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John 1:19-34
Behold The Lamb of God!
Outline of the Book
John’s Gospel can be broken up into 4 major sections:
Prologue
In section 1 you have the beginning of the Gospel which is what we have called the prologue or the
overture (what we have covered in the first 3 weeks) …
Book of Signs
And then in chapters 1:19 to chapter 12:50 we have the first major section of the book, which is
called the book of signs – I have called it:
The Work, Word, and Witness of Jesus…
Others (as we said) have called this the book of signs because it has all of Jesus’ public miracles that
He performs before the crowds… it has His interactions with the Pharisees and religious leaders who
begin to oppose Him…and it also has His public teaching & ministry with the crowds…
Book of Glory
And then in the second half of the book chapters 13 to 20 we have:
The Person, Prayers, and Passion of Jesus…
What others have called the Book of glory because it has all of the prayers and conversations that
Jesus has with His disciples which culminates in the ultimate display of glory with His death on the
cross!
Epilogue
And then in chapter 21 you have the Epilogue/or the Postlude – sort of the finishing touches and
the last interactions with His disciples…
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Introduction
Well, some introductions are very memorable…
I remember just last year when I was attending a wedding during COVID, and I was at the reception
talking to a good mate of mine that attends Grace Bible Church Logan…
And he was introducing me to another young guy who attends the Logan plant – but this was
someone I had never met before!
And he was relatively new to the Church!
And so, I went up to this guy after the speeches to introduce myself…
But before I could even introduce myself this guy from Logan, basically looked at me and said:
Hey I know you – you’re Rhoi and I’ve seen you on T.V!
Now I knew exactly what he was talking about – he was referring to the fact that ever since the start
of COVID we have been live-streaming our Sunday sermons… and so he was saying that he’s tuned
in a few times to listen to our Church’s live-stream…
And so I knew exactly what he was talking about – my friend knew what he was talking about – the
only person who was unaware of the context; was the young girl, standing behind the bar, making
me a coffee!
And so, without any prior context or explanation – you can imagine the introduction she got when
she heard the words of someone who said:
Hey, I know you – you’re name is Rhoi, and I’ve seen you on T.V…
Now I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person’s head turn so quickly to see a famous/non-famous
preacher who appears on people’s T.V. screen!
And so I had to quickly explain to her (almost emphatically) that:
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I am NOT Famous!
Some introductions are very memorable…
John 1
And here in our passage we have the very memorable introduction to John the Baptist!
In fact, we have several introductions that make up the rest of John chapter 1!
John is finished with his overture (his prelude) to the show – and he is now introducing us to the
historical significance and characters who are entering the scene via stage left!
And so we have the introduction of John the Baptist in verses 19 to 28!
We have the introduction of Jesus as Messiah in verses 29 to 34!
And then next week we’re gonna be covering the introduction to the early disciples in verses 35 to
51!
Main Point
But here’s what we’re going to see in our section of Scripture today – in verses 19 to 34 the main
point I want us to see is that:
A faithful witness points people away from self and onto the Son of God…
• The Faithful Witness (19-28)
• The Supreme Son (29-34)
John chapter 1 – beginning in verse 19 (John the author of this Gospel writes):
This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him,
“Who are you?” he didn’t deny it but confessed, I am not the Messiah…
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Opening Gambit
It’s often been said that there are 7 witnesses (7 testimonies) throughout John’s Gospel concerning
the Work, the Word and the Witness of Jesus Christ!
John the Baptist
We don’t need to go into too much detail here this morning but just so you’re aware:
1. There is the testimony of John the Baptist in chapter 1 verse 7:
John came to bear witness about the light so that all might believe through Him!
God the Father
2. There is the witness of the Father in John 5:37:
The Father who sent Me, has Himself testified about me…
God the Son
3. Jesus is said to testify concerning Himself in chapter 8 verse 14:
Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true…
God the Holy Spirit
4. The Holy Spirit is said to testify in John chapter 15 verse 26:
When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father…He will testify about
me.
