Commentary by Matthew Henry
John's Testimony to Christ; John Examined by the Priests.
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and
Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed,
and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked
him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that
prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art
thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou
of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet
Esaias. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And
they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be
not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered
them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you,
whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred
before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These
things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
We have here the testimony of John, which he delivered to the
messengers who were sent from Jerusalem to examine him.
Observe here,
I. Who they were that sent to him, and who they were that were sent. 1.
They that sent to him were the Jews at Jerusalem, the great sanhedrim
or high-commission court, which sat at Jerusalem, and was the
representative of the Jewish church, who took cognizance of all matters
relating to religion. One would think that they who were the fountains
of learning, and the guides of the church, should have, by books,
understood the times so well as to know that the Messiah was at hand,
and therefore should presently have known him that was his forerunner,
and readily embraced him; but, instead of this, they sent messengers to
cross questions with him. Secular learning, honour, and power, seldom
dispose men's minds to the reception of divine light. 2. They that were
sent were, (1.) Priests and Levites, probably members of the council,
men of learning, gravity, and authority. John Baptist was himself a
priest of the seed of Aaron, and therefore it was not fit that he
should be examined by any but priests. It was prophesied concerning
John's ministry that it should purify the Sons of Levi (Mal. iii. 3),
and therefore they were jealous of him and his reformation. (2.) They
were of the Pharisees, proud, self-justiciaries, that thought they
needed no repentance, and therefore could not bear one that made it his
business to preach repentance.
II. On what errand they were sent; it was to enquire concerning John
and his baptism. They did not send for John to them, probably because
they feared the people, lest the people where John was should be
provoked to rise, or lest the people where they were should be brought
acquainted with him; they thought it was good to keep him at a
distance. They enquire concerning him, 1. To satisfy their curiosity;
as the Athenians enquired concerning Paul's doctrine, for the novelty
of it, Acts xvii. 19, 20. Such a proud conceit they had of themselves
that the doctrine of repentance was to them strange doctrine. 2. It was
to show their authority. They thought they looked great when they
called him to account whom all men counted as a prophet, and arraigned
him at their bar. 3. It was with a design to suppress him and silence
him if they could find any colour for it; for they were jealous of his
growing interest, and his ministry agreed neither with the Mosaic
dispensation which they had been long under, nor with the notions they
had formed of the Messiah's kingdom.
III. What was the answer he gave them, and his account, both concerning
himself and concerning his baptism, in both which he witnessed to
Christ.
1. Concerning himself, and what he professed himself to be. They asked
him, Sy tis ei--Thou, who art thou? John's appearing in the world was
surprising. He was in the wilderness till the day of his showing unto
Israel. His spirit, his converse, he doctrine, had something in them
which commanded and gained respect; but he did not, as seducers do,
give out himself to be some great one. He was more industrious to do
good than to appear great; and therefore waived saying any thing of
himself till he was legally interrogated. Those speak best for Christ
that say least of themselves, whose own works praise them, not their
own lips. He answers their interrogatory,
(1.) Negatively. He was not that great one whom some took him to be.
God's faithful witnesses stand more upon their guard against undue
respect than against unjust contempt. Paul writes as warmly against
those that overvalued him, and said, I am of Paul, as against those
that undervalued him, and said that his bodily presence was weak; and
he rent his clothes when he was called a god. [1.] John disowns himself
to be the Christ (v. 20): He said, I am not the Christ, who was now
expected and waited for. Note, The ministers of Christ must remember
that they are not Christ, and therefore must not usurp his powers and
prerogatives, nor assume the praises due to him only. They are not
Christ, and therefore must not lord it over God's heritage, nor pretend
to a dominion over the faith of Christians. They cannot created grace
and peace; they cannot enlighten, convert, quicken, comfort; for they
are not Christ. Observe how emphatically this is here expressed
concerning John: He confessed, and denied not, but confessed; it
denotes his vehemence and constancy in making this protestation. Note,
Temptations to pride, and assuming that honour to ourselves which does
not belong to us, ought to be resisted with a great deal of vigour and
earnestness. When John was taken to be the Messiah, he did not connive
at it with a Si populus vult decipi, decipiatur--If the people will be
deceived, let them; but openly and solemnly, without any ambiguities,
confessed, I am not the Christ; hoti ouk eimi ego ho Christos--I am not
the Christ, not I; another is at hand, who is he, but I am not. His
disowning himself to be the Christ is called his confessing and not
denying Christ. Note, Those that humble and abase themselves thereby
confess Christ, and give honour to him; but those that will not deny
themselves do in effect deny Christ, [2.] He disowns himself to be
Elias, v. 21. The Jews expected the person of Elias to return from
heaven, and to live among them, and promised themselves great things
from it. Hearing of John's character, doctrine, and baptism, and
observing that he appeared as one dropped from heaven, in the same part
of the country from which Elijah was carried to heaven, it is no wonder
that they were ready to take him for this Elijah; but he disowned this
honour too. He was indeed prophesied of under the name of Elijah (Mal.
