John 1:15-23 - Who Was John the Baptist?

15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

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?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

John 1:15-23

The scene in John 1 shifts as we focus on the ministry of John the Baptist. John begins by telling the people that Jesus, who was born after John, had a far higher rank than John because He existed before John. This seeming contradiction is resolved when we realize Jesus existed even before the beginning (John 1:2). Because of the fullness of His grace, grace upon grace comes to Christians like waves continuing to come to the seashore. The greatness of the Old Testament was the giving of the Law by Moses. The glory of the Church is the revelation of God’s grace and truth by Jesus Christ. No one has seen God’s essence or true being at any time. His true being is revealed by Jesus Christ.

The ministry of John was so significant the authorities in Jerusalem decided to investigate him. John the apostle records what John says when the Jews asked him, “Who are you?” There were three people the Jews were expecting to come: Christ, a prophet like Moses, and Elijah. They were relying on Amos 3:7 where God promises to give His prophets and thus His people advance notice of His plans. John the Baptist had an Elijah-like ministry. He appeared on the scene suddenly and even dressed like Elijah. He wanted to turn people back to God as Elijah did in his day.

John told them he was not the Christ. In Daniel 9:25-26 God had given a specific prophecy of WHEN the Messiah would come. The timing for John’s ministry was the right time, so they could not understand why he refused to say he was the Messiah. John, however, remained true to his part in this great event – he was not Messiah, but he pointed them to the true Messiah – Jesus.

*Go deeper: Read the following verses and focus on the prophecies John fulfilled (from these scriptures) or what people thought he was fulfilling:

Deuteronomy 18:15-18  

Isaiah 40:3  

 Malachi 4:5-6