Jesus the Light of the World: The Special Witness of John the Baptist, 1:6–8
(1:6–8) Introduction: there was one person who was a very special witness to Christ, John the Baptist. John’s sole purpose on earth was to witness and to bear testimony to the Light of the world. His purpose stands as a dynamic example for every believer. The purpose of the believer is to bear the same witness as John: Jesus Christ is the Light of the world.
1. John was a man sent from God (v.6).
2. John was a man sent on a very special mission (v.7).
3. John was a great man, but he was not the Light (v.8).
1 (1:6) John the Baptist—Commission: a man sent from God. Note three points.
a. The man “was a man” and only a man. A strong contrast is being made between what had been said about Christ and what is now being said about John.
? Christ “was in the beginning”; He was “with God” and He “was God” (Jn. 1:1–2).
? John “was a man” who had come into existence at birth, just as all men have the beginning of their existence at birth. John was the son of a man, whereas Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God (Jn. 3:16). John was not a divine being, not even an angel. He was a mere man.
“What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?” (Jb. 7:17).
“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Ps. 8:4).
“Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he [God] that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in” (Is. 40:21–22).
“John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven” (Jn. 3:27).
b. The man, however, was “sent from God”; and he was sent on a very special mission. Two facts show this.
1) The word sent .
2) The phrase from God (para Theou) means from beside God. John was not only sent by God, He was sent from the very side and heart of God. He was only a man, but a man of high calling and mission, of enormous responsibility and accountability. He was a man sent by God, not by man.
Thought 1. Note three significant points. The servant and messenger of God …
• is not sent forth by men, but by God. He is sent forth as the ambassador of God
• is sent forth from God, from the very side and heart of God
• is a man of high calling and mission, of enormous responsibility and accountability
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you” (Jn. 15:16).
“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Co. 5:18–20).
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Co. 3:5–6).
“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Co. 4:1–2).
“Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power” (Ep. 3:7).
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (1 Ti. 1:12).
“[The gospel] whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles” (2 Ti. 1:11).
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Co. 1:27–29).
c. The man was named John. His name means gracious. He was a man sent forth with a name to match his message: God’s grace is now to enter upon the scene of world history. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, who is the embodiment of God’s glorious grace.
DEEPER STUDY # 1
(1:6) Sent—Apostle—Commission: the word “sent” (apestalmenos) means to send out; to commission as a representative, an ambassador, an envoy. Three things are true of the person sent from God.
1. He belongs to God, who has sent him out.
2. He is commissioned to be sent out.
3. He possesses all the authority and power of God, who has sent him out.
2 (1:7) Mission—Witnessing: a man with a mission. Note two points.
a. The man came to bear witness of the Light. He was sent with a very specific message, and that message was to proclaim the Light, Christ Himself.
Thought 1. The message is a given message. The servant of God is not left on his own to think up a message; he is not dependent upon his own reason, thoughts, and ideas. His message is Christ, the Light of the world.
“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ” (2 Co. 2:17).
“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Co. 4:1–2).
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believeth” (1 Th. 2:13).
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you” (De. 4:2).
“What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it” (De. 12:32).
“Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Pr. 30:6).
“And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Re. 22:19).
b. The purpose of the man’s witness is clearly stated: that all men, through Christ, might believe. His purpose was not …
• to start a movement for God
• to organize and administer
• to minister (note that John never healed or performed a miracle nor built a program around the synagogue or temple, Jn. 10:41)
His purpose was not even to preach. His purpose was to lead men to believe in the Light. He witnessed and proclaimed the Light so that all men might believe. The man was sent to focus on people and to lead them to believe in Christ Jesus.
Thought 1. The servant of God has one primary purpose: to lead men to believe in Christ Jesus, the Light of the world. The servant’s purpose is not to organize, to administer, to oversee, to manage, to teach, or to preach. His purpose is as stated: to lead men to believe in Christ Jesus. Everything else is method, not purpose. Men have too often confused methods with purpose. The result has been that teeming millions are still unreached and teeming thousands are being deceived by confusing the methods of religion with the purpose of God: the salvation of men through belief in His Son.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (Jn. 5:24).
3 (1:8) Humility—Ministers: a man who was great, but he was not the Light. John the Baptist was extraordinarily great. Jesus Himself said, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist” (Mt. 11:11). But, he was not the Light. The humility of John was striking. (Read Jn. 1:19–23, 27 for the impact of his humility and the example he set for every servant of God.) No matter how great the ministry of a man may be in the eyes of men, that man’s ministry is eclipsed by the greatness of John. Yet John says, “[His] shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.” (Jn. 1:27)
“And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Mt. 23:12).
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Ph. 2:3–4; see Ro. 12:3).
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (Js. 4:10).
“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder, Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Pe. 5:5).