The Signs of Christ
5. We are told that the works Jesus does testify concerning his authority in John chapter 5:
…The works I am doing testify about me that the Father has sent me…
The Scriptures
6. The Scriptures themselves are said to testify concerning the Christ:
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You pore over the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and yet it is
they that testify concerning me…
Human Testimony
7. And then finally, we have the testimony of humanity in chapter 12 verse 17:
Meanwhile, the crowd, which had been with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb,
continued to testify concerning Him…
John the Baptist
7 proofs – 7 signs – 7 witnesses – and John is said to be the very first of these 7!
Now John is man who we met back in Chapter 1 verse 6 where we are told that John was a man
who was sent from God – a phrase used of all God’s Old Testament Prophets with a specific
calling and commission from God Himself!
Now John has been called the last of the Old Testament Prophets because his job was to bear
witness about the Messiah and the coming of Christ, about His glorious kingdom!
He was to bridge the gap between the Old Testament prophesies of Christ and the New Testament
fulfilment of Christ!
Which is why John is baptising people in the wilderness…
Baptism of Repentance
The wilderness was the Old Testament meeting place between God & Man – and specifically where
God would commission His Old Testament Prophets to prepare His message!
The message he preached:
Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!
The practice that coincided with that message:
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A baptism of repentance!
And so, John comes as a Jew to his fellow Jews, bringing both a message from God and a practice
that went along with that message!
Proselyte Baptism
Now let me tell you why this is such a significant thing – and a controversial thing for John to be
doing…
Prior to this time in history, the only kind of Baptism that the Jewish people were familiar with, is
what we would call Proselyte Baptism – it was a kind of baptism for Gentile coverts wanting to
transition to Judaism!
And the way in which this transition took place, was through the waters of Baptism!
And so Baptism in these days was more of a symbolic cleansing, that the Jews forced upon
Gentiles who wanted to convert over to Judaism – because in their minds Gentiles were unclean!
And so Baptism was this symbolic ritual of going from unclean – to clean!
But here’s the thing:
A Proselyte Baptism was NOT for ethnic Jews – Proselyte Baptism was for Gentile converts!
And so here comes John, a Jew baptising fellow Jews in the wilderness (not in a temple) – not under
any Jewish authority – with a baptism of repentance, calling the people of God to cleanse
themselves from their sin in order to make way for the Messiah…
And so, you can imagine that an event like this, would have captured the attention of the Jews (the
religious leaders) who would have been thinking to themselves:
How can you a Jew, call us the children of Abraham unclean! How dare you describe us as
unclean people, we’re the children of Abraham! We don’t need to be cleansed; we’re already
in the covenant!
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And so in order to understand the nature of John’s Baptism – and who John is (the authority that he
brings) they send a delegation to interrogate John in the wilderness!
The Jews
And that’s where our text picks up in verse 19:
This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him,
“Who are you?” and he didn’t deny it but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”
The first thing I want us to see, is that term The Jews in verse 19 – that phrase is going to be helpful
to identify the religious leaders who are going to oppose Jesus throughout John’s Gospel!
We’re gonna see this in the coming weeks that pretty much every time John uses this shorthand
expression (the Jews) – almost always does it refer to the hostile leaders of the Pharisees, the
Sadducees, the Scribes and the Levites; the Levites were sort of the temple guards of Jerusalem!
And so almost immediately John pitches up the significance of the delegation sent out to John –
informing his readers of the nature of this interrogation…
Friends this is NOT a Baptist potluck lunch!
This is not a friendly meet & greet!
This is a hostile interrogation!
In fact, the language John is using of testimony, confession, & denial further implies that John is
being put up on trial before the Sanhedrin to give an account of his ministry!
And so, John tells it to them straight – he does NOT deny but confesses it:
I Am NOT the Messiah! I AM NOT the chosen one of Israel who has come to redeem my
people!
