John Bible Study - Lesson 4

John Bible Study - Lesson 4

Read the passage below using the 2 different Bible translations:

John 1:19-28 New International Version (NIV)

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

¹⁹ Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰ He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

²¹ They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

²² Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

²⁴ Now the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵ questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶ “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷ He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

²⁸ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John Testifies About Jesus

²⁹ 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 meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

³² Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.  ³³ And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’  ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

John 1:19-28 New Living Translation (NLT)

The Testimony of John the Baptist

¹⁹ This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” ²⁰ He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

²¹ “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”

“No,” he replied.

“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”

“No.”

²² “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”

²³ John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,
    ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”

²⁴ Then the Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵ asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”

²⁶ John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. ²⁷ Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”

²⁸ This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

Jesus, the Lamb of God

²⁹ 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 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ ³¹ I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”

³² Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. ³³ I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.”

Note:

Here are the 3 questions for you to answer. I have given some basic answers below the questions to help you understand the passage. Answer the questions first yourself before you look at my answers. Take a moment before you begin and ask God to help you understand what you are reading.

3 questions to answer:

1.    Content: What is this passage about?

2.    Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

3.    Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

Answers to the questions above and some background:

Content: What is this passage about?

·        John the Baptist tells the Jewish leaders he is not the Messiah.

·        The Jewish leaders ask John if he is Elijah the prophet.

·        John explains to the Jewish leaders who he is and what he is doing.

·        The Pharisees ask John why he baptizes.

·        John explains that there is one coming that is greater than he.

·        John declares that Jesus is the Messiah

Lesson: What do I learn from this passage?

·        John the Baptist is not the Messiah

·        The Jews were expecting a prophet to announce the coming Messiah   

Note: The Jewish leaders wanted to evaluate claims that John might the fulfillment of the Malachi prophecy.

Malachi 4:5 New International Version (NIV)

⁵ “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.

Moses also predicted a great prophet would one day come:

Deuteronomy 18:15-18 New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁵ Moses continued, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. ¹⁶ For this is what you yourselves requested of the Lord your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai.^[a] You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.’

¹⁷ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘What they have said is right. ¹⁸ I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him.

Look how close this prophecy from Isaiah is to John the Baptist:

Isaiah 40:3 New International Version (NIV)

³ A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.

Matthew 3:1-3 New International Version (NIV)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

3 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

·        John’s purpose is to prepare the way for the coming Messiah

·        John baptizes with water

·        The Messiah is among the crowd.  He is greater than John in purpose and power.

·        John declares Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

·        John’s baptism with water prepares the way for Jesus’ baptism of the Holy Spirit.

·        John reveals the sign from God of the dove resting on Jesus as the proof that Jesus is the Messiah and that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

·        John is confident after witnessing sign that Jesus is truly the Messiah, God’s chosen one.

Here is the event of the encounter between John and Jesus taken from the Gospel of Matthew that gives more detail. You can also read about the event in Mark 1 & Luke 3

Matthew 3:13-17 New International Version (NIV)

The Baptism of Jesus

¹³ Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Application: How can I apply what I have learned to my life?

·        Ask God to help you understand the deep spiritual nature of His Word

·        Tell others about what you learned from the passages you read.

·        Invite the Holy Spirit to guide your life and perspective.

·        Give your God encountered, life changing testimony.

Don’t forget:

John’s main purpose in writing this Gospel:

·        To tell the world that Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews and Gentiles

·        The events were recorded so that we might believe and have eternal life

John 20:30-31 New International Version (NIV)

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Questions to ponder:

·        If you believe the account you just read, will you change the way you live in light of what you have learned?

·        John was excited about revealing who Jesus was and the purpose for Him coming, are you excited to do the same?

·        Do you believe baptism changes ones spiritual condition of is it just an outward sign of one’s Spiritual transformation?

·        How will you respond to Jesus changing your spiritual condition? 

Have a great week…………….Dave