The Gospel of John: John 1.29-34

Read and meditate on John 1.33.
As we have seen, the question of authority will loom large in the Gospel of John. The authorities that were in power in Jesus’ day – both religious and civil – would find their authority challenged, to the point of taking drastic measure to shore it up. Those who claim the authority of God for their message had better be sure of this.

                                      ³³I knew Him not
until that moment, but I had been taught
by Him Who sent me here to baptize, “On
the One you see the Holy Spirit come,
descending and remaining on Him, He
will baptize with the Holy Spirit.”

- John 1.33

Reflect
1.  John knew God had taught him about Jesus. He based his work on the authority of God, and committed his life to God’s calling, because he trusted the Word of God completely. Ultimately, this would cost John his life (Matt. 14.1-12). How can we become similarly convinced of what God testifies to in His Word? Complete this prayer: Strengthen me, Lord, to trust in Your Word, even when…

2.  John recognized Jesus because of what God had revealed to him. Jot down some Old Testament passages that point clearly to Jesus – such as Micah 5.2. How, following John’s example, can we use such passages in our witness to Christ? I want to see You more consistently in all of Scripture, Lord. Help me today to…

3.  John said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. Jesus had the authority of God’s Word and Spirit for the work He would do. So do we. In baptism, water is applied as a symbol. In the new birth, the Spirit is applied, not merely symbolically, but really. Meditate on John 6.63, Galatians 4.6, John 14.16-18, and Acts 1.8. How do these passages help us understand what it means to be baptized by the Spirit? Whose work is this? Lord, let Your Spirit fill me more and more! Bring forth in me today, Lord…

4.  We note the emphasis again on the Holy Spirit remaining on Jesus. This signifies the coming of the Spirit in a more permanent and personal form than was normally the case prior to this time. The Spirit will descend into and remain with those whom Jesus baptizes with the Spirit. What difference should the Spirit’s presence in and with us make in how we understand our lives in the world? Lord, let me see with the eyes of Your Spirit, so that my life…

5.  We are belaboring this dramatic moment – the baptism of Jesus – because it heralds so much of everything else that will follow, both in the Gospel of John and in the unfolding of Christ’s redeeming work. It indicates a kind of spiritual authority that trumps all other authorities because of what God has spoken in His Word. Briefly comment on the ideas of preparation, proclamation, promise, and the presence of the Lord, as these apply to your own life and witness. Bring your prayers from questions 1-4 together into one prayer.

Summary
“The Father sent forth his voice proclaiming the Son, the Holy Spirit came upon him as well, focusing the voice upon the head of Christ … in order that no one present might think that what was said of Christ was said of John.… But someone might ask: How was it that the Jews did not believe, if they saw the Spirit? Such sights, however, require the mental vision rather than the bodily. If those who saw Christ working miracles were so drunk with malice that they denied what their own eyes had seen, how could the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove overcome their unbelief? Some say, however, that the sight was not visible to all, but only to John and those more disposed toward devotion. But even if the descent of the Spirit, as a dove, was visible to the outward eye, it does not follow that because all saw it, all understood it.” John Chrysostom (ca. 354-407 AD)

The Spirit of God is crucial to everything about the work of Christ. It was important to the apostle John to focus on the Spirit with Jesus, just as Jesus would focus on the coming of the Spirit for His Church toward the end of His earthly ministry. Do you think we place enough importance on the Holy Spirit in the Church today? Explain.

Closing Prayer
Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks proud things,
Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?”
“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the LORD;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”
The words of the Lord are pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
You shall keep them, O LORD,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.

Psalm 12.1-7

Psalm 12.5-7 (Hamburg: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross)
Rise up, O Lord, and rescue all Your precious children, sore distressed.
Save those who faithfully on You call; grant them deliv’rance, peace, and rest.

Your words are pure and proven true, like silver seven times refined;
You will preserve Your Word ever true, and keep the heart to You inclined.

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.