John 1.34-37 - First Contact Pt 2: “Son of God”

Last time we finally saw Jesus.  A [delegation] from the Pharisees came to interrogate John the Witness, and the next day Jesus shows up on the scene.  I’m NOT The One, John says.  This One IS The One.  He is The Word Who WAS, Who was WITH God and Who WAS God.  Jesus.  And as Jesus appears, John the Witness gives us three titles, telling us three significant things about this One Who IS The One.  

First John says, behold the [Lamb of God].  We looked at this last time.  Jesus is the Substitute Sacrifice, the Sacrificial Lamb Who picks up and removes the sin of the whole world.  Then John says, He’s the [Baptizer in the Spirit].  This is not just a splash of water to clean you on the outside.  This is not just a profession of belief (altho that is important).  This is a whole new you.  The Ultimate Extreme Makeover.  Remade from the inside out as the Spirit of Jesus comes into our heart, into our life and begins to change our heart and our life to look [increasingly] like Him.

John the Witness next gives us a third title for Jesus here.  [34 “I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”]  This is my eye-witness testimony: this One is the [Son of God], he says.  John is repeating what God the Father Himself declared as John was baptizing Jesus: [Mk 1:10-11 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”]  [18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.] Jesus is God’s only begotten Son.

Now the Hebrew expression “son of” can mean, of the same nature and character.  Son of disobedience.  Son of perdition.  Son of Man.  But to the Jews, “Son of God” meant one thing… And this title - Son of God - is only ever applied to Jesus.  In this book of John, believers are God’s [tekna] (children) - but only Jesus is God’s [huios].  We’re in God’s family, but only Jesus is begotten, out of the Father.  Somehow - the conception and birth are deep divine mysteries, to be sure.  But Jesus is the eternal only-begotten Son of God.  David prophesies this:

[Ps. 2:1  Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!”  He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.  Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’” Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth.  Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling.  Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!]

And there's a world of difference between being called the Son of God as opposed to just the Lamb of God.  “Son of God” is why the Jews ultimately kill Jesus…  There is no mistaking what this phrase meant for the Jews: [Mt 26.63-66 And the high priest said to Jesus, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.”  Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself…Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” John 19:7 The Jews answered, “We have a law, and by that law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be the Son of God.” Matt. 27:38-43  …those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.  HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”].  This is the Son of God.  God the Son.  Messiah and King and Lord God Almighty.  [Son of God = God].  The very suggestion is blasphemy.  

Why are these priests and passer-bys accusing Him of blasphemy?  Why are they mocking Him with such sarcasm?  Is it because they don’t believe the Scriptures?  Did they not understand the prophecy?  God’s promise to send this Messiah Who would be His begotten Son?  Partially.  But they seem to feel like they are lacking proof.  Come down from the cross.  Save yourself.  Let’s see God rescue you.  Prove it to us.  Let’s see if God can get you out of this one.  They’re not yet convinced.  King Herod - [Luke 23:8  Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him.]  Show me a sign.  Prove it to me. 

To which, it is as if God has said, I'll give you proof.  How about if God were to bring Jesus back to life?  Raise Him from the dead, perhaps?  [Acts 17:31 (God) has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”][Rom. 1:1  …the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,]. That's our proof, people.  The Resurrection is THE sign. [next week]

[34] John testifies, I have seen, and I am telling you - Jesus is the Son of God.  John didn’t need ANY more proof - here in ch 1 he had already seen enough.  And he’s testifying to us all - THIS is the One you’ve been waiting for.  He’s God’s Messiah.  AND He is God.

But many people are like Herod, looking for a personal miracle.  Prove it to me.  What’s in it for me? Sometimes God does that, works a wonderful impossible for someone, even before they believe.  But what John is saying is, Jesus IS the Miracle.  THE Wonderful Impossible.  The Word Who became flesh.  And for us, fast forward and WE know that He died for us, and then God raised Him back to life.  Talk about a miracle!  What more do you need?  That tomb is empty…! For us, Faith = Recognize + Surrender.  Recognize that He is God the Son, and surrender to Him. And Recognize = Revere.  This is not mere intellectual assent.  This is worship.

