John 1:6-8 6A man came, having been sent from God, whose name was John. 7This one came as a witness in order that he might bear witness about the light, in order that all might believe through him. 8That one was not the light but in order to bear witness about the light.
The author, John, moves from poetic language to more of a narrative style. He shifts to a new topic and tells how John the Baptist served as a witness about the identity of Jesus. It was also important for the readers to realize the difference between John and Jesus. The first thing is that John is identified as having come from God, which is another way of saying that he was a prophet. As such, he had authority, and what he said were not his own words but God-inspired declarations of revelation. This important note sets up for the rest of the chapter and the significant claims John made about Jesus.
At a specific point in time, a prophet arose to proclaim the identity of the Word through whom the world was created. The primary purpose of John’s ministry was to testify about the light that shone in the darkness. The word witness (martyreō) is used twice in the verse to indicate how John fulfilled this specific calling from God. John was set aside as a witness and fulfilled God’s mission for him. The focus of his ministry was the light that came into the world.
By identifying and proclaiming this light, John was also pointing the way to salvation. John, the author, introduces in verse 7 one of the keywords in his Gospel: the verb believe (pisteusōsin). This word occurs 98 times as a verb (an action word) in John and none as a noun. Believing for John is not an intellectual statement of faith like those formulated in the Apostles or Nicene creeds. John would have used the noun form of the root word (Greek pistis) instead. Using the verb implies an active relationship with a person. The focus of believing in John is always on Jesus. John uses many methods to show this relationship, including stories of miracles, which he calls “signs” in 20:30. The verb “believe” is used in multiple ways to support his evangelistic purpose.
John, the author, wanted his readers to recognize the difference between John the Baptist and Jesus. John was not the messiah, though he was a significant prophetic voice who prepared the people to receive the Messiah. John’s mission was temporary. He would fade from the scene. Verse 8 prepares for what Jesus taught about John in 3:27-36. John’s ministry was crucial because everyone, even the religious leaders in Jerusalem, recognized he was special and most believed he was a prophet. People tend to be attracted to charismatic people, and so it would be tempting to follow John and not Jesus. Jesus never put down John but lifted up his ministry as significant. Because John had such a great reputation, knowing that he recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God added authority to the claims of him as the Messiah and Son of God.
For older posts, click here.