JOHN LESSON 3


     We will begin this lesson in John 1:18.

     V-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."

     This statement "no man hath seen God" is correct.  Many of the
apostles had seen visions and had dreams of God.  Some had even been
in His presence like Moses on the mountain, but the closest Moses ever
came to seeing Him was to see His back side as He passed by.  Even in
Jesus they would not look upon His godhead, but upon His flesh.  Of
course, Jesus had seen Him, because He had been in heaven with Him.
In fact, Father, Word, and the Holy Ghost make up the godhead.  I John
5:7, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Ghost:  and these three are one."  We will read in
St. John later on in this lesson series that Jesus said, "If you have
seen me, you have seen the Father".  Jesus is a reflection of the
Father.

     V-19, "And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests
and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?"

     These priests and Levites knew that Messiah was promised.  This
John the Baptist they knew was a very special man.  They even thought
that perhaps this was Messiah.  The only way they can find out is to
ask him.

     V-20, "And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not
the Christ."

     As we said before, John the Baptist knew he was not Messiah; and
when he was ministering, he was careful to tell them that he was not
the Christ (Messiah).

     V-21, "And they asked him, What then?  Art thou Elias?  And he
saith, I am not.  Art thou that prophet?  And he answered, No."

     Jesus had said on another occasion that John was that Elijah that
was prophesied in Malachi.  What He was saying was that John was of
the same spirit as of Elijah.  Jesus was not speaking of Elijah being
reincarnated in John, but that John came in the spirit and power of
Elijah.  John was the fulfillment of the Scripture in Malachi.  He
truly did come before Messiah, six months earlier.  John was telling
them here that he was not in fact Elijah.  The problem with those
people then and many Christians today is they look at the physical
side of everything rather than the spiritual.  John the Baptist is
come in the spirit of Elijah and thus does fulfill the Malachi
prophecy.  He is not, in fact, Elijah reincarnated.  So he answers,
"No".


     V-22, "Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an
answer to them that sent us.  What sayest thou of thyself?"

     John is stirring up the whole countryside telling people to
repent for Messiah is coming.  This word has gotten back to the rulers
of the temple and they have sent someone to find out who this is who
is stirring up such a fuss.  The big question, "Who are you?"

     V-23, "He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."

     The prophecy of John the Baptist being "a voice crying in the
wilderness" is found in Isaiah 40:3.  John was a messenger, but he was
much more.  He was preparing their hearts to receive the Lord.  This
wilderness is a physical wilderness but can also be thought of as a
wilderness of sin.  John tells them, it was told you by the prophet
Isaiah and the time is here.

     V-24, "And they which were sent were of the Pharisees."

These Pharisees were supposed to be very knowledgeable of the Bible.
They probably already knew of this prophecy in Isaiah and of the one
in Malachi.

     V-25, "And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou
then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?"

     It appears from what they said to John, that they expected Elijah
to come and cleanse them and get them ready to receive the Messiah.
If John was baptizing for this reason, they approved; but if he is not
Elijah, they want to know where he got his authority to do this.  They
wouldn't argue too much with John the Baptist because his father was a
priest.

     V-26, "John answered them, saying, I baptize with water:  but
there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;"

     V-27, "He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me,
whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose."

     John's baptism was a baptism of repentance.  John answers their
question by saying, " I am not Messiah or Elijah, but my baptism is to
prepare you to receive Messiah".  John recognizes Jesus standing among
those listening.  He doesn't point Him out yet.  He just says, He is
here in this crowd.  John says, "He is much greater than I am.  In
fact, I don't feel worthy to kneel down before Him and tie His shoes".

     V-28, "These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where
John was baptizing."

     Bathabara means house of the desert, so we know this is a desert
place near Jordan.


