the coming of the Lamb and Son of God. Is your reading and study of Scripture helping you to gain a clearer understanding of what it means to be a witness to Jesus? Explain. Bring together into one prayer the prayers you wrote for questions 1-4.

Summary
“We do not attribute only to Christ the possession of a real body and say that the Holy Spirit assumed a false appearance to people’s eyes. For the Holy Spirit could no more, in consistency with his nature, deceive people than could the Son of God. The almighty God, who made every creature out of nothing, could as easily form a real body of a dove, without the instrumentality of other doves, as he made a real body in the womb of the Virgin without the seed of the male.” Augustine (354-430 AD)

Jesus’ baptism was not for the remission of sins, but “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3.13-15). By submitting to baptism, Jesus identified with the people of Israel (and the world) and took upon Himself their confession of sin. How does this point forward to the work Jesus came to do? What does our baptism say about us, our sin, and Jesus?

Closing Prayer
Vindicate me, O God,
And plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!
Let them lead me;
Let them bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your tabernacle.
Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And on the harp I will praise You,
O God, my God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 43

Psalm 43.1-4 (Hyfrydol: Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners!)
Vindicate me, Jesus plead for me! Make my case against my foes.
Rescue me, do not ignore me, God of strength, relieve my woes!
From deceitful men and spirits, from oppression, mourning sore –
Heed my prayer, receive and hear it, keep me to You forevermore.

Let Your light and truth precede me, bring me to Your holy hill.
To Your holy altar lead me, let me dwell within Your will.
Lord, my joy and consolation, You, Who grace to me impart,
Hear my joyful adoration; I will praise You from the heart.

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.