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I am NOT the Christ
Now you can’t really see it in the CSB – but here in verse 20 John pretty much falls over himself,
in making sure to deny this title!
In fact, the Greek translation is even more emphatic – if we were to read this in the Greek it would
read:
He confessed, and he did not deny, but he confessed… I am NOT the Christ!
It’s sort of that double confession…
In other words:
This is the strongest possible way that John could have denied this title!
It’s almost as if John is disgusted that they would even think that He was the Christ!
I AM
Now… one of the things that John’s Gospel is most famous for, are the I am statements of Jesus –
so that Jesus all throughout this Gospel will say to the religious leaders, to the crowds, to the
disciples:
I am the bread of life
I am the light of the world
I am the door to heaven
I am the shepherd of the sheep
I am the way
I am the truth
I am the life
And every time He says this – he reminds his readers of the direct correlation that Jesus shares with
Yahweh in Exodus 3!
When God revealed Himself to Moses He said:
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I am who I am!
The Greek phrase is:
EGO EIMI
I AM (without any predicate) – there’s no qualifications – it’s simply I AM!
This is the self- same expression that God reveals Himself to Moses in Exodus 3!
But here’s what interesting about verse 20 – John uses the same expression as Jesus But with a
negative in between!
So that if Jesus’ says I AM is the strongest possible way that Jesus could have affirmed His own
authority – John’s I AM NOT is the strongest possible way of rejecting his own authority!
It’s almost like John is being equally offensive in his denial of this claim!
That’s the point that the author is making!
I AM NOT THE CHRIST!
You are NOT the Christ
Now friends, this confession is probably the most important confession you & I will ever make
outside of a confession of saving faith in Jesus Christ!
This confession – is not just essential for understanding the nature of who Jesus is – but this
confession is essential for understanding who we are in light of who Christ is!
And so, we would do well to camp out here for just a few minutes…
John Calvin (the great Reformer) once said this:
Nearly all the wisdom we possess, all knowledge of this world, consists of two main things:
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1. A Knowledge of God!
2. And a Knowledge of Self!
We must know who God is in order to understand the nature of our sin and what we are like!
And we must understand ourselves in order to understand the nature of God, and what He is like!
And in order to have a true and proper knowledge of the world – Calvin says these two things
MUST BE AT PLAY!
A knowledge of God – and a knowledge of self – that’s what we see here in verse 20!
John does NOT suffer from a Messiahship complex!
He does NOT see himself as a second kind of Christ to the people!
He does NOT think of himself more highly than he ought!
But by the Grace of God he rightly sees himself in light of who God is… and without a shadow of a
doubt he knows that:
HE IS NOT THE CHRIST!
He is not the messiah!
He is not the hope of Israel!
You know as pastor one of the greatest temptations that I often face in ministry, is wanting to do
more, to say more, and be more, than what God has actually called me to be!
As a husband I face this tension!
As a father I feel this truth!
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And I know I’m NOT the only one in here who suffers from a Messiah-ship complex!
Human
Friends – all of us suffer from this disease of pride because all of us suffer from the disease of sin!
See the scary thing about this particular sin is that you don’t have to be a pastor, to develop a
Messiah complex…
You just have to be human!
Because this is a sin that plagues each and every one of us sitting here today!
And so let me remind you of one of the greatest truths we can hear – from this text in John
chapter 1:
YOU ARE NOT THE CHRIST!
You are NOT the chosen One of Israel, you cannot redeem your people from their sins…
And you cannot do what only the Messiah Himself can do!
You are NOT omni-competent – omni-present – or omni-intelligent!
And you can never be what you were never called to be, and what only Jesus Christ Himself can
be!
Friends – what a humble thing to say – and what a freeing thing to say!
