The Gospel of John-7 – A Life Where Only Jesus Christ Is Revealed

John 1:18–28

 

“No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ They asked him, ‘Then who are you? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Finally they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way for the Lord.”’ Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, ‘Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’ ‘I baptize with water,’ John replied, ‘but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.” Amen.

 

The Worldview of Light and Darkness

The scenes that adorn the introduction of the Gospel of John primarily feature words such as “In the beginning,” and “light and darkness.” In particular, the Apostle John describes the world as darkness. If you remember the Book of Genesis, you will recall the record that at the time of creation, there were “darkness” and “chaos.” In the same way, darkness appears in the Gospel of John as well. Therefore, we need to think deeply about the meaning of these words. What kind of place is the church? The church refers to a gathering of people who have been called out of that darkness and have now become children of light. Accordingly, it is only natural that dwelling and living in the light becomes our joy, peace, and pleasure. However, as we attend church, there are times when we do not fight fiercely against the darkness and completely escape it to live in the light, but rather, a side of us occasionally appears that comes to church wanting to learn how to live a little better within the darkness.

 

There are times when we discover ourselves sitting in the church, unable to give up the darkness, merely satisfied with seeing the light that occasionally shines there, and trying to find ways to live well while remaining in the darkness. Through today’s text, I hope we take this as a precious opportunity to examine where we truly belong and what it means to live as those who belong there. Looking at the content of today’s text, the Pharisees send priests and Levites to John. They come to John and throw questions at him. However, John’s attitude in answering those questions seems somewhat defiant even to us. John puts forth a sharp answer, to the point where one might wonder what the biblical writer intended by recording it this way. Those who ask inquire of him, “Are you the Christ, Elijah, or that Prophet?” but John consistently denies all possibilities, saying, “I am not, I am not, I am not.”

 

Why John the Baptist Denies Himself

Setting aside other matters, we know well that John the Baptist is not the Messiah and not that Prophet whom Moses prophesied. However, we know clearly at least the fact that John the Baptist is Elijah. This is because Jesus directly referred to John the Baptist as Elijah through various Gospels. Matthew 11:13–14 records: “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.”

 

As such, Jesus clearly stated that John the Baptist is Elijah. However, in today’s text, the Gospel of John, John the Baptist denies being Elijah. It would have been nice if he had answered somewhat gently, saying, “I am that Elijah,” but he did not do so at all. As we examined last week, the Apostle John has a unique tone in writing this Gospel. The beginning reveals what he intends to emphasize through the negative expression, “I am not.” Therefore, it is true that the text we read also continues that tone. However, the Apostle John seems to be trying to convey a deeper story than that. Since the biblical record says “yes” on one side and “no” on the other, this is clearly a clashing appearance on the surface. One of the important principles to keep in mind when reading the Bible is that there is almost no possibility that the authors of the Bible recorded opposite stories because they were of low intelligence or careless. The New Testament alone is a book we have cherished for at least 2,000 years. If there had been such contradictory records over that time, people of later generations might have discovered them and already deleted them. Nevertheless, the reason this record has been preserved as it is, is that the Bible is the Word of God and at the same time, it is not fundamentally contradictory. When clearly clashing stories are written in one book, you should consider that it is not a simple error but clearly has a reason. John the Baptist answering in this way is not simply trying to say the fact that “I am not Elijah,” but is raising an issue with the parties who are throwing the questions and the questions themselves.

 

Originally, just as darkness and light oppose each other, John the Baptist is trying to say here that the world where the Pharisees, priests, and Levites belong and the world where he belongs are fundamentally different. One is darkness and the other is light. Of course, among the people belonging to darkness, no one says they belong to darkness or acknowledges it. Therefore, the moment they throw a question, their reality is revealed. They throw questions thoroughly trapped within their own worldview and language. As you feel when you talk with children, the language of children and the language of adults are strictly different. Something a child considers very serious may be nothing to adults. For example, children do not worry at all about the payments the parents must handle every month. If an eight-year-old child sat down and asked, “Mother, is the payment for next month all ready?” how flustered would you be? Just as the language and interests used by each generation are different, people of darkness throw questions within their own world. John’s answer to this is eventually a declaration: “I am not the Elijah of the way you are speaking.” This attitude is not found only in John the Baptist. Looking at the records of Jesus, we can often see Him answering in this way. When the Pharisees came and asked, “Are you the Messiah, the one who is to come?” it would have been nice if Jesus had answered clearly, “Yes, it is I. So follow me,” but Jesus always did not answer in that way.

