Wednesday, October 28, 2015

TOO MANY “JOHNS”


John 1:29-30              The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’
   
 Okay, okay…. let’s get the people straight here. John, the writer of the “Gospel of John” is not John the Baptist. The gospel writer John was one of the twelve apostles. He is identified in this Gospel as the “disciple Jesus loved”, see John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20, for this title. So every time in this Gospel you read the name “John”, the writer is referring to John the Baptist.

 John the Baptist was a prophet in the days of Jesus. We would call him today an itinerant preacher, someone who traveled from place to place preaching, teaching and calling down “fire & brimstone” on his listeners. John spoke frequently form the book of Isaiah which fit his message. In the verses 19-34, we have the clearest picture of John. His person is defined by his work. He was a herald of the one who is coming after him, Jesus. John was calling people to repentant of their sins and turn to Christ, The Messiah, Jesus (see Mark 1:1-13). Like Isaiah who preached to the nation Israel when they had strayed from God’s path, John is calling out for the people of his day to do the same.

 Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin” of people like you and I. John’s message was clear and to the point. His listeners are to run to Jesus for forgiveness of their sins. John did not view Jesus as a man. He viewed him as God Incarnate. No one else could forgive a person’s sin. John knew that. His message to the people of his day and to people reading this page is the same: Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near.  

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