Lesson for February 23, 2025

The Book of John

Lesson 4

John 1:19-28

Verses 19-20

^“This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ And he confessed and did not deny; and this is what he confessed: ‘I am not the Christ.’” 

The delegation that was sent to investigate John the Baptist and his message were made up of priests and Levites, who are said to be Pharisees in verse 24. They were sent by the Sanhedrin (Jewish religious establishment) to bring back a report. The question they asked, and the answer John gave, indicated what these Pharisees really wanted to know. The real question was whether John the Baptist was the Messiah (or at least claiming to be).

Verse 20-23

“And so, they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ And he said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Make the way of the Lord straight,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.’”

Second, they asked John the Baptist if he was Elijah, trying to establish who he claimed to be. Elijah is the person who will announce the Second Coming of Christ, according to Malachi 4:4-6. They were trying to trip him up so they could declare him a lunatic.

Third, they asked John the Baptist if he was “the Prophet,” prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:15,18 by Moses. Moses was actually prophesying about Christ Who would come the first time as a human, bringing the message of salvation to the world. These Jews, who did not understand who “the Prophet” would be were obviously trying to trap John into claiming to be someone he wasn’t.

They can’t return to Jerusalem and report a failure to identify John. His appearance was rough and, most likely, not what they thought the Messiah or any messenger from God would look and act like. For this reason, they wanted to discredit him as being from God.

Actually, John the Baptist was the son of Zachariah, a priest. This meant that John the Baptist was born into the priestly line, and he could have been a priest. However, God had a different, more important ministry for John the Baptist, which we know was announcing the imminent coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Make the way of the Lord straight,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”  John made it very clear that he was merely a messenger sent by God to introduce the Savior to the world. The authority for his ministry came directly from God, not some Jewish school of theology. He was not a Jewish priest, not a Pharisee, he was God’s faithful servant sent to accomplish a task, as prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3) The Greek word forstraight is “euthuno,” meaning to direct a ship by the steersman. Make the way of the Lord straight means to prepare Christ’s path by preaching faith in the coming Messiah.

Verses 24-28

^“And the messengers had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, and said to him, ‘Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’John answered them, saying, ‘I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy even to untie the strap of His sandal.’ These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing people.”

And the messengers had been sent from the Pharisees. These Jewish religious leaders were Pharisees and Sadducees who only wanted to continue the interrogation of John the Baptist but had no desire to be baptized themselves. So, John called them out for depending on their heritage as Jews for eternal life, as recorded in Matthew 3:7-9, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore, produce fruit consistent with repentance; and do not assume that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God is able, from these stones, to raise up children for Abraham.”

In order to understand John’s baptism, we must understand the purpose of water baptism. Baptism began many years before John began his ministry. The Jews had used bathing in water as a ritual cleansing ceremony. (Leviticus 14:1–4, 8–9; 15:4, 6–11, 13, 16–22, 27; Numbers 19:7) John the Baptist took the ritual of baptism and used it for identification with faith in the coming Messiah. Many believed John’s message and were baptized by him. (Matthew 3:5–6)

In Matthew 3:11, the purpose of John’s baptism is stated, “I baptize you with water for repentance.”Paul confirmed this in Acts 19:4, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” John’s baptism of repentance meant that a person was changing their mind and believing John’s message regarding Christ, the coming Messiah.

The word for baptize is the Greek word “baptizo,” and means to dip or submerge. It was used to describe the dyeing of a garment or the drawing of wine by dipping the cup into the bowl. Since John the Baptist and Jesus used the word to describe water baptism as submersion, the accurate interpretation of the word baptism is to submerge for the purpose of identification. 

When a person trusts Christ as Savior, they are positionally “submerged” into the body of Christ. This, of course, is speaking of positional truth, signifying our union with Christ, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Water baptism is for believers only and has always been a picture of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Submersion into water pictures how believers become united with Christ. (Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 4:4-5)

There are seven baptisms in the Scripture, water baptism is but one of them, and they are all for the purpose of identification. For believers in Christ, water baptism is for identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. In the early church, before the Canon of Scripture was completed, water baptism was used as a teaching aid to teach the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit was prophesied by both John the Baptist and Jesus. This prophesy was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, which occurred fifty days after Christ ascended, when the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit began. This event marked the beginning of the Church Age. Therefore, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is for the Church Age believers only. 

According to I Corinthians 12:13, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the means of placing believers into union with Christ. The baptism of the Holy Spirit assures believers of sharing Christ’s inheritance. This inheritance includes becoming a member of the Royal Family of God. We actually share Christ’s royalty, a royalty He received by defeating Satan on the Cross. Christ won this victory by His spiritual death, His physical death, His resurrection, His ascension and His session at the right hand of God the Father. Because of our union with Christ, we are different from believers of other ages. (Matthew 3:11; Acts 1:5; 2:4; 11:15-17; Colossians 2:9-15)

The baptism of the Holy Spirit results in a union which never existed for believers before the Church Age. This union with Christ is unique and sets up many potentials for believers. Being placed in union with Christ is called Positional Sanctification. Positional Sanctification describes our new relationship with God through Christ. It is a permanent relationship based on our faith in Christ and never changes, regardless of the quality of a believer’s spiritual status. The baptism of the Holy Spirit, therefore, sets up the potential for believers to make their daily experiences align with their position in Christ. This means that we are to exhibit the character of Jesus Christ on a daily basis, by means of the power of the Holy Spirit Who is indwelling us. (John 14:20; I Corinthians 12:12-27; Galatians 5:22-23)

I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy even to untie the strap of His sandal.’ John was baptizing people to identify them as believers in the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. We must remember that the four Gospels are accounts of Christ in Hypostatic Union. This period can be thought of as a transitional dispensation, though it is a part of the Age of Israel. Many who believed in Christ during this period went from the dispensation of Israel into the dispensation of the Church. The message that John preached was to believe in Christ and enter the kingdom of God, as a result. The water baptism that John performed was identification with the Kingdom of God, a spiritual kingdom, made up of all believers from all dispensations.