Mums you need to hear this – those times when your children are being monsters and not listening
to a word you have to say…
When the house is a mess…The dishes are dirty…and everything is falling to apart…and then you
go onto Instagram and see that mum hastagging blessed – hastagging life…hashtag motherhood!
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Those are the times for you to take a moment, steady your heart, look to the Lord, and kindly
remind yourself:
I am NOT the Christ!
I cannot be what God has never called me to be…
Husbands – when you’re leading your family in family devotions, and your children are beginning to
complain, your wife is getting bored, and they begin to say to you that they want to do something
else; I want you to remember this verse and say to yourself:
I am NOT the Messiah! I am NOT the Christ – and I can never be what Jesus Himself can
only be!
What freedom there is in reminding yourself, that Jesus Christ is enough – and that YOU ARE
NOT!
What a humble thing to say…and I imagine what a freeing thing to say…
Elijah
And that’s just the first thing John says about himself!
John goes on to deny a second Old Testament figure that he doesn’t claim to be – secondly, they
ask him:
What then? Are you Elijah? I am NOT he said…
Now this one’s not as random as you may think at first – Malachi 4:5 (the last Old Testament book)
had promised the Jewish nation that:
God was going to send the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD…
And so in the last verse, of the last chapter, of the last book, of the Old Testament Scriptures –
God had promised the prophet Elijah would come!
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And so the Jews were anticipating the coming of the Prophet Elijah who as you may know did NOT
actually die (in the traditional sense) but was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire – which you
can read about in 2 Kings chapter 2…
And so for over 400 years, the people of Israel were expecting the coming of the prophet to proceed
the coming of the Messiah, and that’s why they say to John:
Well if you’re not the Messiah, might you be the forerunner to the Messiah...?!?!
Now what’s ironic about this, is that John was actually a kind of Elijah!
1. John was actually called to be the forerunner to the Christ! In verse 23 he describes
himself as a voice to prepare the way for the Lord!
2. But it’s also really confusing because in Luke’s Gospel the angel Gabriel says that John the
Baptist will go before the Messiah in the spirit & power of Elijah – and in fact Jesus
Himself says in Matthew 11 that John is the Elijah who was to come…
And so this question is actually closer to the mark than what these Pharisees probably suspect –
because in one sense John was the prophet Elijah who was to come – but see John denies it here
because he wasn’t the Elijah of their popular expectations…
See they were expecting the physical, literal, body of Elijah because the Greek translation of the
Hebrew had mistranslated Malachi to say that Elijah the Tishbite would return back to them…
And so they thought that they would get the actual, physical, same Elijah of the Old Testament…
And so, John says:
I’m NOT him…I’m NOT the Elijah to come…
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The Prophet
And so they decide to have one last shot – If he’s not Christ – if He’s not Elijah – then might he be
The Prophet of Deuteronomy chapter 18?!?!
In Deuteronomy chapter 18 God had promised to the nation of Israel that He would raise up for them
a prophet like Moses from among their ranks:
…You must listen to him. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell you everything I have
commanded… I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the Prophet
speaks in my name…
And so the Jews remember Deuteronomy 18 and they proceed to ask:
Are you THE PROPHET – John are you THAT PROPHET of Deuteronomy 18…?
And John says: NO!
John’s Answers
By the way did you notice John’s answers are becoming increasingly short as the questions
progress…
First, he says:
I am NOT the Messiah!
Are you Elijah – I am NOT!
Are you the Prophet – No!
John appears to be getting over this game quicker than they are…
I am the Voice
And so finally they decide to appeal to the only authority they have at this point and remind John of
who it was that sent them!
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Verse 22:
Who are you, then?” We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us
about yourself?”
And so John says – Okay you wanna know who I am:
I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord – as
Isaiah the Prophet had said…
Now friends in its original context – Verse 23 is what we call ancient Near-Eastern Royalty Talk!
In the ancient world – whenever you saw a King’s arrival – whenever you saw the coming of a King
– you would also see his servants, going ahead of Him, to prepare the way, to clear the roads, and to
straighten the paths!
