Josh Benner

Tag: Gospel of John

  • Who is John the Baptist? Studying John 1:19-22

    Who is John the Baptist? Studying John 1:19-22

    19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He 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 the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
    -John 1:19-22

    Early in the Gospel of John, a group of religious leaders comes to visit an eccentric religious figure who is most often referred to as John the Baptist. They’ll ask John if he’s come to fulfill various Old Testament prophecies associated with the coming Messiah.

    Who are you?

    John 1:19: And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

    It’s reasonable that they would want to find out who he is. I think it’s important to understand the time in which they lived. For centuries, the Old Testament had pointed forward to one sent from the Lord. People had all sorts of expectations for the type of ministry that this sent one would have. 

    This was fulfilled in Jesus but people didn’t yet know Jesus. So all they had were their expectations and assumptions. What Jesus actually did was not quite what anyone expected. 

    A lot of people expected a great religious teacher. Jesus certainly was that but he was ore than that. But his purpose was to bring freedom not law. A lot of people expected a great king. Jesus is that too, he’s the king of kings. But he did not have the mighty earthly kingdom that people expected. Others expected a great general who would lead Israel to victory and back to a restoration of their land in the face of Roman oppression. Jesus is the one who leads his people to battle evil and leads us to Spiritual victory. 

    And people believed various ideas from those categories. 

    So you suddenly have this man who’s calling people to repent, who’s baptizing. In the other gospels, we see John calling out religious authorities.

    And so people are curious. 

    Maybe he’s connected to the promised savior. Maybe he IS the promised savior. Others might have been skeptical and thought it would lead nowhere. 

    Before Jesus, there had been people who claimed to be the promised savior of the world. 

    “Who are you?”

    They ask. 

    Are you the Christ?

    John’s first response to the Jewish leaders is given in verse 20: He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

    First thing John confirms. He is not the savior. One thing that’s important to understand. The word “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name. It’s his title. 

    Jesus’ parents were not Joseph and Mary Christ. 

    Jesus is The Christ. 

    Christ comes from the Greek word “Christus” which means “anointed.” It’s the Greek word for the Hebrew word “Messiah.” They both mean the same thing: anointed. 

    The significance of that is that in the Old Testament, various divinely assigned offices such as the king and the high priest would be anointed with oil at the beginning of their term. Some of the Old Testament prophets were also anointed. 

    There are also passages in the Old Testament which were understood as pointing forward to a future deliverer who was anointed. John the Baptist had an important ministry. 

    But he was not the Lord’s anointed, he was not the Lord’s Christ, and so he’s quick to point that out. He’s not the anointed savior. 

    Verse 21:And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.”

    Are you Elijah?

    Elijah was a prophet in the Old Testament. 

    Much of his ministry revolved around calling people to faith and proper worship of the Lord. 

    He was obedient to the Lord in his life and ministry. 

    There are several miracles that God does during the time of Elijah’s ministry. 

    Two more things that are noteworthy about Elijah. 

    The Old Testament tells us that God brought Elijah directly to heaven without dying. 

    2 Kings 2:11: And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven

    Secondly, the book of Malachi, which is the last book found in our Old Testament concludes with these verses from Malachi 4:5: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

    So God says that he will send Elijah before the great and awesome day of the Lord. 

    So some expected a literal second coming of Elijah. For those reasons, it’s a pretty reasonable question for the leaders to have asked this of John. 

    He tells them no. 

    John is not Elijah however it should be noted that John’s ministry is really fulfilling this prophecy about Elijah. John is not a reincarnated version of Elijah or a second coming of Elijah, but he is the one who is sent from the Lord with a divinely given ministry to call people to repentance. 

    But John confirms that he is not Elijah. 

    So they try again: 

    Are you the prophet?

    Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

    When they ask John if he’s THE prophet, they’re actually referring to a specific passage. Deuteronomy 18:15 tells Israel about a successor to Moses. This passage also came to be understood as pointing to a grater prophet. 

    Verse 15: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—

    They wonder if John is this person. In reality, that passage is ultimately pointing forward to Jesus. But once again, John answers the question in the negative. He is not the prophet. 

