Even from the early pages of Genesis, it is clear that God must send one to redeem his people and, indeed, the entire created order. In the garden, God creates the cosmos and gives Adam rule over it. He is the king who has dominion. As the serpent comes into the garden and tempts Adam, one sees clearly that the serpent is a threat to Adam’s kingship. Yet Adam yields to the serpent’s temptation, sins, and surrenders dominion and kingship to the serpent. Therefore, from the point of the fall, the world is nothing less than enemy-occupied territory, and death reigns over it as Satan holds the created order in captivity through sin, guilt, and death.

Yet deliverance is promised as early as Genesis 3:15 as God says to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Thus, the context for salvation from the point of the fall will clearly be the anointed one of God (Christ, the King of the Jews) coming to conquer the serpent (the ruler of this age) and redeeming his creation for himself, ultimately to deliver the kingdom to the Father.

As you move forward through the Old Testament, this anointed one becomes more clearly seen. In Genesis 22, we see that God will provide a lamb, in Genesis 49 that he will be from the tribe of Judah, in Deuteronomy that he will be a prophet like Moses, in 2 Samuel that he will be David’s Son, the King of Israel, and in Isaiah 9 we see that he will be called, “Mighty God.”

Thus, the entire Old Testament then points one forward to looking to the one who would come, the Seed of the Woman, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the King of Israel, the Messiah. And when you come to the early pages of the Gospel of John, we find ourselves in first-century Palestine which was full of messianic expectations, and there is one who is introduced to us in these pages – Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.

Thus, John composes his gospel to tell us of this man, this God-man. He does not tell us everything he did, but what he does tell us is “written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31). Therefore, it is my hope over the next several weeks as we look through this book that we might grow in faith, that we might find ourselves believing, and indeed that all who fall under the reading and teaching of this gospel might have life in Christ.

In the first 18 verses of this book you have the prologue to the gospel, in which John announces that Jesus is God, God’s Son, and the one who is himself the revelation of God. In doing so, we know right from the outset who Jesus is and his significance for all things. Now, as we look at the rest of the first chapter we see John collecting evidence whereby Jesus is clearly proclaimed to be the anointed one, the one promised in the garden, the King of Israel, coming to redeem his people and to restore the kingdom to his Father. Therefore, let us see this morning the evidence in John 1:19-51 which declares that Jesus is indeed the Messiah of God.

John the Baptist bears witness that Jesus is indeed the Anointed One

As John begins his gospel, focusing on the prelude to Jesus’ public ministry, he shows that there is one who has been sent to bear witness that Jesus is the Christ. In this day when many were looking for the promised Messiah and there was a man (seemingly crazy) speaking of him, the Jews sent out a delegation to inquire of this man, to see who he was. His name was John the Baptist.

As they meet John, they ask him who he was. He denies that he’s the Christ, he denies that he’s Elijah (for God has promised in Malachi 4:5, “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes”), and he denies that he’s the prophet. He left no uncertain terms that he was none of these. However, he then confesses who he is, and by confessing this, he bears witness that Jesus is the promised one.

He confessed that he was the one heralding the return to the Lord in verse 23, as they asked him to give them an answer so as not to leave empty-handed, saying, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’” This is a quote from Isaiah 40:3, in which the prophet is calling for a preparation for the Israelites to return to Jerusalem from exile. And yet even then, as you read Isaiah 40-66, you see that there is an anticipation to something greater, eventually a new heaven and a new earth, Mt. Zion. Isaiah is pointing them to the reality, beginning in chapter 40 that God will redeem his people and bring them to himself, so they should make the path straight for the Lord himself coming to them. Thus, by John proclaiming that he is the one who makes that proclamation, he is making clear that the one he points to is indeed the one Isaiah called, “Mighty God.”

From there, John continues to bear witness to Jesus. The Pharisees move on from his statement in verse 23 to challenging his authority to baptize in verse 25. They ask him, “Why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” He answers, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie” (26-27). In saying this, John is making clear that he recognizes his authority to baptize comes from God but quickly demonstrates that his stature does not compare to the one they do not know, the one who is coming after him.

Again, this sets the stage that the one of whom he spoke is indeed the Christ. Thus, we see John bearing witness one last time in proclaiming in verses 29-30 that Jesus is indeed the one. The text reads: The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’’” He proclaims that Jesus is the Lamb, probably saying more than he was aware of, and points to Christ as the Lamb promised in Isaiah 53 and the Lamb triumphant in Revelation 7. Therefore, John says he is the one preparing the way for the Lord, says there is one coming after him who is greater than him, and finally points to a man, Jesus of Nazareth, proclaiming that he indeed is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Yet, John is not the only one who bears witness that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. God the Father bears witness of this truth as well.