So that when you saw a bunch of men, picking up rocks, clearing out paths, cutting down trees,
fixing up roads – that was the sign that you knew:
The King was coming!
And so, John says (by quoting Isaiah 40) that if you want a message to bring back to headquarters –
you want a message to bring back to Jerusalem:
Tell them the King is coming!
Tell them the Messiah is here and He’s about to be made known!
A Voice – The Word
And so essentially then, John is declaring to them, that His identity, His ministry, His very
existence, is wrapped in being nothing else but:
A Mere Voice…
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Over against the One who is introduced in the beginning of this Gospel as (watch now):
The Word!
I’m just the messenger – He is the message!
I am just a pointer – He is the point!
I’m a lamp – He is the Light!
Out of everything else that could be said about John the Baptist friends:
He was a humble preacher…
He rightly understands who He is in relation to who God is!
A knowledge of God – and a knowledge of self!
Why Baptise
And so, the religious leaders hear this response, and they proceed to think to themselves:
Well why then are you baptising if you neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet… by
what authority are you doing these things?!?!
Now these guys knew their bibles – they knew Isaiah chapter 40 – they should have been on their
horses racing back to Jerusalem in order to spread the message of John!
And yet all they’re interested in is the identity of John and whether he’s a threat to the Jewish
community!
I mean they have missed the very point of John’s ministry!
He’s just told them:
The King is coming
I’m here preparing the people of God to receive their King!
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I’m preparing their hearts – I’m baptising people – I’m preparing the way!
And yet all you do is ask me by what authority do I do these things?!?!
Sandals
And so John says well if it’s a matter of authority with you…
If that’s all you’re interested in – then let me say this:
My authority comes from one whose sandals I am not worthy to untie… my authority comes
from the One who is so highly exalted that I can’t even perform the task of the lowest slave!
See in Jewish tradition – a student was expected to serve his Rabbi in almost every way – the only
exception to that was in taking off his master’s shoes!
That was reserved for the lowest servant of the home!
Because in the ancient world feet were regarded as the lowest part of the body – they were smelly,
they were dirty, they were gross, and unclean – and so:
Dealing with a person’s feet was beneath a disciple!
And yet John says to the Jews:
When it comes to the Messiah…I’m not even worthy to do the task of the lowliest slave of the
home…
I’m lower than a slave – I’m nobody…
Because John rightly understood who he was in relation to who God is – a knowledge of God and a
knowledge of self!
F.B Meyer (New Testament Scholar) said it well:
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The only hope of a decreasing self, is an increasing Christ…
If we want to kill our pride!
If we want Christ to truly take the light – if we want people to see the beauty of Jesus – if we want
hearts and minds changed by the Gospel –Then we need to be willing to decrease ourselves and
increase the Name of Christ!
The Supreme Son
And that’s what we see in our second point here this morning:
The Supreme Son…
Have a look at verse 29 with me:
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man
who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’
Day Two – Introduction
So, this is day 2 – the second introduction from John – John has already recognised Jesus as the
Christ – it appears that Jesus has already been baptised by John sometime prior to verse 29 – as we
see John already recognises Jesus – he doesn’t come to recognise Him, but already recognises Him
as Messiah!
And so presumably Jesus has been baptised already…sometime between verses 18 and verse 19
John baptises Jesus – Jesus heads out into the wilderness – He is tempted by the Devil – at which
point John continues to baptise – John is then confronted by the pharisees in verse 19 – and then
sometime after His temptation, Jesus comes back into Bethany – John sees Jesus walking – and
says: Behold the Lamb of God!
That’s the way I’m piecing this puzzle together!
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John Vs. Jesus
Now notice the striking differences between the first introduction on Day 1 – and the second
introduction on Day 2:
On day 1 – John is introduced as a voice crying out in the wilderness – prepare the way of the Lord –
on Day 2 Jesus is introduced as a Lamb, who demands all of our attention!!!