C. Jesus the Light of Men: The Second Witness of John the Apostle, 1:9–13
1. Christ was the Light
a. The true LightDS1
b. His mission: To give light to people
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
2. Christ was tragically rejected by the world
a. He was in the world but He was rejectedDS2
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
b. He came to His own people but they rejected Him
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
3. Christ was wonderfully received by some
a. How: By believing
b. Result: Became sons of God
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
c. The Source of becoming a child of God: A new birth
1) It was not of man
2) It was of God
Jesus the Light of Men: The Second Witness of John the Apostle, 1:9–13
(1:9–13) Introduction: the world is in desperate straits. It is full of darkness—the darkness of sin and despair, of sickness and death, of corruption and hell. The darkness looms over the whole world. This is the problem dealt with in the present passage. There is hope in Jesus Christ, for Christ is the true Light, and Light dispels darkness.
1. Christ was the Light (v.9).
2. Christ was tragically rejected by the world (vv.10–11).
3. Christ was wonderfully received by some (vv.12–13).
1 (1:9) Jesus Christ, Light; Mission: Christ was “the true Light.” Other men may claim to be lights; they may claim that they can lead men to the truth. Some may claim they can …
• reveal God to men
• show the nature, meaning, and destiny of the future and other things
• guide a man out of the darkness of sin, shame, doubt, despair, and the fear of death and hell
• do away with and eliminate the darkness entirely
However, such men are false lights. Their claims are only ideas in their minds, fictitious ideas, and counterfeit claims. Their thoughts and positions are defective, frail, and uncertain—just as imperfect as any other man-made position dealing with the truth. Note two glorious truths.
a. The true Light is Jesus Christ (see DEEPER STUDY # 1, Truth—Jn. 1:9). What does this mean? It means that Jesus Christ was what other men are not. Other men may claim to be the light of men, but their thoughts are only false imaginations. Christ alone was the true Light. Christ is to man what light is to man, and Christ did for man what light does for man.
? Light is clear and pure: it is clean and good. So is Christ (Ep. 5:8).
? Light penetrates: it cuts through and eliminates darkness. So does Christ.
? Light enlightens: it enlarges one’s vision and knowledge. So does Christ.
? Light reveals: it opens up the truth of an area, a whole new world and life. It clears up the way to the truth and life. So does Christ (Jn. 14:6).
? Light guides: it keeps one from groping and grasping about in the dark trying to find one’s way. It directs the way to go, leads along the right path. So does Christ (Jn. 12:36, 46).
? Light exposes and strips away darkness. So does Christ (Jn. 3:19–20).
? Light routs the chaos. So does Christ (see Ge. 1:2–3).
? Light discriminates between the right way and the wrong way. So does Christ (see note—Ep. 5:10. see Ep. 5:8–10.)
? Light warns: it warns of dangers that lie ahead in one’s path. So does Christ.
? Light protects: it keeps one from tripping, stumbling, falling, and injuring oneself and losing one’s life. So does Christ.
b. The mission of Christ is to give light to men. Note that He gives light to every man. How?
? Christ gives light to men through natural revelation, the creation and order of the universe.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork” (Ps. 19:1).
“The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory” (Ps. 97:6).
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Ro. 1:20).
“For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another” (Ro. 2:14–15).
“Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness” (Ac. 14:17).
? Christ gives light to men by giving good gifts to men. Every “good and perfect gift” which man receives is said to come from the Father of lights.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (Js. 1:17).
But there is much more light given to men since Christ has “come into the world.”
1) There is the light of Christ Himself: He is the Savior who now stands before the world as “the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world” (Jn. 11:27). Every man can now see the truth. They may reject it, but they can see it.
“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him” (De. 18:18).
“I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him” (Jn. 8:26).
“For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak” (Jn. 12:49).
“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (Jn. 14:9–10).
“For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me” (Jn. 17:8).
2) There is the light of the gospel: Christ has now “come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me [Christ] should not abide in darkness” (Jn. 12:46). The truth is that every man can now be delivered from the darkness of sin, despair, death, and hell.
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12).
“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ep. 5:14).
3) There is the light of the Spirit: both the guiding and the convicting power of the Spirit.
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (Jn. 16:13).
“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged” (Jn. 16:8–11).
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (Jn. 3:19).
Note that all the light existing in the world is due to Christ, both the light from nature and from heaven, from the physical world and from the spiritual world. Christ is “the true Light [the Life], which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (v.9).
DEEPER STUDY # 1
(1:9) Truth: the words true, truth, and real are taken from two Greek words very much alike. But each has a different shade of meaning. (See DEEPER STUDY # 1—Jn. 8:32; DEEPER STUDY # 2—14:6.)
1. Alethes means true, the opposite of false.
2. Alethinos means the true, the genuine, the real. It is the opposite of the unreal, the fictitious, the counterfeit, the imaginary. It is also the opposite of the imperfect, defective, frail, uncertain.
