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John 1:19
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17 For athe law was given through Moses, but bgrace and ctruth came through Jesus Christ.  
18 aNo one has seen God at any time. bThe only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  

A Voice in the Wilderness

19 Now this is athe testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”  
20 aHe confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”  
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you athe Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”  
22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23 He said: a“I am
b‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”  
24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 John answered them, saying, a“I baptize with water, bbut there stands One among you whom you do not know.  
27 aIt is He who, coming after me,1 is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”  
28 These things were done ain Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.  

The Lamb of God

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! aThe Lamb of God bwho takes away the sin of the world!  
30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who1 is preferred before me, for He was before me.’  
31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, atherefore I came baptizing with water.”  
32 aAnd John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  
33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, athis is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  
34 And I have seen and testified that this is the aSon of God.”  

The First Disciples

35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.
36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, a“Behold the Lamb of God!”  
37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they afollowed Jesus.  
38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”
Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
<< John 1:18   John 1:20 >>


John 1:19

And this is the witness of John (kai auth estin h marturia tou Iwanou). He had twice already alluded to it (verses 1:15) and now he proceeds to give it as the most important item to add after the Prologue. Just as the author assumes the birth narratives of Matthew and Luke, so he assumes the Synoptic accounts of the baptism of Jesus by John, but adds various details of great interest and value between the baptism and the Galilean ministry, filling out thus our knowledge of this first year of the Lord's ministry in various parts of Palestine. The story in John proceeds along the same lines as in the Synoptics. There is increasing unfolding of Christ to the disciples with increasing hostility on the part of the Jews till the final consummation in Jerusalem.

When the Jews sent unto him (ote apesteilan prov auton oi Ioudaioi). John, writing in Ephesus near the close of the first century long after the destruction of Jerusalem, constantly uses the phrase "the Jews" as descriptive of the people as distinct from the Gentile world and from the followers of Christ (at first Jews also). Often he uses it of the Jewish leaders and rulers in particular who soon took a hostile attitude toward both John and Jesus. Here it is the Jews from Jerusalem who sent (apesteilan, first aorist active indicative of apostellw).

Priests and Levites (iereiv kai Leueitav). Sadducees these were. Down below in verse John 1:24 the author explains that it was the Pharisees who sent the Sadducees. The Synoptics throw a flood of light on this circumstance, for in Matthew 3:7 we are told that the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees "offspring of vipers" (Luke 3:7). Popular interest in John grew till people were wondering "in their hearts concerning John whether haply he were the Christ" (Luke 3:15). So the Sanhedrin finally sent a committee to John to get his own view of himself, but the Pharisees saw to it that Sadducees were sent.

To ask him (ina erwthswsin auton). Final ina and the first aorist active subjunctive of erwtaw, old verb to ask a question as here and often in the Koin‚ to ask for something (John 14:16) like aitew.

Who art thou? (su tiv ei). Direct question preserved and note proleptic position of su, "Thou, who art thou?" The committee from the Sanhedrin put the question sharply up to John to define his claims concerning the Messiah.




Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 1:19:

Luke 3:15
John 1:22
John 1:24
John 1:29
John 1:32
John 1:35
John 1:43
John 2:1
John 3:2
John 3:2
John 5:33
John 5:35
John 8:25
Acts 13:25
1 John 5:4

 

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