iv. 5), and he came in the spirit and power of Elias (Luke i. 17), and
was the Elias that was to come (Matt. xi. 14); but he was not the
person of Elias, not that Elias that went to heaven in the fiery
chariot, as he was that met Christ in his transfiguration. He was the
Elias that God had promised, not the Elias that they foolishly dreamed
of. Elias did come, and they knew him not (Matt. xvii. 12); nor did he
make himself known to them as the Elias, because they had promised
themselves such an Elias as God never promised them. [3.] He disowns
himself to be that prophet, or the prophet. First, He was not that
prophet which Moses said the Lord would raise up to them of their
brethren, like unto him. If they meant this, they needed not ask that
question, for that prophet was no other than the Messiah, and he had
said already, I am not the Christ. Secondly, He was not such a prophet
as they expected and wished for, who, like Samuel and Elijah, and some
other of the prophets, would interpose in public affairs, and rescue
them from under the Roman yoke. Thirdly, He was not one of the old
prophets raised from the dead, as they expected one to come before
Elias, as Elias before the Messiah. Fourthly, Though John was a
prophet, yea, more than a prophet, yet he had his revelation, not by
dreams and visions, as the Old-Testament prophets had theirs; his
commission and work were of another nature, and belonged to another
dispensation. If John had said that he was Elias, and was a prophet, he
might have made his words good; but ministers must, upon all occasions,
express themselves with the utmost caution, both that they may not
confirm people in any mistakes, and particularly that they may not give
occasion to any to think of them above what is meet.
(2.) Affirmatively. The committee that was sent to examine him pressed
for a positive answer (v. 22), urging the authority of those that sent
them, which they expected he should pay a deference to: "Tell us, What
art thou? not that we may believe thee, and be baptized by three, but
that we may give an answer to those that sent us, and that it may not
be said we were sent on a fool's errand." John was looked upon as a man
of sincerity, and therefore they believed he would not give an evasive
ambiguous answer; but would be fair and above-board, and give a plain
answer to a plain question: What sayest thou of thyself? And he did so,
I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Observe,
[1.] He gives his answer in the words of scripture, to show that the
scripture was fulfilled in him, and that his office was supported by a
divine authority. What the scripture saith of the office of the
ministry should be often thought of by those of that high calling, who
must look upon themselves as that, and that only, which the word of God
makes them.
[2.] He gives in his answer in very humble, modest, self-denying
expressions. He chooses to apply that scripture to himself which
denotes not his dignity, but his duty and dependence, which bespeaks
him little: I am the voice, as if he were vox et pr�terea nihil--mere
voice.
[3.] He gives such an account of himself as might be profitable to
them, and might excite and awaken them to hearken to him; for he was
the voice (see Isa. xl. 3), a voice to alarm, an articulate voice to
instruct. Ministers are but the voice, the vehicle, by which God is
pleased to communicate his mind. What are Paul and Apollos but
messengers? Observe, First, He was a human voice. The people were
prepared to receive the law by the voice of thunders, and a trumpet
exceedingly loud, such as made them tremble; but they were prepared for
the gospel by the voice of a man like ourselves, a still small voice,
such as that in which God came to Elijah, 1 Kings xix. 12. Secondly, He
was the voice of one crying, which denotes, 1. His earnestness and
importunity in calling people to repentance; he cried aloud, and did
not spare. Ministers must preach as those that are in earnest, and are
themselves affected with those things with which they desire to affect
others. Those words are not likely to thaw the hearers' hearts that
freeze between the speaker's lips. 2. His open publication of the
doctrine he preached; he was the voice of one crying, that all manner
of persons might hear and take notice. Doth not wisdom cry? Prov. viii.
1. Thirdly, It was in the wilderness that this voice was crying; in a
place of silence and solitude, out of the noise of the world and the
hurry of its business; the more retired we are from the tumult of
secular affairs the better prepared we are to hear from God. Fourthly,
That which he cried was, Make straight the way of the Lord; that is, 1.
He came to rectify the mistakes of people concerning the ways of God;
it is certain that they are right ways, but the scribes and Pharisees,
with their corrupt glosses upon the law, had made them crooked. Now
John Baptist calls people to return to the original rule. 2. He came to
prepare and dispose people for the reception and entertainment of
Christ and his gospel. It is an allusion to the harbingers of a prince
or great man, that cry, Make room. Note, When God is coming towards us,
we must prepare to meet him, and let the word of the Lord have free
course. See Ps. xxiv. 7.