 

Even when someone recognized Jesus as the Messiah and tried to speak of it, He would rather warn them, “Do not tell this to anyone.” Of course, some might say Jesus was avoiding it because He was not the real Messiah. However, He never rejected those who sincerely confessed Jesus as the Messiah through the voice and power of God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Rather, He praised them. We know Peter’s confession well: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” At that time, Jesus clearly said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” In other words, the way Jesus makes it known that He is the Christ is the principle that “My sheep hear my voice,” not a coercive way of simply saying, “I am the Messiah, so follow me unconditionally.”

 

The Law as a Tool for Self-Righteousness

The place where such a showdown occurs is, in our terms, the place where we listen to the sermon. A sermon is not simply a time to listen to a good story, be moved, and return, but a place to decide whether I am truly God’s sheep or not. Since I am saying this, everyone’s eyes seem to have vitality. Then, let us examine whether we can truly have a final showdown today. First, let’s look at the Jews. Why were they treated as those belonging to darkness, and why did John the Baptist answer them in that way? The Pharisees, Levites, and priests who threw the questions are, in a word, people who are much more well-versed in the Old Testament faith than you or I sitting here. There is a clear basis for them asking John, “Are you not Elijah?” Let’s look at Malachi 4:4–6, the end of the Old Testament.

 

“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

 

This is the prophecy of the prophet Malachi about 400 years before John the Baptist appeared. It is a promise that before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, namely, before God judges the world and descends upon this earth, He will clearly send Elijah first. What Elijah does when he comes again is the work of repentance that turns the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers. The biblical scholars of Judea could not have missed this verse. They accurately interpreted that when Elijah comes, a history of repentance will occur. How legitimate and correct is that interpretation? But then John appeared in the wilderness and began to cry out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near,” and performed the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, to the scholars and Pharisees, it clearly seemed that John was the prophesied Elijah. Do we not also know it that way?

 

Jesus also said that the Elijah Malachi prophesied is John, so why is John insisting that he is not Elijah? Let’s check what we might be misunderstanding through Matthew 3:1. “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”’ John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”

 

People confessed their sins and were baptized by John. However, the record of verse 7 that follows is very interesting. “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming retribution? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’”

 

Toward the Pharisees and Sadducees who flocked to repent and be baptized, John pours out a very scary venomous tongue. Everyone, you should not think of these people simply as monsters. Even if Jesus called them “whitewashed tombs” or “brood of vipers,” it does not mean you should regard them as monsters with horns. The Pharisees were the greatest intellectuals of the time. In today’s terms, they are intellectual and influential figures like university professors or social leaders. They were well-versed in the Bible, and the reason they sought John was also to confess their sins and receive baptism. How humble is that appearance on the outside? However, John bellows “brood of vipers” at them. The reason is contained in the words that follow. It is because even though they came to the place of baptism, they were thinking in their hearts, “We are the descendants of Abraham.” In other words, it means they were working on the premise that they were quite decent, righteous people because they were of Abraham’s bloodline. John pointed out that they were those who had confession on their lips but could not bear the proper fruit of a change in life. To understand more clearly what on earth this means, let's look at Jesus' parable about the Pharisee in Luke 18.

 

“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”’” If we look at the actions of the Pharisee described here and point fingers at him saying he is just a proud person, we might be no different from him. This Pharisee is a person who is strictly keeping the teachings of the Bible and the rules of tradition. Fasting twice a week may seem easy in words, but it is never easy to put into practice. He honestly gave a tenth of his income, enough to deserve respect, and he did not covet others' things, act unjustly, or commit adultery.

