John 1

John (the disciple) wants us to see Jesus as the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world! He wants us to know that Jesus is more than a mere man. He is God incarnate. He is creator, sustainer, and giver of life. He is the only one who can reveal the truth of God the Father, because He is God the Son! It is only through Him that we can become God’s children. Unfortunately most reject Him, even though He is the embodiment of grace and truth. Truth because He reveals that we need a Savior, and grace because He gives Himself so that we can have eternal life!

John also wants to introduce us to John the Baptizer, the predicted forerunner of the coming Messiah. Many were confused about his role, but he wasn’t! He is “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’ ” Just as a herald of old would proclaim that a king was coming and get the road ready for him, such is John’s ministry.

John is a perfect example of the work of the Spirit in the lives of the prophets. John can recognize that Jesus is the “Lamb of God,” but later he asks, “Are you He who comes, or should we look for another” (Matthew 11:3)? That’s because the Spirit moves, but doesn’t always explain:

1 Peter 1:10-11 (WEB) “Concerning this salvation, the prophets sought and searched diligently. They prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them pointed to when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow them.”

The Spirit not only revealed Jesus’ essential nature to John, He showed John that Jesus was the Messiah. John then fulfilled his purpose by pointing Jesus out to others. Andrew followed and told his brother Peter. Jesus found Philip, who went and got Nathaniel. Nathanael was skeptical, not expecting anything good to come from a hick town like Nazareth! Jesus reveals to Nathanael that he knows where he came from, which amazes him. Nathanael at the very least recognizes Jesus as the Messiah, even though he spoke even better than he knew when he called Jesus the “Son of God!”

There is also a play on words here. Jacob becomes Israel in the Old Testament, and Jesus alludes to that when he calls Nathanael “an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit.” Jacob swindled his brother out of his birthright and his blessing in Genesis 27. But he was called by God, and later he dreamed and “saw a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (Genesis 28:12). Jesus recalls that dream here and reveals that He is the ladder that provides access to God. Hallelujah!

Thought for the day: How would our lives change if we saw ourselves as people that needed to point others to Jesus?

1 Peter 3:16 (WEB) “Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear.”