     So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

    John isn’t the Christ, he’s not Elijah, he’s not the prophet. 

    So then who is he? Continue reading.

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  • Background on John the Baptist for the Gospel of John

    Background on John the Baptist for the Gospel of John

    I’m in a series of articles studying the Gospel of John. Several times in the first chapter, the author makes reference to a man named John. The Apostle John (the author of the gospel) is referring to a man named John the Baptist. 

    But as we study the Gospel of John, who is John the Baptist, and why does he matter? 

    He’s often called “John the Baptist.” That title is referring to what John did rather than a denominational affiliation. It’s not that we had John the Baptist, Peter the Presbyterian, and Paul the Methodist. 

    Next thing. He’s mentioned in all four gospel, and in all of the gospels, he’s introduced prior to the ministry of Jesus. So he’s pretty important. 

    Between the gospels, they give us accounts of both John’s birth and death. I can’t think of any other New Testament figure besides Jesus where that could be said. 

    We find out in the Gospel of Luke that John’s mom, Elizabeth is a relative of Mary which means that John the Baptist is related to Jesus. And John is a few months older than the Lord. 

    After John the Baptist is born, his father gives a prophecy to his son’s life. 

    Luke 1:76-77: 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,

    Luke chapter 1 ends with an interesting note about John: 

    Verse 80: And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

    He was in the wilderness until the day of his publican appearance in Israel.

    There’s not a whole lot of elaboration on that. 

    We know nothing about his formative years. He was in the wilderness. Some scholars suggest the possibility that John may have actually be raised within a small community within the wilderness. That’s speculation, but it would make historical sense. 

    John is related to Jesus, but the gospels tell us nothing about how well they may have known each other. It doesn’t seem like they grew up going to a family dinner every week.  

    When his ministry began, it quickly grew in popularity. Matthew 3:5-6: 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

    Several years after John’s death, the Apostle Paul is ministering in Ephesus in Acts 19. Ephesus is several hundred miles away from Judea but people talk of the baptism which John practiced, showing that his name and reputation were known throughout the region. 

    John also faced persecution during his life. He was arrested and later executed under the Romans in Matthew 14. 

    Thanks for reading! This article is part of a series in the Gospel of John! If you liked it, please share and subscribe.

  • Sermon: The Ministry of the Holy Spirit – John 16:4-15

    Sermon: The Ministry of the Holy Spirit – John 16:4-15

    Throughout the Gospel of John, we see Jesus pointing to the activity and ministry of the Holy Spirit. On the night before going to the cross, Jesus will give his last major teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit when he’s gone. We learn that the Spirit comes in fulfillment of God’s promises, he brings conviction of sin, and he points believers to truth.

    Click here for sermon transcript

  • The world did not know him. Studying John 1:10-11

    The world did not know him. Studying John 1:10-11

    He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
    -John 1:10-11

    The God who created the world was not recognized by his world. 

    The only appropriate response to the Lord entering into creation would be to bow down and worship him, to behold his glory, to listen to his teaching, to bask in the glow of his light. 

    But the world was so sinful that that was not what happened. 

    He was despised and rejected. His teachings led many to hate him. And his teachings still do that. The world is often offended by the very words of God on earth. 

    The world hates the gospel. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God

    People dislike the exclusivity of Jesus. They dislike that they have to turn to him for salvation. People dislike his moral teachings which expose our sin. The world loves its darkness, and when the light of Christ shines on our darkness, many reject the light. 

    everyone who does wicked things hates the light

    John 1 says that the world did not know him. 

    The world did not know what they had. 

    Undercover Boss 

    I used to enjoy a show called Undercover Boss. 

    It was a reality show that would feature leaders within companies, such as founders, CEO’s, vice presidents, or other executives going undercover within their own companies. 

    The show featured leaders for companies like Subway, True Value, Build-a-Bear, and even the Chicago Cubs. 

    Throughout a week, they would spend a day in various entry level positions within the company. They would work alongside typical employees. They would get a sense of the work they were doing.