 

The Law as a Tool for Self-Righteousness

Therefore, this Pharisee is sincerely offering a prayer of thanks. How holy does that appearance look, giving thanks to God for making him not commit adultery? But what exactly went wrong? The answer is contained exactly in the verse 9 we read earlier. These people believed themselves to be righteous. They were convinced, saying, “I am a descendant of Israel, a chosen people, and therefore righteous.” Not to mention John the Baptist, Jesus also sternly rebukes with fire in His eyes at this very point. This is the reason why Jesus, who was gentle when meeting others, had exceptionally harsh words whenever He faced the Pharisees. Then, what does it mean for these people to live according to all the laws as recorded in the Bible? Here we discover a very important principle. It is the fact that even if you read and act as recorded in the Bible, that action itself is not necessarily a joy before God. However, do not misunderstand this statement by taking it out of context. If that happens, I will soon become a heretic pastor. How could living according to the Word of the Bible be a bad thing? The problem lies in a certain “attitude” that could easily happen in the case of the Pharisees and in us as well. Even if it seems like you are strictly obeying the Word of the Bible, God may not be pleased. The reason is that while doing that work, you consider yourself righteous. Therefore, what is essentially important is not what you are doing, but what kind of basis and heart you have in performing that action. The reason the Pharisees came to John the Baptist to confess their sins and receive baptism is the same. They simply wanted to add the categories of “repentance” and “baptism” to the list of “righteousness” they had built up. Saying, “I am a person who has even finished repentance,” and “I am now a person who has even received baptism,” they used all the laws and commandments as tools to perfect themselves. In the end, they were using the things God commanded for their own perfection.

 

Even if they did nothing wrong externally, because they tried to keep God’s Word solely for the purpose of self-perfection, the Bible says firmly, “It is not you, but rather that tax collector who is the righteous one.” Borrowing the expression of the Apostle John, this is like staying in the darkness and looking for a way to live better in that darkness. Expressing it in the style of the Apostle Paul, it is no different from claiming, “For me to be revealed, God must receive glory.” It is the logic that God must receive glory for me to stand out. With the lips, they speak of God’s glory, but in reality, God must be exalted for me to be revealed, God must be almighty for me to be established, and God must have power for me to live well. A God who must listen to my prayers and do the things I want—in the end, it is an appearance of staying in the darkness to prove the existence of “me.” This is not welcoming God as the Master of life, but merely using Him as a flashlight to light my way in the darkness. It is an attitude of being satisfied with that small light that shines on the path I want to go, rather than coming to Jesus Christ, who is the light itself. John the Baptist flatly states that an Elijah of such a way does not exist. The essence of the answer “I am not the kind of Elijah you are expecting” is exactly this. Then, who and what is the true Elijah that John the Baptist wants to show? When those sent by the Pharisees questioned again, John, instead of other explanations, quoted the words of Isaiah 40:3–5. Let’s find those words together.

 

The Voice of One Calling in the Wilderness and the Structure of Creation

This word is John’s answer to the question “Who are you?” Isaiah 40:3–5 proclaims as follows:

 

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’”

 

The Word clearly records preparing the way of the Lord. Then, who was the one who was said to come to prepare the way of the Lord in Malachi earlier? It was Elijah. Now John the Baptist is quoting this word and revealing that he is performing that very role. However, a very interesting point is discovered in this part. Looking at John 1:25, today’s text, when John the Baptist introduced himself as the voice calling in the wilderness, the Pharisees reacted as follows:

 

“They questioned him, ‘Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’” Now they do not understand John’s words at all. The Pharisees and those they sent are completely misunderstanding John’s intention. John used the prophecy of Isaiah to answer, “I am the one performing the mission of that Elijah,” but they react in a way that says, “If you are not the Elijah we think of, you are nothing.” They are unable to grasp the meaning, failing to understand each other’s language. The baptism the Pharisees wanted was this: they wanted to receive a baptism performed by an authoritative person like the Christ or Elijah, and use that baptism as a basis to strictly keep God’s laws and be recognized as a more righteous being. That was the hidden intention of the Pharisees, but John responded firmly with one word: “I baptize with water.”