So.  Day 1: the Interrogation - who Are You, John?  Day 2: the Recognition - Behold the Lamb of God!  Son of God!  Look what happens on Day 3: [35-37  Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.]  Did you ever know a preacher whose goal was to have people follow someone else?  I’m going to do my level best to help you wind up at this other church.  Following this other teacher.  Well that’s what John is doing.  Day 3 is the Defection.  The ministry of Subtraction.  Not spiritual multiplication.  Spiritual subtraction - which sounds like unhealthy ministry.  But this is exactly what is supposed to happen for John.  Helping people recognize Jesus.  [Luke 19:41-44 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you when your enemies …will level you to the ground and your children within you…because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”]  How about you and me?  Do we recognize Him, the Son of God?  With surrender and reverence?

Others who recognized Jesus: Peter, the Centurion, demons, Martha. 

Matt. 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matt. 27:54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Mark 3:11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!”

Mark 5:6 Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and shouting with a loud voice, he *said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 

John 11:27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

John 1.29-34 - Day 2: First Contact: (Behold the Lamb of God)

We’ve been looking at Day 1 of John’s book.  The Interrogation.  The Pharisees have [dispatched a delegation] to ask John the Baptizer: who are you, and why are you baptizing?  And John says, this is not about me.  I am not the One you’re looking for.  I’m just the Way-clearer.  BUT the One you ARE looking for has already stood among you, and you don’t know Him.  You haven’t recognized Him.  So…

On to Day 2.  The day after the interrogation.  [29  The next day (John) sees Jesus coming to him and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!]  For John, his whole life and work up to this point had been directed towards clearing the way, getting people ready to receive Messiah.  The One they had all been waiting for - for centuries!  And here He comes!!! [The Word Who is first cuz He always was].  This has got to be the greatest day in John’s life…!

And even I didn’t recognize Him, John says.  Twice.  [31 “Even I did not recognize Him, but so that He should be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”].  When He showed up, even I didn’t know Him.  But I came baptizing in water, calling people to repentance, preparing people’s hearts, clearing the way, so that when Mashiach did show up, people WOULD know Him.  John had spent his whole life and work focusing on this Messiah, and he says, even I didn’t recognize Him.  Not at first.  Mind boggling - they were 2nd cousins.  John had probably been around Him for years, and even tho he was looking for Him, somehow he still didn’t recognize Him.  But he repeats it: [33-32 (Even) I did not recognize Him, BUT the One who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’” John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.”].  No wonder that so many miss him still.  We all need help recognizing Jesus.

Notice that in this case, recognizing Jesus required a divine intervention.  God had to intervene for John to recognize Jesus [and he’s a PK!].  So, what does this suggest about whose job it is then to bring people to repentance?  To change their minds about Jesus?  We point people to Jesus, like John, who faithfully pointed people to Messiah - even tho he somehow didn’t recognize Him. [success in witnessing is taking the initiative in the power of the Spirit and leaving the results UP TO GOD]  We point people to Jesus - and God is the One Who opens their eyes to see the truth about Who Jesus is, to see their need for Him. [Is. 42:5-7,16  Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it, “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, and I will appoint You as a Covenant to the people, as a Light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison. I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, and I will not leave them undone.”][and we get to help!*] 

Every one of the Gospels mentions the [Holy Spirit descending] on Jesus: [Matt 3:16-17 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”].  God the Father is doing two things here: 1) confirming the identity of His only begotten Son [validation of Deity of Christ]; AND 2) [33] saying, [My Son] is the One Who now baptizes and seals every person who trusts in Him with the same Holy Spirit [Rom. 8:9  But your sinful nature does not control you. The Holy Spirit controls you. The Spirit of God lives in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ.].  Jesus said, [Acts 1.8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…].  The Spirit of Messiah living IN you and me is the Ultimate Game-Changer! [Gal. 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.]  Christ lives in me.  He will show up in our life.  His power will show up in and through us.  The fruit of His Spirit, His breathtaking goodness will be seen in our life - because Jesus will be seen in our life.  Or should.   [no power? need to be filled…]

John says, God told me, “the One you (and everyone else) is looking for?  THIS is how you’ll know for sure Who He is.  The Holy Spirit will descend onto Him and remain on Him.”  And John is saying, I saw that happen (probably not long before Day 2).  I saw Him - He’s the guy.  And so Jesus shows up here on Day 2, and John’s like, there He is!!!  [29]  Look!  Behold!  Pay attention! [Check it out!]  There He is!!!  He’s the One, the One Who needs to come first! 

