21 And they asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? (Malachi had predicted the coming again from Heaven of Elijah the Prophet [Mal. 4:5].) And he said, I am not (presents a categorical negative; some of the Jews were insinuating that He was the actual reincarnation of Elijah). Are you that Prophet? (This spoke of the Prophet mentioned by Moses in Deut. 18:15-18. This was the Messiah. So again, they asked him if he was the Messiah?) And he answered, No.
22 Then said they unto him, Who are you? that we may give an answer to them who sent us (they were not really seeking proper information, or the Truth about the matter, but rather desired that he claim something of which they could accuse him). What say you of yourself? (His answer is extremely revealing!)
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness (is taken from Isa. 40:3), Make straight the Way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Isaiah (proclaims his mission as the first phrase proclaims his identity).
24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees (the Holy Spirit is careful to delineate the source of these questions; the opposition now begins).
25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why do you baptize then, if you be not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that Prophet? (They were indignant that John not only baptized without ecclesiastical authority, but baptized contrary to the practice of the Pharisees. In other words, he had not asked nor sought their permission, nor did it seem that he cared whether they agreed or not!)
26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water (meaning that it was but a temporary symbol of the true, abiding, and effectual baptism of the One Who would baptize with the Holy Spirit): but there stands One among you, Whom you know not (points to their spiritual ignorance; Christ was in their very midst, and they did not know!);
27 He it is (the Messiah is already here, even though you do not know Him, and He, as stated, is not me), Who coming after me is preferred before me (Who existed before me, in fact, has existed eternally), Whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose (by comparison to Christ, the greatest Prophet born of woman labels himself, and rightly so!).
28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing (probably not far from Jericho).
29 The next day (refers to the day after John had been questioned by the emissaries from the Sanhedrin) John sees Jesus coming unto him (is, no doubt, after the Baptism of Jesus, and the temptation in the wilderness), and said, Behold the Lamb of God (proclaims Jesus as the Sacrifice for sin, in fact, the Sin-Offering, Whom all the multiple millions of offered lambs had represented), which takes away the sin of the world (animal blood could only cover sin, it could not take it away; but Jesus offering Himself as the Perfect Sacrifice took away the sin of the world; He not only cleansed acts of sin, but, as well, addressed the root cause [Col. 2:14-15]).
30 This is He of Whom I said (proclaims John making a positive identification; it is the One Who “takes away the sin of the world”), After me comes a Man which is preferred before me (affirms His essential Humanity): for He was before me (affirms His essential Deity).
31 And I knew Him not (doesn’t mean that he was not acquainted with Christ, but that he was not to introduce Christ until the Holy Spirit said so): but that He should be made manifest to Israel (means that at a certain time, and not before, Jesus was to be introduced to Israel as the Messiah, which John carried out exactly as led), therefore am I come baptizing with water (proclaims that which the Holy Spirit told him to do).
32 And John bear record (means that this is exactly what the Holy Spirit said would happen, concerning the identity of Jesus as the Messiah), saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove (we must come to the conclusion that John saw something, which was the Holy Spirit; Luke recorded, “descending in a bodily shape like a Dove upon Him,” [Lk. 3:22]; we must conclude from these statements that the Holy Spirit has a Spirit Body of some nature), and it abode upon Him (the Spirit coming upon Him signaled the beginning of His Ministry).
33 And I knew Him not (is used the second time by John, and with purpose; the Holy Spirit wants all to know that John’s introduction of Jesus as the Messiah was not according to the flesh, i.e., personal knowledge, circumstances, etc., but rather by Revelation from on High; no one can really know Jesus, unless revealed by the Holy Spirit): but He Who sent me to baptize with water (telling us that Water Baptism as instituted by John was not that Prophet’s idea at all, but rather was given to him by Revelation from God), the same said unto me, Upon Whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him (was to be the Revelation from God, which John was to heed, and he did), the same is He which baptizes with the Holy Spirit (proclaims what Jesus would do after His Death and Resurrection; the Cross would make this possible!).
34 And I saw, and bear record that this is the Son of God (John the Baptist had followed his instructions to the letter, and according to the Revelation, he knew without doubt that Jesus was the Son of God).