     V-29, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

     This is a very broad statement here.  We know of the sacrificial
lamb that was killed, and the blood sprinkled over the door in the
time of Moses to save the first born of all the Hebrews when God
destroyed the first born of Egypt.  We know that the lamb is the
Passover animal sacrificed once a year in memory of that night when
death passed over the Hebrew homes because of the blood of the lamb.
This is saying then "This is your Passover sacrifice" speaking of
Jesus.  The blood of the animal could do nothing but cover the sin.
The precious blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, does away with sin.  In
fact, not for just that occasion, but for all of eternity.  Taketh
means to continually take away.  It is so interesting how every little
word is so important in Scripture.  John being filled with the Holy
Spirit from before birth looks to Jesus, and sees Jesus' own precious
blood cleansing all of His people from unrighteousness.  Notice sin is
singular in this mention here.  Jesus took on sin on the cross, and
sin (for the believer) died on the cross.  Not just covered, but done
away with.  Animal's or man's blood could never do away with sin,
Hebrews 9:12, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his
own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us."  The blood had to be pure from God,
Himself.

     V-30, "This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is
preferred before me:  for he was before me."

     This verse 30 here is just saying, "This is the one I was talking
about that is the Messiah.  He is greater than I am".

     V-31, "And I knew him not:  but that he should be made manifest
to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water."

     John knew that Jesus was a relative of his in the flesh, because
John's mother and Jesus' mother were cousins.  It appears from this
Scripture above that John was saying, "I haven't been around Him a
lot, and in the flesh, I do not know Him".  In the Spirit, John knew
that Jesus was the promised Christ (the Messiah).  Manifest means, in
this instance, to render apparent.  John's job is to make the coming
of Messiah apparent to His people, Israel.  To prepare them for
meeting their Messiah, John is baptizing them, cleansing them from
their sins.  This is not the type of baptism for Christians.  When a
Christian is baptized, it is not for the remission of sin, but an
outward expression of being dead, buried (in water), and resurrected
with Jesus Christ our Lord.  The Jews had the law and had not kept it.
They had to repent for breaking Moses' law.

     V-32, "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending
from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him."

     At this baptism John is speaking of here, some of the other
gospels go into more detail and tell of the voice from heaven saying,
"This is my beloved Son", Matthew 3:16-17.  The thing John would have
us see here is the Spirit remaining.  We can see h ere the Father
(voice from heaven), Son of God (Word), and Holy Spirit (dove) present
at the baptism of Jesus.  They are all in agreement.

     V-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, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with
the Holy Ghost."

     Matthew chapter 3 tells a little more about this baptism of the
Holy Ghost and fire.  I personally believe the reason Jesus was
baptized by John here was because His flesh came from Mary, a Jewish
woman.  When asked, His answer was as if He were setting an example,
not because He needed repentance.  The baptism of Jesus is the baptism
of fire of the Holy Ghost.

     V-34, "And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."

Not just because of the Holy Spirit descending, or the voice from
heaven, but on all knowledge of Jesus and on what God had told him,
John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Son of God.

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                          JOHN 3 QUESTIONS


1.  No ______________________ hath seen God at any time.
2.  Who hath declared Him?
3.  What was the closest anyone had been to seeing God in the Old
    Testament?
4.  Who make up the godhead?
5.  Jesus is a ____________________________ of the Father.
6.  Who did the Jews send to John the Baptist to find out who he was?
7.  Who did they believe John might be?
8.  What did John the Baptist confess in verse 20?
9.  If he was not Messiah, who did they think he was?
10. What had Jesus meant when He said John the Baptist was Elijah?
11. Where had it been prophesied that Elijah would come?
12. What answer did John give when they said, then who are you?
13. What had John the Baptist been telling everyone that got them all
    stirred up?
14. Who had prophesied in the Old Testament about John the Baptist?
15. Where was John ministering?
16. Who are the Pharisees?
17. What did they ask John, seeing that he was not Elijah nor Messiah?
18. What was different about the baptism of John and the baptism of
    Jesus?
19. How does John the Baptist compare his unworthiness to Jesus?
20. Where did all this happen?
21. John called Jesus what in verse 29?
22. What does Bethabara mean?
23. What does this Lamb do that no lamb can do?
24. Who was Jesus to be made manifest to?
25. What physical tie did John and Jesus have?
26. What was the Spirit symbolized by in verse 32?
27. What had God told John about the Holy Spirit remaining on someone?
28. Who baptizes with the Holy Ghost and fire?

                                 Notes