See He is a Lamb who demands all of our attention – because He is a Lamb who can take away
our sin!
Friends:
The very first time that Jesus is mentioned in the flesh, in John’s Gospel, Jesus is identified as the
sin-bearing Lamb who takes away our sin…
That’s the very first title He takes on after John’s prologue in the opening scene – and the very
first time He’s mentioned is through the lends of a sacrifice…
So, John the author is slowly beginning to piece the puzzle together (even in chapter 1 of his Gospel)
of where he is ultimately taking us in chapter 19 – with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ!
These are early signs of where this gospel is heading!
Old Testament Lambs
Now it’s hard to know which Old Testament Lamb John is referring to here:
Is this a reference to the guilt offering lamb of Leviticus chapter 5? Is it a refence to the Passover
Lamb of Exodus chapter 12? Is it the Isaiah Lamb of Isaiah 53? The lamb of the daily sacrifice in
Exodus 29? Is this the Jeremiah Lamb? The Ezekiel Lamb? The scapegoat Lamb? The triumphant
Lamb? The Genesis Lamb? The intertestamental Lamb…
We don’t know for sure!
But what we do know is that this analogy would NOT have been lost on these Jews…
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Because every 1st century Jew listening to John’s voice would have immediately recognised the
significance of a Lamb dying in the place of sinners – they just didn’t expect that it was going to be
the Messiah Lamb who would come to do it!
See they were expecting a Warrior King who would come to overthrow the Romans – but what
John is actually saying is that when this Messiah comes, He is going to come to overthrow your
greatest need – and that’s the need of salvation from your sin!
This is a Lamb says John, who demands all of our attention – because this is a Lamb who dies in the
place of sinners!
NOT just in the place of Israel’s sin!
But in the place of each & every kind of sinner – both Jew & Greek; both slave & free; both
Scythian, Barbarian, Medes and Persians:
This is a Lamb who dies for all men without distinction!
The Supremacy of Christ
But how did John know this?!?! – How did he know that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world – well he tells us there in verse 31:
I myself did not know Him, but I came baptizing with water so that He might be revealed to
Israel… And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He
rested on Him. I didn’t know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The
one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—He is the one who baptizes with the Holy
Spirit.’ and I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God…
Jesus’ Baptism
So here comes John – the relative of Jesus – both mothers were very close to one another…Jesus &
John presumably would have grown up with one another– and yet John says twice:
I did not know Him!
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Now it’s most likely that John was saying:
I knew Jesus was my cousin – yes, I knew He was a little bit different – but I didn’t know
He was the Messiah of the world!
And specifically I didn’t know He was God’s only Son!
And so, to awaken John’s awareness of things – John tells us that 2 things happened in particular – 2
things to awaken John’s awareness of the identity of Christ and the ministry He brings:
1. John saw something!
2. John heard something!
And the moment these 2 things converged John knew:
That Jesus Christ was King!
That He was the unique Son of God!
Verse 32:
John testified saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He (the Holy
Spirit) rested on Him (Jesus Christ)… I myself did not know Him, but He who sent me to
baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—He is the
one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
So John saw the Spirit descend – John saw the Spirit remain – John heard the voice of God – All of
which culminates in the ultimate revelation of verse 34:
That because I have seen the Spirit of God – and because I have heard the voice of God:
I can now safely say that Jesus is the Son of God!
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Come Down
That is:
Unlike Israel’s former kings who were anointed with a mere symbol of the Holy Spirit (the
anointing of oil) – Israel’s truest King was anointing with the Holy Spirit Himself!
He didn’t receive a symbol of the Spirit – He received the very Spirit Himself!
Remain
But notice what else he says there:
I saw the Spirit descend like a dove and remain on Him!!!
He rested on Him!
He abides on Him!
