Bishop's Epistle: The Baptist Witnesses of Christ

Commentary On The Fourth Gospel ch 1. vv29-34

¶1:29-34 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God (Ex 12:3; ch 1:36; Acts 8:32; 1 Pet 1:19), which taketh away the sin of the world (Isa 53:7; 1 Cor 15:3; Gal 1:4; Heb 1:3; 2:17; 9:28; 1 Pet 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 2:2; 3:5; Rev 1:5; 5:7; 17:14). 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me (ch 1:15, 17; Matt 3:11; Mark 1:17; Luke 3:16). 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water (Mal 3:1; Matt 3:16; Luke 1:17, 76, 79; 3:3-4). 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him (Matt 3:16; Mark 1:10; ch 5:32). 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending (Song 5:2; Isa 11:2; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:21-22), and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost (Isa 42:1; Matt 3:11; Mark 1:18; Luke 3;16; Acts 2:4; 10:44) . 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God (Isa 42:1; Matt 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 9:35).

v29 Behold the Lamb of God. The expression “Lamb of God” is particular to the Apostle John and is only found here and v36 in the entire Bible. The Baptist’s reference is to the Paschal Lamb (Ex ch 12) which suffered for the sins of the people (Isa 53:7-10). See, also, 1 Cor 5:7. Taketh away the sin of the world. Here John references the Scape Goat which bore the sins of the people away to an uninhabitable place (Lev16:8-26). The phrase “taketh away” is the Grk airōn (St’s #G142) and is better translated as “beareth away.” The verb airon is present tense and indicates an action presently in process. The disciple should consider that the high priest would lay his hands upon the head of the the lamb to be slain and also upon the head of the lamb that was to be released into the wilderness as the Scape Goat (both animals represent but one sacrifice). By this act the priest symbolically transferred the sins of the people onto the heads of the two animals. As stated, both the Sacrificial Lamb and the Scape Goat represented but one sacrifice: the Scape Goat represented the resurrection of the slain lamb, and, thereby, presaged the resurrection of Jesus. The Scape Goat was released into the wilderness (literally bearing the sins away—see Lev 16:8-26). It must be mentioned that immediately after John’s proclamation Jesus went into the wilderness (Matt 4:1). And, yet, on a deeper and more profound level the following is noticed: John, being, himself a true priest whose office was to serve at the altar in the temple as did his father, Zacharias, was the fulfillment of the established OT figure of the priest receiving the sins of the people and transferring them to the head of the Lamb, and then the Lamb being slain in behalf of the people. Here the actual has happened: all the people had come to John to be baptist, thus bringing to him their sins, and not theirs only but the sins of the whole of mankind back to Adam, for the sins of man had only been rolled ahead year by year until now. Now, all the people come to the priest (John, the son of Zackarias) and deposit with him their sins and the sins of all their fathers. Now John, the priest, lays hands on the Lamb (Christ) and transfers the sin of the world onto the Carpenter from Nazareth. So, then, when John stated “Behold the Lamb of God that beareth way the sin of the world” it was really true. the Baptist’s intent seems to be “the Lamb” in general, which recalls the blood sacrifices of the OT which all presaged Jesus *see Isa 53:7; Jer 11:19; and Gen 22:8). This statement of John the Baptist demonstrates a progression in revelation as to the application: e.g. first a sacrifice for the individual (Gen ch 4), and later the revelation included the entire nation on the Day of Atonement (Lev ch 16), now, here, the Baptist has the revelation of the broadening of the sacrifice’s efficacy to include the entire world. v30 He was before me. The Baptist, here, speaks of the preexistence of Christ. The disciple should see v15 and notes there. v31 I knew him not. Perhaps John is saying that he did not know who Jesus was until this point; which seems unlikely, to many, being they were cousins (Luke 1:36). But some point to the fact that John “was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel” (Luke 1:80) to indicate the possibility of the two having never met. The other understanding is that John did not know who the Messiah was until this event. However, not to be ignored is the fact that John’s parents had, indeed, received the revelation that Mary’s baby was the Messiah (see Luke 1:41-45 and 68-69). One would think that Elisabeth and Zacharias would have passed this information on to their son; unless, both parents died while John was still very young (they were both advanced in years when John was born [Luke 1:36, see v18]). If, because of this, John was raised in the desert, possibly in the community of Essenes at Qumran (Luke 1:80), it is possible that he neither knew Jesus personally, nor knew that He was the promised Messiah. Therefore am I come baptizing with water. John’s mission of baptism “for the remission of sins” was the venue from which the Messiah would be manifested to Israel (cf Jesus’ words at Matt 3:15, “And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.”). Manifest. Grk phanerōthē (St’s #G5319) means: to render apparent - manifestly declare - to trout out. vv32-33 I saw the Spirit descending ... like a dove. The purpose of Jesus’ baptism was not to remit Jesus’ sins - for He had none (2 Cor 5:21); neither were the events of the baptism to prove the Trinity. The sole purpose of the manifestation of the Spirit as a dove which descended upon Jesus was to verify Jesus’ identity as the Christ (Messiah) to the Baptist. Dove. In both Testaments the dove is seen as a symbol of new life. Gen 8:8, new life on the earth after the flood; here, New Life is the Spirit of God. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 150-215) lists the dove as one of the acceptable symbols for a Christian person’s signet ring. It abode. Grk emeinen (St’s #G3306). Here is John’s first use of a word that is significant in his Gospel: showing the permanency of the relationship between the Spirit - Jesus - and the Christian (see ch 15:11; 1 John 2:24; 1 John 3:9). Also, see ch 6:12-13 where the verb is used for the klasmata (fragments) from the feeding of the 5,000, showing a strong Eucharistic reference. Baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. The Baptist informs his hears that it is Jesus who gives the Holy Spirit (see ch 14:16-18 and notes there). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ (Col 1:27, see Acts 16:6 cf to v7 [The Greek New Testament, UBS 4th edition, Nestle-Aland 27th edition]; and Phil 1:19).

Apostolically Speaking