 

This may sound like a very sudden answer on the surface. Their question was, “If you do not have the authority of the Christ, why do you give baptism? We want to perfect ourselves to be more righteous through that authoritative baptism,” but John suddenly answered, “I only give baptism with water.” What it means that John said he “gives baptism with water” becomes even clearer when we look at the overall structure of the Gospel of John. Please pay attention for a moment to the structure from John 1:19 to 51. The introduction of the Gospel of John, like the narrative of Genesis, begins with the declaration of creation: “In the beginning was the Word.” However, this structure of creation does not end with a simple declaration but continues from verse 19 to 51. If you look closely at the text, you can see that the date is being pointed out as the expression “The next day” is repeated. It is a unique way of progression that is hard to find in other Gospels. In particular, by accurately expressing the day the wedding at Cana occurred as “On the third day,” it shows that these events are a journey of seven consecutive days. Just as creation was completed in six days and God rested on the seventh day, the wedding at Cana symbolizes that creation has been completed and finally God’s rest, Jesus Christ’s rest, and the true goal of our salvation have been achieved.

 

This is the intention of the Apostle John who recorded the Gospel of John. On the first day, as we read a moment ago, he mentions water baptism, and on the second day, he talks about the “Lamb” and introduces the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And from the third day to the fifth day, He calls the disciples, which means the process of gathering God’s people. Through a specific description of the sixth day, finally, on the seventh day, the wedding at Cana takes place. In this way, the Gospel of John strictly follows the structure of the six-day creation and seven-day rest of Genesis. The interesting point is that the words such as “baptism,” “Lamb,” and “God’s people” contained in that structure are key words of Exodus, not Genesis. In other words, the Apostle John is now holding Genesis and Exodus in one hand and looking at them from the same perspective of redemptive history.

 

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Preparing the Way for the Lord

Therefore, the baptism John the Baptist is mentioning now does not stop at simply giving a ceremonial baptism but becomes a symbol proclaiming a new creation. To interpret this from the perspective of Exodus, it is like the event of crossing the Red Sea. John is essentially answering the Pharisees, who say, “We want to add to our righteousness and possess a more perfect righteousness by receiving that baptism,” by saying, “What I can show you is only you being submerged in the Red Sea.” Everyone, how great a miracle is the Red Sea? It contains a very profound spiritual meaning, but due to time constraints, let's just point out the core. John's intention through the background of the great miracle of the Red Sea is clear. It is the declaration: “I give baptism with water and recreate the event of the Red Sea, but now a more essential and true baptism is approaching. It is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that the one coming after me will give.” The many who crossed the Red Sea eventually died in the wilderness despite witnessing that amazing miracle, but those who receive the baptism of the Spirit now will have God with them forever and gain life that never dies. A baptism of a completely different dimension is coming. Here, another grave meaning is implied. To the Pharisees who demand, “Give us one more law, one more baptism, let us repent to firmly establish our righteousness,” John the Baptist is effectively shouting, “Go into the Red Sea and die.” Because there is no way to live unless the old self dies.

 

John the Baptist expresses his mission in this context. “The reason I came here is to make the crooked paths straight. I came as a voice calling in the wilderness to prepare the way for Jesus Christ.” He makes it clear that the water baptism he gives is merely a model and a shadow. Even the miracle of the Red Sea, and even the solemn declaration to bury the old self in that Red Sea, are only shadows, not the reality. Now the true baptism, namely, the essential change through the Holy Spirit, is approaching. John explains that he came to do “roadwork” to straighten the crooked paths to prepare for this true baptism. For whom is this path made by filling the valleys and cutting down the high mountains? It is the Lord's path. Because the Lord, the King of kings, will come through that path. In other words, the purpose for which John was sent is to remove all the mountains and valleys blocking the way in Israel and make a passage for the Lord to come.

 

The Smooth Path of Life Where Only Christ Walks

The Pharisees who heard John’s proclamation began to focus their attention elsewhere. They became obsessed only with what “that path” was that John was preparing. They began to plot that if that path were opened, they would plate it with gold, build buildings, open shops, and figure out how to eat and live better. They looked at that path with secular interest, such as who covers it more gorgeously with silver or who decoys it more with gold. they wanted to show off their might by paving a wonderful road. However, John clearly reveals the purpose of that path through Isaiah 40:5. “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.” The reason that road was paved is not for the road itself. The reason all the mountains of problems, pain, distress, and hurt in front of Israel were cut down and the deep valleys were filled was solely to perfectly prepare the way for Jesus Christ, who is God, to come. The Pharisees tried to reveal their own glory by gilding that path, but John the Baptist emphasized that the path was a passage allowed only to see the glory of the Lord.