The Father bears witness that Jesus is his Anointed One

By verse 31, we find that John is referring to having baptized Jesus, thus we see that this event has already transpired. However, we also get a glimpse as to how John knew that Jesus was the promised one. John writes, “I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. … I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Sprit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God” (31-34).

Therefore, the Father bears witness that Jesus is the Son of God by pouring out the Spirit and allowing his Spirit to remain on him.

Reading the Old Testament, it is clear that the Spirit remaining on him is a sign that he is the king, the anointed one. God had promised David he would not take away his Spirit from his promised descendant (2 Samuel 7). So now we see that the Spirit remains on him, and even as he takes our sin and bears the condemnation, even then God raising him from the dead is proof that he is the one. Therefore, on the day of Pentecost, one of the chief signs is that having been raised from the dead, he now pours out his Spirit on them, obviously still having the Spirit (Acts 2:32-36), unlike Saul, from whom God took his Spirit. Thus, this is a declaration that Jesus is the anointed one. He is God’s Son. He is the King of Israel.

Yet, even others bear witness to this truth in this chapter.

Others bear witness that he is the Holy One

As John says again in pointing to Christ, “Behold the Lamb of God!” two disciples understand that John’s mission is to point other to the Christ that they might follow him, and they do. One of these is named Andrew, who goes to his brother, Simon, and brings him to Jesus that he might follow him. And as he does, Jesus displays his dominion, renaming Peter, even as Adam had displayed his once known dominion in naming the animals. By doing this, Jesus is pointing to the dominion and the kingdom that will be restored.

Yet, the witnessing does not stop there. For, though the subject of verse 43 is unclear, it is quite possibly Andrew, who again leads them to Philip, who recognizes Jesus as the one “of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (43-44).

Then the witness continues as Philip then speaks to Nathanael who comes and bears witness that he is “the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (45-49). Therefore, John the Baptist, God the Father, and Jesus’ early followers are all bearing witness as to his identity.

Yet there are many who deny that Jesus really is who he claims he is. And among such groups one claim is that though many others make claims on who Jesus is, he himself is not so clear. However, John makes quite clear in this introductory chapter that Jesus indeed bears witness of himself.

Jesus bears witness of himself

As Nathanael declares that Jesus is “the Son of God,” “the King of Israe,” Jesus declares, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these. … Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man’” (50-51). Jesus wants Nathanael to know that just as angels descended and ascended on Jacob, bearing witness that the covenant promises would indeed come to his offspring, so will God confirm the covenant promises in him. Indeed, God would deliver the covenant promises to him, for he is the offspring of Abraham. Just as God promised Jacob, renamed Israel of the covenant blessings, so we see even early on in the New Testament that Israel has a name; it is Jesus of Nazareth.

Yet, in one final way Jesus bears witness to who he is, for he calls himself the Son of Man. This is Jesus’ favorite self-title. It is an allusion to Daniel 7:13-14, in which we read: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days ad was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (emphasis added).

Just as Adam had surrendered the kingdom and dominion to the serpent, the ruler of this age, there was a promise that one was coming, the Son of Man, who would triumph over the serpent and be presented dominion and a kingdom that would never pass away. All of first-century Palestine had been anxiously awaiting when this one would come. Jesus declares in the closing words of this first chapter, “I am he.” He is the Son of Man, the promised Anointed One, the King of Israel.”

What should we then do in light of this truth?

Primarily, you need to believe in Jesus. The blessings of the kingdom only come to those who are in him, and you are only found in him as you repent of your sins and place your faith in him and his work of redemption (death, burial, and resurrection). Therefore, I plead with you, the king has come and soon judgment will be dealt out. Will you not be found in him?

In addition, we need to tell others about Christ, who he is and what he has done. We have been commanded to do so. It seems that in the gospel of John, most everybody who comes to Jesus does so because of the witness of another. We know who he is and what he has done to redeem his people. Therefore, will we not proclaim who he is that others may be found in him as well.

Finally, we need to make him our treasure and the prize for which we are aiming. Keep your focus on the reality of who Christ is and what he has done, and make sure that you do not lose sight of him as your aim in all you do. He is the King. He has redeemed the cosmos. He will raise the bodies of those who are found in him. So, will you not live your life, keeping him as your focus and aim?

May we delight in the exaltation of Christ, the King of Israel! Amen.

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD

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