So, John doesn’t just say, Behold, Mashiach.  THERE’s Messiah.  He could’ve said that.  No - John says, Behold the Lamb of God.  He calls Jesus, the Lamb of God.  This title only appears twice in the entire Bible - right here, as Jesus comes on the scene.  God’s people had been waiting for Messiah the Prince for centuries.  THE Anointed One.  THE once and forever King of the Jews.  And now, Messiah the King finally shows up, in this amazing fulfillment of prophecy, and what does John call Him?  What’s the first thing John says when he sees Jesus? [picture a lamb]?  The Lamb of God?  Really?

The Lamb.  Known for weakness, vulnerability.  A totally defenseless baby sheep —> [i.e. Prey].  But God chose the [lamb] as THE symbol for conquering death and evil and sin.  Taking away the sin of the world.  The Lamb of God.  The Greek word for “take away” here means to pick it up and remove it. [ i.e. not how many of us pick up our room]  This is what the Lamb of God does.  Completely picks up our mess.  Our messy mass of sin.  Filthy rags.  Everything that has and will ever separate us from God.  And that’s what Jesus has done with our sin.  Picked it all up and removed it - as far as the east is from the west. [Psa. 103:12  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.]

The Jews understood (or should have) that God’s Lamb means Substitution.  In Genesis, God provides Abraham with a grown male sheep as a substitute sacrifice for Isaac.  In Exodus the blood of the lamb provided the way for God’s destroying angel to pass over the people.  Each year they celebrated that Passover by sacrificing a lamb.  [Ex. 29:38  “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously.] God had for centuries been preparing His people to understand that THE Lamb of God was His final ultimate substitute sacrifice for our sin [Is. 53:1-6  Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted.But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.] [Behold the Lamb of God], taking up the sin of the world...

The sin of the world (singular).  Not just the sins of the world, but all the iniquity of us all.  The Lamb of God is He Who picks up and removes not just the deeds we’ve done or failed to do, but every aspect of sin that separates us from God.  Up to this point in Israel lambs had been sacrificed for individuals and for families and for the nation.  But now, for the first time and finally, God is fully dealing with the sin of the entire world.  The iniquity of us all.  All the separation that exists between God and people.  Taken up and out of the way, fully and forever.  Behold, the Lamb of God…

*On getting to help: "While living in Michigan, during a terrific snowstorm, my infant son became very ill ... We bundled up our ailing son; my old Plymouth refused to start in the subzero cold. Just then, a neighbor that we did not know, who had recently moved in, was returning from an errand and noticed our distress ... He insisted I use his car to get our son to the doctor. 'No argument,' he declared. Off we went. A few miles down the road I noticed this car had less than a hundred miles on it. It was BRAND NEW! Upon returning I thanked him profusely and asked how could I repay him. 'When you have the opportunity to help someone in distress and you help them, I will be repaid.’"

John 1.24-28 - Clear the Way (The Interrogation Pt 2)

Last time we saw that the Pharisees sent a delegation to interrogate John the Witness out in the [wilderness].  The Interrogation.  Are you the Messiah?  And John makes it crystal clear: No, no, no - I am not the Messiah.  I am not the one you need to be looking for.  Well then who ARE you?  [22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”].  Who AM I?  John says, I am here to prepare the way, to clear the way for the Lord.  I am a Way-clearer.

