Daily Devotions
John
"And John bore witness..." John 1:32
Text: John 1:19-24
“AND JOHN BORE WITNESS…” JOHN 1:32
John bore consistent witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether voluntarily proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah, or being questioned by the Jews, John maintained a faithful witness. He maintained a straightforward and simple witness. The author John was impressed by this fact, and thus he devoted time to write about the witness that John gave concerning Jesus.
“And John bore witness, saying,
‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven
like a dove, and He remained upon Him.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, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”And I have seen and testified that this is
The Son of God.’ “
John 1:32-34
THREE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN JOHN’S TESTIMONY
Let’s take note of three important elements in John’s testimony:-
1. A clear word of revelation from God
The prophets of old were quite familiar with an important practice. God spoke and revealed many precious truths to them directly. God simply spoke to them. The ancient prophets would somehow discern that the word they heard was indeed an oracle from God.
John’s knowledge of Jesus as the Son of God was part of that revelatory work of the Lord. John once again testified that he did not know Jesus (John 1:33), and would not have known Him if God had not spoken and revealed Him.
It was God, John testified, who had sent him to baptize. This same God also revealed an important word. He would identify Jesus for Him. He would not have been able to identify who Jesus really was on his own.
We are surely reminded of the story of the anointing of David as the king of Israel. Samuel the prophet was sent to anoint the next king of Israel. He did not know who that individual might be, except that he would be one of the sons of Jesse.
When Samuel came to the home of Jesse and saw Eliab, an impressive son of Jesse, he said (to himself),
“Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.”
1 Samuel 16:6
Samuel looked on the outside, and thought that he could discern God’s choice. He was wrong. God then taught him a deep and important lesson.
“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature…
For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks
At the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
Jesse sent all his sons for Samuel to examine. All were considered but none was chosen. Jesse finally said that he had one other son, the youngest. He was out in the field tending the sheep. Surely, he could not be the one, could he?
David was sent for and when he entered into the presence of Samuel, God said,
“Arise, anoint him; for this is the one.”
1 Samuel 16:12
Samuel obeyed the Lord’s leading, much to the surprise of all in the family.
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him
in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord
came upon David from that day forward.”
1 Samuel 16:13
2. The Spirit of God as a further Confirming Sign
The involvement of the Spirit of God in the life of the servant of the Lord was a norm. The Spirit of God was upon Moses. He came upon David. He came upon Ezekiel. These may be cited as clear-cut examples of how the Spirit of God anointed them for their ministry.
The Spirit of God was represented by a number of symbols. Oil was an emblem of the Holy Spirit. Thus David was anointed by oil. Immediately after the Spirit of God was described as coming upon him.
The Spirit of God was now described as “a dove”. He would descend on Jesus to indicate and confirm that He was the One whom God had specially anointed!
3. A deep and personal conviction
It is no easy task to proclaim someone to be The Son of God! You would really have to be absolutely convinced in your heart, in your mind and in your spirit! God knew that John or anybody else would have to have all the evidence they need to come to such a conclusion.
God revealed this knowledge through supernatural means to John the Baptizer. He confirmed that through the special ministry of the Holy Spirit. John’s years of walking with God closely in the wilderness also helped him to determine that Jesus was indeed The Son of God.
Once convinced, John the Baptizer held on to his conviction. He was not intimidated by the Jews who came to investigate him. Boldly and faithfully, he proclaimed that Jesus was The Lamb of God… and that He was indeed The Son of God!