We Come To Jesus In Steps (John 1:29-42) Series

Beginning in John 1:19, we find ourselves reading the events of a single week in the life of John the Baptist and Jesus. Let's start today by simply rereading 1:19-28, day 1.

(19) And this is the testimony of John,

when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites

in order that they would ask him,

"Who are you?":

(20) and he confessed,

and he did not deny,

and he confessed that,

"I am not the Christ,"

(21) and they asked him,

"Then, who?",

You, Elijah, are you?,

and he says,

"I am not."

"The prophet, are you?",

and he answered,

"No."

(22) Then they said to him,

"Who are you?",

in order that an answer we may give to the ones sending us.

What do you say about yourself?

(23) He said,

"I am a voice crying out in the wilderness,

'Make straight the way of the Lord,'

just as Isaiah the prophet said,"

(24) and they were the ones being sent from the Pharisees,

(25) and they asked him,

and they said to him,

"Then why are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?"

(26) John answered, saying,

"I baptize with water.

In your midst stands one whom you don't know.

The one after me is coming,

whom I am not worthy,

that I would loose the strap of his sandal.

(28) These things in Bethany happened on the other side of the Jordan where John was baptizing.

Our story continues, in verse 29, day 2:

(29) On the next day, he sees Jesus coming toward him,

and he says,

Look! The Lamb of God-- the one taking away the sin of the world.

(30) This one is about whom I said,

"After me a man is coming,

who ahead of me is,

because earlier than me he was,

and I didn't know him,

but [in order that he could be revealed to Israel] , for this reason I came,

with water baptizing,

Let's pause here. Why did John the Baptist come? Why was he sent by God? John came to reveal God's chosen one to Israel. In the gospel of John, "the Judeans" are consistently described (portrayed) negatively. Jesus came to his own, and his own didn't receive him (John 1:10-11). But this rejection was not what God wanted. God wanted Jesus to be clearly revealed to Israel, and then received by Israel. And John's role, in all of this, is simply to point to Jesus. And that's exactly what he does. "LOOK! Here is the Lamb of God, the preexistent one!"

AJ continues, in verse 32:

(32) and John testified/witnessed, saying,

"I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven,

and he abided upon him,

(33) and I didn't know him,

but [the One sending me to baptize with water] -- That One to me said,

'[Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding on him] -- this one is the one baptizing with the Holy Spirit,

and I have seen,

(34) and I have witnessed/testified,

that this one is the chosen one of God.

Last week, John the Baptist had told the Jews that Jesus was standing in their midst, and they didn't know him.

Here, John acknowledges that he didn't automatically "know" Jesus either. This knowledge about who Jesus is, is something that has to be revealed to people by God. And God revealed it to John by telling him that the one had the Spirit descend on him, and abide upon him, is God's chosen one.

Now, there's a textual issue here. Some manuscripts say "the chosen one" of God. Others have, "the Son of God."

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On John 1:34:

Brannan, R., & Loken, I. (2014). The Lexham Textual Notes on the Bible (Jn 1:34). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

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And I have seen and testify that this one is the Chosen One of God.

One very early manuscript and a few other early witnesses have “the Chosen One of God,” but most other early and later witnesses have “the Son of God.” Both titles refer to the same person, so there is no great difference in understanding the passage. The difference is largely found in what is emphasized by the expression, whether the chosen status of Jesus or his divine sonship.

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And it's hard to know which is correct. But, it's more likely, maybe, that a copyist read "the chosen one," and changed it to language more common in John, than the reverse. So the harder reading is maybe right.

Let me just pause on this point, and talk about the KJV. One of the things that staunch King James only Bible people focus on, is how other English Bibles "change" the King James. Some of them will say that the NIV waters down the KJV here, or takes away from Jesus' glory. This is nonsense. No one who adopts the reading "the chosen one of God" argues that Jesus isn't the Son of God, or that the gospel of John isn't clear on that point elsewhere. No one is trying to subvert Christianity, or draw the church away from the truth. They just think "the chosen one of God" is the more likely reading, on balance. But either is possible.