How does one make straight, or “clear the way” for the Lord?  Let’s look at the passage John quotes: [Is. 40:3-5  A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the LORD in the [wilderness]; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.  Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”]

Is wilderness where we go to FIND the Lord, or is He coming OUT of the [wilderness]?  Maybe a little of both?  John is “in the wilderness”.  Wilderness is where nothing grows/dead.  Nobody lives/lonely.  No food, no water/hard to survive.  And there is no road/hard to move forward.  But so the Lord is coming.  He WANTS to come into our lives, and build His kingdom.  We might need to venture into (or find ourselves in) a hard place to find Him.  Or, we might need to venture OUT of that lonely hard-to-live place.  We basically want to [bulldoze] anything that might hinder His coming - in our lives or in the lives of others.  We want to smooth that all out - we want to clear out anything that might keep anyone (including us) from seeing the glory of the Lord, that might somehow hide or throw shade on His breathtaking goodness and greatness.  So that all flesh can see His glory.

So, clearing out the things that hinder us from seeing God’s glory. Surely the greatest of these is me? [3fold self - me-myself-and-I]  [Is 40.6-8 A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass.  The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.]  Isaiah reminds us that even at our best-most-lovely [chesed], we are like a fading flower [like spring redbuds - gone way too quickly].  Beautiful to look at for a season maybe, but nothing we should put our stock in.  My focus on self - good/bad and even the ugly - this KEEPS me from seeing how great the Lord really is, and how much I really need Him.  I need to realize that even my very best will fade and leave me no better than an empty wilderness.  I need to embrace the truth, that in the end, the ONLY thing that lasts, the ONLY thing we can/should really trust, is God and His Word.  And HE is coming out of the wilderness to a city, to a life near you, near me.  You and I need to clear the way…

So, back in the wilderness, our interrogators ask John a good question.  [25 They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”]  Why WAS John baptizing?  I’m calling you to repentance, that’s what I’m doing.  (=) change your mind AND your direction - about who you are, what you are doing, about your life.  This is what it means to clear the way.  [Clearing out the rough ground], filling in valleys, leveling mountains.  The things that hinder the advance of God’s “kingdom”, the progress of what God wants in our life.  This is what Jesus taught us to pray: let Your kingdom come, let what You want be done - on earth, in my life, just as it is in heaven.  Clear the way.  Clear it out.  You and I change our mind about our life, about what we want, about who to trust.  We change our mind about Who God is, and what He deserves.  And we pray with Jesus, not what I want, but what You want, Lord.  I want what You want, Lord.  Clear the way.

Baptism itself didn’t clear the way, per se.  There’s nothing magical even about the waters of the river [Jordan].  But there IS something about making a public profession.  It gives feet to your resolve.  And it brings the community, the spiritual family, into your journey.  It invites them into your struggles and your triumphs.  Some today think that faith is a “personal” thing, that it should stay personal - but that is NOT what we see in John.  Make your decision [public]…

[26 John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. 27 “It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”]  I am baptizing, I am calling you all to repentance because there is One among you Who you do not know.  He HAS stood.  Already.  He’s already among you.  In fact, He is Emmanuel - God WITH us.  He is the Ultimate God•send, He’s already here - and John says, you’ve missed it, completely.  One Whom you don’t know.  You aren’t even aware that He’s here.  I’m here to help clear things out of the way, so that you CAN see Him.  You don’t know Who He is.  And you NEED to know Him.  Because HE is Messiah.  And He is worthy.  Sooo worthy.  I am not worthy, John says.  I am NOT Him, and compared to Him, I am nothing.  We show people Jesus - because there is no one like Him.  

John says, I’m not worthy even to untie His [sandals].  This statement appears in every one of the Gospels.  Sandal removal - and foot washing - were the jobs for the lowest slave in a household - and John says, this Messiah you ask if I am?  I’m not worthy to be compared to Him in any way.  I don’t even rate as the most menial servant in comparison to Him.  He’s so good, He’s simply better.  The Best.  He must increase.  He is coming after me, behind me, John says - but He needs to come first for you.  He needs to be front and center for you.  And that’s what I’m here to do, to clear the way for Him to be first, to be front and center.