Excerpt From
The Expositor's Study Bible
Jimmy Swaggart
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-expositors-study-bible/id399697870
This material may be protected by copyright.
22 Then said they unto him, Who are you? that we may give an answer to them who sent us (they were not really seeking proper information, or the Truth about the matter, but rather desired that he claim something of which they could accuse him). What say you of yourself? (His answer is extremely revealing!)
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness (is taken from Isa. 40:3), Make straight the Way of the Lord, as said the Prophet Isaiah (proclaims his mission as the first phrase proclaims his identity).
24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees (the Holy Spirit is careful to delineate the source of these questions; the opposition now begins).
25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why do you baptize then, if you be not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that Prophet? (They were indignant that John not only baptized without ecclesiastical authority, but baptized contrary to the practice of the Pharisees. In other words, he had not asked nor sought their permission, nor did it seem that he cared whether they agreed or not!)
26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water (meaning that it was but a temporary symbol of the true, abiding, and effectual baptism of the One Who would baptize with the Holy Spirit): but there stands One among you, Whom you know not (points to their spiritual ignorance; Christ was in their very midst, and they did not know!);
27 He it is (the Messiah is already here, even though you do not know Him, and He, as stated, is not me), Who coming after me is preferred before me (Who existed before me, in fact, has existed eternally), Whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose (by comparison to Christ, the greatest Prophet born of woman labels himself, and rightly so!).
28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing (probably not far from Jericho).
29 The next day (refers to the day after John had been questioned by the emissaries from the Sanhedrin) John sees Jesus coming unto him (is, no doubt, after the Baptism of Jesus, and the temptation in the wilderness), and said, Behold the Lamb of God (proclaims Jesus as the Sacrifice for sin, in fact, the Sin-Offering, Whom all the multiple millions of offered lambs had represented), which takes away the sin of the world (animal blood could only cover sin, it could not take it away; but Jesus offering Himself as the Perfect Sacrifice took away the sin of the world; He not only cleansed acts of sin, but, as well, addressed the root cause [Col. 2:14-15]).
30 This is He of Whom I said (proclaims John making a positive identification; it is the One Who “takes away the sin of the world”), After me comes a Man which is preferred before me (affirms His essential Humanity): for He was before me (affirms His essential Deity).
31 And I knew Him not (doesn’t mean that he was not acquainted with Christ, but that he was not to introduce Christ until the Holy Spirit said so): but that He should be made manifest to Israel (means that at a certain time, and not before, Jesus was to be introduced to Israel as the Messiah, which John carried out exactly as led), therefore am I come baptizing with water (proclaims that which the Holy Spirit told him to do).
32 And John bear record (means that this is exactly what the Holy Spirit said would happen, concerning the identity of Jesus as the Messiah), saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove (we must come to the conclusion that John saw something, which was the Holy Spirit; Luke recorded, “descending in a bodily shape like a Dove upon Him,” [Lk. 3:22]; we must conclude from these statements that the Holy Spirit has a Spirit Body of some nature), and it abode upon Him (the Spirit coming upon Him signaled the beginning of His Ministry).
33 And I knew Him not (is used the second time by John, and with purpose; the Holy Spirit wants all to know that John’s introduction of Jesus as the Messiah was not according to the flesh, i.e., personal knowledge, circumstances, etc., but rather by Revelation from on High; no one can really know Jesus, unless revealed by the Holy Spirit): but He Who sent me to baptize with water (telling us that Water Baptism as instituted by John was not that Prophet’s idea at all, but rather was given to him by Revelation from God), the same said unto me, Upon Whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him (was to be the Revelation from God, which John was to heed, and he did), the same is He which baptizes with the Holy Spirit (proclaims what Jesus would do after His Death and Resurrection; the Cross would make this possible!).
34 And I saw, and bear record that this is the Son of God (John the Baptist had followed his instructions to the letter, and according to the Revelation, he knew without doubt that Jesus was the Son of God).
Excerpt From
The Expositor's Study Bible
Jimmy Swaggart
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-expositors-study-bible/id399697870
This material may be protected by copyright.
