I
want to look at how John treats this same passage in his synoptic
gospel.
John
1:19-28, 29-34, 35-42
This is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites
from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you? He
confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. They
asked him again, What then? Who are you, Elias? He said, I am not.
Are you that prophet? He answered, No. Then they asked him, Who are
you? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What have you
to answer for yourself? He said, I am
the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Make straight the way of
the Lord", as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were
of the Pharisees. Asked him, Why baptize then, if you be not the
Christ, nor Elias, neither "that prophet"? John answered them, I
baptize with water: but there stands one among you, Whom you do not
know; He it is, Who is coming after me is preferred before me, whose
shoe latches I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in
Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Have
you noticed the respect of John for the Lord, Christ Jesus, as opposed
to the language used of the Priest's? John said that he was not “the
Christ” and the Priest's said “that Christ”, this has an err of
sarcasm in it. Earlier I referenced Zephaniah 3:4-5 and this may be a
good place to look at it because I think that it reveals mans
Apostate church which deceives the hole world and of which Judaism is
part of, to this I will also show another OT passage from Jeremiah 5;
Zephaniah
3:1-9
Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! She
obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in
the LORD; she drew not near to her God. Her
princes within her are
roaring lions; her judges are
evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. Her prophets
are
light and
treacherous
persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done
violence to the law.
The just LORD is
in the midst thereof; He will not do iniquity: every morning does He
bring His judgment to light, He fails not; but the unjust knows no
shame. I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made
their streets waste, that none pass by: their cities are destroyed,
so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. I said,
Surely you will fear Me, you will receive instruction; so their
dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they
rose early, and
corrupted all their doings. Therefore wait upon Me, said the LORD,
until the day that I rise up to the prey: for My determination is
to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon
them My indignation, all My fierce anger: for all the earth shall be
devoured with the fire of My jealousy. For then will I turn to the
people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the
LORD, to serve Him with one consent. (parallel passages Deuteronomy
13:5, 18:22, Isaiah 9:15, Jeremiah 2:8, 5:31, 14:14, 23:16, Ezekiel
13:2, 22:28, Hosea 9:7, Micah 3:5; Matthew 7:16, 24:11, Mark 13:22)
Jeremiah
5:30-31
A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The
prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means;
and my people love to
have it
so: and what will you do in the end thereof?
This
is found at the end of God's judgment of the Godlessness and
lawlessness of Jerusalem in chapter 5 of Jeremiah:
“A
wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The
prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means;
and my people love to
have it
so: and what will you do in the end thereof?”
It was for this very reason that Israel went through a period of five
hundred years where there was no Prophet, angel or God speaking to
them. This was during the time of the Maccabees's and a little beyond
until John and Jesus' appearance.
John
the Baptist Identifies the Son of God
The
next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, Behold the Lamb of
God, which takes away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I
said, After me comes a man which is preferred before me: for he was
before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to
Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. John bore record,
saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it
abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize
with water, the same said to me, Upon whom you shall see the Spirit
descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with
the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of
God.
No comments:
Post a Comment