This is precisely where repentance comes in.  John’s ministry of baptizing people was bringing people to the recognition that this life was not about them.  It’s not about me.  Life is not [me-first].  I am not to be living for what I want.  I live first for what God wants.  This is a fundamental change of heart.  And this is the very first thing author John shows us.  He shows us John the Witness, calling people to turn their lives around, to turn their hearts around from living for what I want and choosing instead to live for what the Lord wants.  Clearing the way for [Jesus to be first].  And as it turns out, there is no better way to live - cuz He made us for this.  This is the abundant Zoe life God designed us to live - in HIM is Zoe.  Our best life is not living for what I want.  It’s living for what God wants.  This is how life is designed to work.  Most of us grow up mistakenly assuming that life is all about us, what I want.  We’re messing around making mud pies in a slum, when infinite joy is offered us.  He has already stood among you.  His light has been shining.  Won’t you eagerly take the Light?  Won’t you eagerly receive Him?  Why won’t you eagerly receive Him?  He is so much better.  We have no idea.  John says, I'm not even worthy to untie His sandals - he knew how much better Jesus was.  Clear the way for Jesus to be first [1jn4.19].

How about you and me?  How is it that we are clearing the way for Jesus to be first?  First in our heart?  Helping others make their way to Jesus?  All day, every day - clear the way for the Lord.  Shining the light of Christ in the dark places of the world, in the darkness of people’s hearts.  Showing off the goodness of Christ.  Blessed to be a blessing.  We shine the light of Christ in ways that show them Jesus, that point people to Jesus.  He must increase.  

So, this was The Interrogation.  Who are YOU, John?  And John is saying, it’s not about me.  This was never about me.  One is standing here - Whom you do not know.  Clear the way…

John 1.19-23 - (Not) The Messiah

Our story finally begins NOT with Jesus but John (the Witness).  In [Bethany-beyond-the Jordan] [28].  Not the village where Mary and Martha and Lazarus lived, a couple of miles from Jerusalem.  John is out in the middle of nowhere, Transjordan [If you were gonna launch a ministry - would you do it 30km from Jerusalem?  That's an all-day trip - like launching an East Texas ministry way out in West Texas?].  Bethany-beyond the Jordan.  This is a now-unknown village, somewhere near the Jordan river.  And that’s where we find John the Witness, baptizing people [in the shadow of Machaerus, the fortress prison where he would later be beheaded].  

[19 This is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”] THIS is the witness of John.  This is why he came!  To be a witness.  Here’s his testimony.  He knew something, AND was willing to testify.  He was available.  And what did he say?  Well, we begin with an interrogation.  And John our author gives us a very detailed description - it suggests that he was there for this questioning.  He was already following John the Witness.  And the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem - the Pharisees - send a delegation out to John the Witness.  They ask him, “Who are you?”  But that’s not their REAL question.  

At this time, early 1st cent AD, what every Jew really wants to know is, Are you Him?  Are you the One, the One we’ve been waiting for?  John, are you the Messiah?  I think at first even author John was wondering if maybe John the Witness was the Messiah.  So John answers their REAL question in the next verse: [20 And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”] Notice: author John triple records (3x!) that John the Witness answers emphatically, “I am definitely not the Christ.”  I’m not the One you’re looking for.

They were looking for the Messiah.  Christ is the Greek equivalent of that Hebrew word, Messiah [=mashiach].  It means, anointed.  You took a moshchah (consecrated portion) of the meshach (anointing oil) and you would mashach (anoint, smear/spread it on) someone and then they were God’s Mashiach.  Someone whom God has anointed, set apart for a special purpose.  At first in the OT it refers to [Aaron], the high priest.  After Israel insists they want a human king, it mostly refers to their [king]: Saul, David, Solomon, etc.  Those men who were anointed by God to lead His people.  Mashiach.