2. Here is his testimony concerning his baptism.
(1.) The enquiry which the committee made about it: Why baptizest thou,
if thou be not the Christ, nor Elias, nor that prophet? v. 25. [1.]
They readily apprehended baptism to be fitly and properly used as a
sacred rite or ceremony, for the Jewish church had used it with
circumcision in the admission of proselytes, to signify the cleansing
of them from the pollutions of their former state. That sign was made
use of in the Christian church, that it might be the more passable.
Christ did not affect novelty, nor should his ministers. [2.] They
expected it would be used in the days of the Messiah, because it was
promised that then there should be a fountain opened (Zech. xiii. 1),
and clean water sprinkled, Ezek. xxxvi. 25. It is taken for granted
that Christ, and Elias, and that prophet, would baptize, when they came
to purify a polluted world. Divine justice drowned the old world in its
filth, but divine grace has provided for the cleansing of this new
world from its filth. [3.] They would therefore know by what authority
John baptized. His denying himself to be Elias, or that prophet,
subjected him to this further question, Why baptizest thou? Note, It is
no new thing for a man's modesty to be turned against him, and improved
to his prejudice; but it is better that men should take advantage of
our low thoughts of ourselves, to trample upon us, than the devil take
advantage of our high thoughts of ourselves, to tempt us to pride and
draw us into his condemnation.
(2.) The account he gave of it, v. 26, 27.
[1.] He owned himself to be only the minister of the outward sign: "I
baptize with water, and that is all; I am no more, and do no more, than
what you see; I have no other title than John the Baptist; I cannot
confer the spiritual grace signified by it." Paul was in care that none
should think of him above what they saw him to be (2 Cor. xii. 6); so
was John Baptist. Ministers must not set up for masters.
[2.] He directed them to one who was greater than himself, and would do
that for them, if they pleased, which he could not do: "I baptize with
water, and that is the utmost of my commission; I have nothing to do
but by this to lead you to one that comes after me, and consign you to
him." Note, The great business of Christ's ministers is to direct all
people to him; we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. John
gave the same account to this committee that he had given to the people
(v. 15): This as he of whom I spoke. John was constant and uniform in
his testimony, not as a reed shaken with the wind. The sanhedrim were
jealous of his interest in the people, but he is not afraid to tell
them that there is one at the door that will go beyond him. First, He
tells them of Christ's presence among them now at this time: There
stands one among you, at this time, whom you know not. Christ stood
among the common people, and was as one of them. Note, 1. Much true
worth lies hid in this world; obscurity is often the lot of real
excellency. Saints are God's hidden ones, therefore the world knows
them not. 2. God himself is often nearer to us than we are aware of.
The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. They were gazing, in
expectation of the messiah: Lo he is here, or he is there, when the
kingdom of God was abroad and already among them, Luke xvii. 21.
Secondly, He tells them of Christ's preference above himself: He comes
after me, and yet is preferred before me. This he had said before; he
adds here, "Whose shoe-latchet I am not worthy to loose; I am not fit
to be named the same day with him; it is an honour too great for me to
pretend to be in the meanest office about him," 1 Sam. xxv. 41. Those
to whom Christ is precious reckon his service, even the most despised
instances of it, an honour to them. See Ps. lxxxiv. 10. If so great a
man as John accounted himself unworthy of the honour of being near
Christ, how unworthy then should we account ourselves! Now, one would
think, these chief priests and Pharisees, upon this intimation given
concerning the approach of the Messiah, should presently have asked
who, and where, this excellent person was; and who more likely to tell
them than he who had given them this general notice? No, they did not
think this any part of their business or concern; they came to molest
John, not to receive any instructions from him: so that their ignorance
was wilful; they might have known Christ, and would not.
Lastly, Notice is taken of the place where all this was done: In
Bethabara beyond Jordan, v. 28. Bethabara signifies the house of
passage; some think it was the very place where Israel passed over
Jordan into the land of promise under the conduct of Joshua; there was
opened the way into the gospel state by Jesus Christ. It was at a great
distance from Jerusalem, beyond Jordan; probably because what he did
there would be least offensive to the government. Amos must go prophesy
in the country, not near the court; but it was sad that Jerusalem
should put so far from her the things that belonged to her peace. He
made this confession in the same place where he was baptizing, that all
those who attended his baptism might be witnesses of it, and none might
say that they knew not what to make of him.
(Commentary by Matthew Henry on John Chapter 1 verses 19 to 28 -John the Baptist is examined by the Priests)
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