 

If we reflect this into our lives, you will be able to understand sufficiently. We are standing at a slightly different point in time than the era of John the Baptist. John came to prepare the way as the last prophet of the Old Testament, but we are living in an era where that path has already been opened. This is because Jesus Christ has already come to us through that path. The Lord has already filled all the valleys of our lives and made the high mountains that were blocking us into plains. Everyone, you do not know how amazing and glorious a thing it is to believe in Jesus Christ. Often, we look at a huge mountain in front of our lives and pray, “God, please remove that mountain so I can go this way well.” This is often what we think Christianity is. However, the essence of Christianity that the Bible speaks of is different. It is the fact that Jesus Christ has already made that path smooth by personally experiencing all the suffering you have experienced, are currently experiencing, or will experience in the future.

 

You are people already standing on a smooth path. Even if a mountain is still visible in front of your eyes and it feels like a valley that is hard to escape is blocking you, the spiritual reality is not so. That path has already been filled by the Lord and the mountain has been lowered. This is the Bible's declaration that what is visible is not everything. If the pain we feel, touch, and experience were everything, why would we bother believing in Jesus? As the writer of Hebrews says, what is seen was not made out of what was visible. God has already rescued you from suffering like a horrible pit and has made that path smooth. Therefore, do not be shaken or deceived by the circumstances in front of your eyes. The Lord has already filled all the pits. But the important thing is what comes next. A more essential problem than the fact that the road has become smooth is the direction we must go from now on.

 

The moment we realize that the valleys of my life have been filled and the road has been paved wonderfully, we fall into temptation again. We think, “Now that God has paved the road, let's live wonderfully,” plating the smooth path with gold and building buildings. However, that is not the purpose for which the road was made. John the Baptist said that only the glory of the Lord would be seen. To express it in our way, that road must be a “road where only Jesus walks.” The only reason He made your life smooth is so that Jesus Christ can freely pass through your life and only He can be revealed. Therefore, fill that road only with Jesus. The promise that the Lord has made your life smooth becomes the greatest comfort to us. It is the same for me. There will be many valleys and mountains in the journey of ministry, but I can be thankful because I have the faith that the Lord has already made it smooth. However, if I try to plate that smooth road with the gold of human desire, gather people, and take my own glory, that is a path to ruin as ministry and a path to return to darkness.

 

Let only Jesus walk through the road called your life, and let only Jesus be revealed through that smoothness. Do not tremble with fear because of the mountain in front of you. When you move forward by confessing in faith that the Lord has already handled it, then Jesus is revealed. That is never an easy thing, but that is exactly the life of a saint. Letting Jesus pass through the deep valleys and rugged mountains of my life—only then do we become saints walking in the light. It must be a life where Christ is revealed through my flawed life, not a life where it is proven how great I am. When the mountain is cut down, do not stop at enjoying that smoothness, but live a life confessing, “Lord, You have appeared in this humble life.” Even when you fall into a horrible pit, do not look at that pit, but look at the Lord appearing in your life. Prove with your life that He alone is the true comfort and He alone is our Messiah. Do not try to attach vain things to the path of life by being deceived by the foolish sweet talk of the Pharisees, but I sincerely hope you become blessed lives that fully reveal only Christ.

 

Let Us Pray

God the Father, we thank You for granting us the Word of Life today. Whenever the rugged mountains and deep valleys in front of our lives make us afraid, let us look to Jesus Christ, who has already paved all those roads and has personally become the highway of our lives. Let us not commit the same folly as the Pharisees who tried to build their own glory on the road that was paved, but let us become children of light whose only path of life is traveled by the Lord and where only the glory of the Lord is fully revealed. Trusting in the promise of the Lord who made it smooth even in suffering, guide us to live the life of a blessed saint who walks with Christ every day.

 

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.