But there’s one passage in the OT where God promises to one day send this other [Mashiach].  And it is one of the most amazing prophecies in the entire Bible, found in Daniel [9.24-27].  At that time Daniel and his people are in captivity, in [Babylon].  It’s around 539BC.  Daniel has been in captivity in Babylon for some 65 years.  They have been there almost their entire lives.  Jerusalem, its walls, and the temple, the house of the Lord - all lies in ruins.  Nebuchadnezzar is long gone, and is there any hope for the Jewish people?  They are still looking forward to, longing for a day not only when they will be able to return to Jerusalem ["Next year in Jerusalem!" - it's a thing for Jews still today...], but they also long for this time when they will no longer be ruled by ANY foreign king.  Unfortunately, in 539BC, NOW the [Medes and the Persians] have come to power, and they’re even more powerful than the Babylonians.   

But Daniel, having a QT, sees a promise from God to Jeremiah [29.10], that the Jewish people will be in captivity in Babylon for 70 years.  Those 70 years are just about up!  So Daniel is praying and seeking the Lord [Dan. 9:19 “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”].  And God sends a messenger.  The [angel Gabriel].  [Dan. 9:25 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.] [7+62=69 weeks, 69 sevens, 7yr periods = 483 yrs].  There are different ideas as to which “decree” Gabriel is referring:  

-Cyrus/Zerubbabel, 538 BC [Ezra 1.1-4] - TEMPLE

-Darius/Haggai&Zechariah, 520 BC [Ezra 6.1-7] - TEMPLE

-Artaxerxes/Ezra, 457 BC [Ezra 7.11,18,9.9] - WALLS = CITY

[Ezra 7:11,18  Now this is the copy of the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest: “Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God…9:9 “For we are slaves; yet in our bondage our God has not forsaken us, but has extended lovingkindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us reviving to raise up the house of our God, to restore its ruins and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.]

[Using that 2nd Ezra date, 457BC —> 483 yrs = 27AD]  What does Gabriel say will happen right around year 27AD?  Mashiach.  Messiah the Prince.  This prophecy is so amazing!  Look at the next verse in Daniel: [26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off…]  Are you kidding me?  This long awaited Anointed One, Mashiach, will come, after 483 years - but then He’ll be “cut off”?  What is Gabriel talking about?  Daniel is receiving this prophecy almost 600 years before it happens.  What are the chances of this?  A lucky guess?  But so fast-forward back to John the Witness and here are the Jewish people, right around 27AD, and these are heady times, cuz anyone who is familiar with Daniel’s prophecy AND who is NOT prone to unbelief knows that pretty much, any day now… Mashiach!  Messiah the Prince is going to come!  They come to ask John, Who are you?  And he has to three-peat it: I myself am NOT the Messiah.

Then “who are you?”, they ask.  [21 They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ]  Why would they ask if he was Elijah?  It’s another promise: [Mal. 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple. 4:5  “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.]  Elijah was one of the most powerful prophets ever.  His exploits were the stuff of legend.  He also held the distinction of being one of only two people who the Lord took straight up to heaven.  Most Jews believed that Elijah himself was going to show up right before Messiah came.  But nope, John is not Elijah.  So they ask, are you “The Prophet”.  Who was that?  It’s another promise: [Deut. 18:15  “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.].  In other words, not just any prophet.  Someone like Moses.  [Moses and Elijah - what do they have in common?]  And again John says, no.  But Jesus will later confirm: [Matt. 11:7,9-10,14  Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’ And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.].  So why does John flat out say, “I am not Elijah, NOT the Prophet”?  That's a legit question...

[22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”] You’re for sure somebody special - so who? [23 He said, “I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”].  That verse in Isaiah actually says, clear the way for the Lord.  Clear the way.  Prepare the way.  I think he’s saying, you’re trying to make this about ME.  This is NOT about me.  John knew that it was all about Messiah.  Christ the Lord.  100s & 100s of years of Jewish prophecy, fulfilled in Jesus.  Messiah.  John says, I am NOT Him.  I’m here to clear the way, to point you people TO Him.  To Jesus.  And that’s our job - point ourselves and others to Him.  HE is The Messiah.  Anointed by God to lead His people.  Out of slavery.  Out of death.  And into eternal life.  Into this place where we can make it all about Him...