John 1:29-42
This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on January 19, 2014.
In the first chapter of his gospel John was attempting to establish the identity of Jesus. He offered five pronouncements of Jesus’ identity, alternating between calling him the Son of God and Messiah. He began with a poetic approach (John 1:1-18), calling Jesus “the Word,” that “became flesh,” and the one who “came from the Father” (John 1:14). He described a pre-incarnate Jesus who was a part of the foundation of the universe. In essence he called Jesus the Son of God. In the four scenes that followed, he used John the Baptist, Andrew, and Nathanael to affirm Jesus’ identity in a series of encounters and pronouncements, calling him Son of God and Messiah, alternatively.
When John the Baptist first saw Jesus he recognized him as the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29a), and proclaimed that Jesus would somehow “take away the sins of the world” (John 1:29b). This was an apocalyptic title and task that had certain messianic overtones. He then affirmed the claims of John 1:1-4, by revealing that Jesus was greater because he “came before me” (even though John was older than Jesus). This seemed to be a direct allusion to the pre-incarnate Jesus. The scene ended with John’s direct proclamation that Jesus “is the Son of God” (John 1:34). This again, was an obvious affirmation of the identity and authority of Jesus.
In the next scene John the Baptist was with two of his disciples when he saw Jesus pass by. John repeated his confession that Jesus was the “Lamb of God” (John 1:36). The two disciples who heard John’s confession began to follow Jesus. There was a sense in which Jesus and John were operating parallel ministries, each gathering their own disciples as they preached and baptized in the Judean wilderness (John 3:22-36). During that time period, before John’s death, Jesus was gaining more disciples than John (John 3:26; 4:2).
The growth of Jesus ministry was directly related to his identity. When Andrew first met Jesus he rushed to tell his brother, Simon, that he had found the Messiah. Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus. Jesus saw something special in Simon and named him Cephas, which is Aramaic for “rock.” In the next scene, Nathanael, another of John’s disciples, met Jesus for the first time and proclaimed, “You are the son of God, the King of Israel” (John 1:49). Everyone who met Jesus was attracted to him because of who they sensed that he was. When people meet Jesus they cannot help but recognize who he is.
For each gospel writer it was also important to differentiate between Jesus’ ministry and that of John. Jesus and John had their own disciples throughout the first century (Acts 18:25; 19:1-5). John, from his prison cell, sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was truly the Messiah (Matthew 11:2). When Herod Antipas executed John, his disciples buried his body (Matthew 14:12). John’s disciples asked Jesus why he didn’t teach his disciples to fast the way John had taught them (Matthew 9:14). John’s disciples were an ever-present reminder of the great prophet who had come before Jesus and prepared the way. Jesus and John were related (Luke 1:36), had parallel ministries (John 3:22-36), were tied together in baptism (Mark 1:9), and even shared disciples (John 1:36-37). Like Jesus, John’s birth was foretold by angelic visitation (Luke 1:13-17). And perhaps most importantly, there were persistent rumors that John had been raised from the dead (Mark 6:14-16; Luke 9:7). It was, therefore, imperative that the gospel writers differentiate between the two. This they accomplished by showing that John the Baptist himself proclaimed Jesus to be greater (John 3:30). John also admitted that Jesus was the Messiah while his own role was that of forerunner or herald (John 3:28). Through the disciples of John, the gospel writers showed that Jesus’ ministry was increasing while John’s was decreasing (John 4:1). They reminded people that John never performed a single miracle (John 10:41), and that Jesus did not himself baptize (as John had) but delegated the task to his disciples (John 4:2). And finally, they dismissed the rumors of John’s resurrection to the superstitious paranoia of an old enemy king (Matthew 14:1-2).
There were a few themes that John the author was trying to convey at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The first theme is that of identity. Jesus was the promised Messiah. His identity rested on his divine nature as Son of God. John went to great pains to show that Jesus came from God, was anointed and approved of God, and was superior to all other prophets or rabbis, including his forerunner and baptizer, John. Jesus’ identity as the Lamb of God was affirmed by the sustaining presence of the Holy Spirit, evident at his baptism.
The second theme is that of authority. Jesus’ authority rested in his identity. John, who came before Jesus, identified Jesus as the one who had come before him. Jesus was so far superior to John that John felt he was not worthy to carry Jesus’ sandals. Jesus’ authority over John was manifested in several ways: (1) Jesus was a miracle worker and John was not (John 10:41); (2) Jesus would baptize with fire, while John baptized with water (Matthew 3:11); (3) Some of John’s disciples began to recognize Jesus’ superior ministry and were leaving John to join Jesus (John 1:37); (4) As Jesus’ ministry grew, John’s response was that he had to become less, so that Jesus could become more (John 3:30).
In every way imaginable the ministry of John the Baptist pointed people to Jesus. John refused to steal any of Jesus’ glory. John the Baptist took up his cross and died to self in order that Jesus might be recognized and glorified.
A dominant theme in this passage is that of identity. One could examine the different ways that people define Jesus. Who do people say that Jesus is? Who is Jesus to you? What does his true identity mean for your life? How does his identity change your identity? The other dominant theme is that of authority. Everyone will worship something. The only question is: whom will you worship? Who will have ultimate authority over your life? Finally, one could explore the task of every Christian to point others, away from themselves, to Jesus. John’s words are apt for us as well: I must become less, so that he can become more.
Dr. Ellis Orozco
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church, Richardson, TX
eorozco@fbcr.org