    But for the employees, they would be working with the most powerful person in the company and they had no idea. It’s not that the undercover boss was their boss, he was everyone’s boss. He was their boss’s boss’ boss’s boss. 

    And they had no idea. 

    Sometimes they’d complain about corporate policies or explain ways to work around the rules, not knowing who they were talking to. They were with the head of the company and didn’t even know it. 

    I think of Jesus coming into the world and I’m reminded of a similar irony in that people were interacting with the God of the universe and were mostly oblivious to that fact. 

    He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

    Jesus came to his world. It was his creation. And the world did not know him, the world did not respond to him as it should have, the world did not worship him. 

    And it’s doubly ironic by the fact that Jesus came to the world that he made in order to die to save a world that was sinful. 

    How sinful? 

    So sinful that the world didn’t even accept our own creator when he came into the world. Many did not recognize Jesus for who he was. 

    Thanks for reading! If you liked this, please share and subscribe. This post is part of a series on the Gospel of John.

  • All things were made through him. Studying John 1:3

    All things were made through him. Studying John 1:3

     All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
    -John 1:3

    John 1:3 is speaking to the divinity of Jesus. All things were made through him. All means all. 

    The ground, the trees, the sand of the beaches, the stars in the sky, the air we breathe, the materials we use to build things, all of it was made by Jesus. 

    He made every person. Each of us has billions of cells in our bodies. Incredible complexity and structure just within our own bodies. 

    The universe is incredibly big. 

    Size of the universe

    So the distance between the earth and the sun is 93 million miles. 

    If that distance was represented by the width of one sheet of paper, the distance of our entire galaxy would be a stack of papers 453 miles high. 

    One stack of papers a mile high is about 15 million sheets of paper. 

    Times 453 miles. 

    With each sheet of paper representing 93 million miles. 

    And that’s just our galaxy. 

    There are one hundred billion galaxies. 

    If you could have an atlas of every galaxy in the entire universe and each page represented an entire galaxy, and if you spent just one second on every page and continually turned pages in the atlas, it would take you more than 31,000 years to flip all the way through the atlas. 

    The universe is incredibly, unfathomably big. There are more stars in the sky than there are grains of sand in all the beaches of the world. Yet there are more trees on earth than there are stars in our one galaxy. 

    And that’s just looking at the amazing size of of our universe. 

    There is amazing creation within our world. 

    New species of animals are still being discovered. 

    Did you know that? And they’re not all insects or really small animals. Since 2000, there have been new species of primates discovered. We don’t even yet know everything on our own planet. 

    Jesus the creator

    Yet Jesus made it all. 

    There are other passages in the New Testament which speak to this fact. 

    Colossians 1:16: For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

    We see this language as well in the opening chapter of the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews 1:10 referring to Jesus says: You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;

     Jesus is the creator. He made everything. And John states it both ways. He made everything.

    And also there’s nothing that he didn’t make. 

    All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

    He’s a mighty God. It’s a lofty passage. It’s a confrontational passage. You affirm these truths or you don’t. 

    Our society often likes to treat Jesus as something you can take or leave. Gravity isn’t something that you can take or leave. Arithmetic isn’t something that you can take or leave. Breathing isn’t something that you can take or leave. 

    Jesus isn’t something you can just take or leave. Jesus isn’t just a nice person or a nice idea. He’s the Lord of creation. Many cherry pick certain teachings. Others treat him as a great teacher or a great religious leader. 

    Jesus isn’t one good teacher among other great teachers. He’s God. 

    The sages of other major religious traditions were born. Buddha wasn’t there in the beginning. Mohammad wasn’t there in the beginning. 

    But in the beginning was the Word. 

    There have been great leaders in the world who have influenced nations and movements. Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Gandhi. Some like to just act like Jesus was a wise peace maker who came with a good message. 

    Jesus isn’t simply a great man. Jesus gave life to all of these people. And that’s not true the other way around. Any person, any thing who has ever lived or existed, lived and existed because Jesus created it or gave them life. 

    Thanks for reading! If you liked, please share and subscribe. This article is part of a series studying the Gospel of John.