Jesus Christ is seen as the true, the real, the genuine life which has come to give light to every man (see DEEPER STUDY # 1—Jn. 8:12).
2 (1:10–11) Jesus Christ—Rejection: Christ was tragically rejected by the world.
a. Christ (the Word and the Light) was in the world. He had made the world, and He loved and cared deeply for the world; therefore, He was actively working to help the world and its people from the very beginning of creation.
1) Christ gave the light of order and purpose and beauty to the universe as a whole. The universe is lovingly supplied to take care of man’s needs, and the world shows the glorious power and deity of God (Ro. 1:19–20).
2) Christ gave the glorious light [privilege] of living in such a beautiful world to man. He gave man a soul, the very light of life by which he could learn and reason, love and care, work and serve—all for the purpose of building a better world, both for God and for himself.
3) Christ gave a spirit to man, the light of knowing and worshipping God and living forever in the life of God.
4) Christ gave messengers to men, prophetic lights to proclaim the truth and to encourage men to follow God and to be diligent in their work and service to the world.
But note what happened and still happens. “The world knew Him not” (auton ouk egno). Men rejected Christ; they closed their eyes and failed to see Him. (Cp. Ro. 1:19–32 for the tragic indictment against man’s rejection of God’s activity in the world.)
b. Christ (the Word and the Light) came to His own people, but they too rejected Him. The words “unto His own” (eis ta idia) mean literally to His own home, to His own people. There are two meanings here.
1) The world is His home, and all the people are His by creation. He came to all the people of the world, but they did not receive Him. They rejected Him.
2) The nation of Israel was His peculiar home, the people whom He had chosen to be the messengers of God to the world. They, of all people, should have known better because of the special privileges, but they too rejected Him.
“And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts” (Mt. 8:34).
“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? and they were offended at him” (Mk. 6:3).
“And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath” (Lu. 4:28).
“And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong” (Lu. 4:29).
“And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas” (Lu. 23:18).
“I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive” (Jn. 5:43).
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (Jn. 1:11).
“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jn. 12:48).
DEEPER STUDY # 2
(1:10) Revelation: this verse gives the raw outline and supreme tragedy of revelation. (1) The supreme fact of history: “He was in the world.” (2) The supreme truth about the world: “The world was made by Him.” (3) The supreme tragedy of humanity: “The world knew Him not.”
3 (1:12–13) Jesus Christ, Accepted—Salvation: Christ was wonderfully received by some persons. Not everyone rejected Christ—most did, but a few received Him. Note three points.
a. How men receive Christ. They “believe on His name.” (See DEEPER STUDY # 2, Believe—Jn. 2:24.)
b. The results of receiving Christ. A person is given the power to become a son of God.
? The word power (exousian) means both power and right or authority.
? The word sons (tekna Theou) means children of God.
? The words to become (genesthai) mean to become something a person is not.
When a person receives Christ into his life (as Lord), Christ gives that person the power and right to become something he is not—a child of God.
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Co. 6:17–18).
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Ro. 8:15–16).
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Ga. 4:4–6).
c. The source of sonship is a new birth.
1) The new birth is not of man.
? It is not by blood. The idea is that heritage—being born of a particular family, race, nation or people—is of no value in becoming a child of God. Blood is not what causes the new birth.
? It is not by the will of the flesh (ek thelematos sarkos): sexual desire. The idea is that a person is not spiritually born again by wanting and willing to become a child of God as a person wills to have an earthly child.
? It is not by the will of man (ek thelematos andros, husband). The idea is that even man (the husband, the stronger member, the one who is usually the leader) cannot bring about the spiritual birth of others. No man, no matter who he is—husband or world leader—can cause or make a person a child of God.
2) The new birth is of God .
D. Jesus the Word Made Flesh: The Third Witness of John the Apostle, 1:14–18
1. Christ became fleshDS1
2. Proof 1: Christ dwelt visibly among us
a. He & His glory were seen
b. He was full of graceDS2 & truth
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
3. Proof 2: John the Baptist bore witness of the superiority of Christ
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
4. Proof 3: Men have received the fullness & grace of Christ
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
a. Not by law
b. By Jesus Christ
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
5. Proof 4: God has revealed Himself through Christ
18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
D. Jesus the Word Made Flesh: The Third Witness of John the Apostle, 1:14–18
(1:14–18) Introduction: “The Word was made flesh”—God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was made flesh and blood; He became a man. No greater message could ever be proclaimed to man.
1. Christ became flesh (v.14).
2. Proof 1: Christ dwelt visibly among us (v.14).
3. Proof 2: John the Baptist bore witness of the superiority of Christ (v.15).
4. Proof 3: men have received the fullness and grace of Christ (vv.16–17).
5. Proof 4: God has revealed Himself through Christ (v.18).
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2004). The Gospel according to John