That is that:
While the Holy Spirit would occasionally come down on certain individuals in the Old Testament
scriptures, for the purpose of enabling them for a specific task – Israel’s truest King & unique
King – would be the One who is full of the Holy Spirit – empowered by the Spirit – able to do
things – to say things – and to Know Things that no other King in history has ever been able to
do…
Like raising people from the dead – like making atonement for sin – like pouring out His
Holy Spirit – and specifically claiming to be the divine & unique Son of God!
John is making the very careful distinction here, that although we are the adopted and received
children of God by faith in the Messiah – Jesus Christ alone is the only natural Son of the Father!
To all those who received Him He gave the right to become children of God – but Jesus is
the only natural Born Son of the Father!
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And when you see that title (the Son of God) all throughput the New Testament Scriptures – it’s
NOT just talking about a biological Son – but it’s a title to divinity!
It is speaking of the Lordship of Christ!
Essentially, we need God in the flesh to save us from God – and that’s what Jesus has come to do!
Conclusion
C.H Spurgeon tells the story of a day in 1857…
When he was due to preach at the world-famous Crystal Palace exhibition in London… and he had
decided to enter the building a day or two before in order to test out the acoustics of the
auditorium… and so the story goes that Spurgeon walked onto the stage, into an empty place, in
order to listen to the echo of his voice and how it would be projected…Spurgeon gets up, he cries out
in a very loud voice, and says at the top of his lungs:
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world…
Spurgeon was happy with the sound, and so Spurgeon went home…
Little did he know however that there was a worker that day, working in a side galley (in one
of the rooms) of the building, who had no idea what was going on…
Spurgeon says:
He simply heard the words of the prophet John, and they came like a message from heaven to his
soul... He was smitten with conviction on account of his sin, he put down his tools, went home that
day, and after a season of spiritual struggle, found peace and life by beholding the Lamb of God…
He became a Christian from one single verse!
Friends such is the power of the message we possess – and the message John proclaimed…
This is what marked out John’s ministry in the wilderness:
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John was a humble pointer to the supreme Son of God who has the authority to take away
sins…
Spurgeon said:
If Christ be anything He must be everything…
And friends Jesus was everything to John!
John spent his whole life talking about Jesus!
Jesus was everything to John!
Is He everything to you?
Why is John the Baptist an evangelist and person worthy of our imitation…
Because John the Baptist was a faithful witness who pointed people away from himself and onto the
supreme Son of God…
Friends…go and do likewise!
25
John 1:19-34
Discussion Questions
Main Point: A faithful witness points people away from self and onto the Son of God.
Q1. [Read John 1:6-9 & 1:19-28] – What similarities do you see between these two passages?
Q2. Verse 19 talks about John giving his testimony. [See also verses 23, 26-27, & 29-34]. What was
the content of John’s Testimony? – How should this govern the content of our witness for Christ?
Q3. [Read Verse 20]. What significance & joy is there in reminding yourself that you are not the
Christ? – How often do you need to remind yourself of John’s confession here?
Q4. Why was John’s ministry getting so much attention from the religious leaders in Jerusalem? –
Why did the Jews think he was Elijah the Prophet? [See Malachi 4:5]. – What other Old Testament
Prophet did they refer to in verse 21? [See Deuteronomy 18:15;18-19].
Q5. [Read John 1:25]. What was their interest in John’s baptism/why was it so controversial?
Q6. What was the significance of John referring to himself as a voice preparing the way? [Read
Isaiah 40:3-5].
Q7. What imagery would have been pressed into their minds as they heard John cry out in verse 29:
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”? – How do you understand
Christ’s death in taking away “the world’s sin” and how does John 1:10-11 affect your
interpretation?
Q8. What convinced John that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God? [See verses 31-34]. – Why do
you think the Holy Spirit is depicted as a dove in Jesus’ Baptism?
Q9. How would you explain John 1:19-34 to a non-Christian?
