The wonderful children’s book Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of a woman from Maine who decided to leave the coast and move to the prairies a sort of mail-order bride.

Before going to become the wife of a widowed prairie farmer, she exchanged letters with him and with his young son and daughter. She told them about her cat and the ocean, and the children wrote to ask if she could braid hair and sing.

As the time approached for Sarah to make her trip west to become part of a family she had never met, she wrote,

“Dear Jacob, I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall.  Sarah”

Can you imagine their anxiety as they were going to meet the train the day Sarah arrived? What must have been going through their minds? The four people involved in that drama had little idea what to expect.

Our text, John 1:19-51, begins with a sense of uncertainty and confusion. Something great and wonderful was happening to the people who were involved in these events, but they were uncertain how to respond to them. Jesus entered a world that was anxiously awaiting something; the only problem was that the people did not know exactly what that something was.

This section of John begins to show us through the perspectives of struggling eyewitnesses who this Jesus of Nazareth really was.

John the Baptist is one of the most important persons in the New Testament; he’s mentioned at least 89 times. John the Baptist is one of six persons named in John  who gave witness that Jesus is God: He had the special privilege of introducing Jesus to the nation of Israel. He also had the difficult task of preparing the nation to receive their Messiah.

John the Baptist’s parents were Zacharias and Elizabeth, both older people, neither of whom expected to have a baby (Luke 1:7).  John was actually born six months before Jesus (Luke 1:36). Luke informs us that from his boyhood until the day of his public ministry John lived in the deserts (1:80).

During this time, he was clothed in camel’s hair, wore a leather belt, and ate a steady diet of locusts and wild honey (Mark 1:6). He gave a fire-and-brimstone call to repentance in order to prepare the way for the Lord (Matthew 3).

John had the special privilege of introducing Jesus to the nation of Israel. He also had the difficult task of preparing the nation to receive their Messiah. He called them to repent of their sins and to prove that repentance by being baptized and then living changed lives.

John the Baptist has an interesting biography. He was the prophesied forerunner of Jesus (Isaiah 40:3-4; Malachi 3:1; 4:5). It was his job to clear the way for Jesus by preparing people’s hearts through preaching.

He entered the world through the priestly line. His father, Zechariah, was from the course of Abijah (1 Chr 24:10) and his mother descended from Aaron (Lk 1:5). Their barren state and miraculous pregnancy is described in Luke 1 and Matthew 1.

Jesus and John were related in some way (probably cousins), and John was his elder by about six months (Lk 1:36). He was circumcised on the eighth day and set apart as a Nazirite (Lk 1:15). All else we know about John’s early life is found in Luke 1:80.

John began his prophetic ministry in a.d. 25—the 15th year of Tiberias Caesar (Lk 3:1). He attracted large crowds (Mt 3:5) as he preached and baptized in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan (Jn 1:28).

His preaching is summarized in the phrase, “The kingdom of God is coming” and his ministry by immersion of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mk 1:4). So forceful was his preaching that many took him to be the reincarnation of Elijah, Jeremiah or another prophet (Mt 16:14).

Jesus says that he was the greatest person ever born of a woman (Mt 11:11). An interesting fact, however, is that John never performed a miracle (Jn 10:41). His greatest act, perhaps, was his baptism of Jesus. With that act his ministry wound its way to a conclusion.

Although he continued to baptize (Jn 3:23; 4:1), he recognized that he had accomplished that which was set before him to do (Jn 3:30).

Herod’s antics and the vindictiveness of his evil wife, Herodias, caused the death of the last OT prophet. John was beheaded at the castle of Machaerus on the Dead Sea.

Although he died through treachery, he successfully completed his God-given task. He prepared for and pointed out Jesus, the true light.

John the Baptist was a very prominent and respected individual. Many came to him to hear him preach, even though his message was a call to repentance. They were content to follow John, and even open to the possibility that he was the Messiah:

People from all over Judea and Jerusalem were going out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan river, as they confessed their sins (Mark 1:5).

 

While the people were filled with anticipation, and they all pondered in their hearts whether perhaps John could be the Christ (Luke 3:15).

33 “You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 (I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) 35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time in his light” (John 5:33-35).

The amazing thing about John the Baptist is that he never performed a miracle or a sign; he only preached and baptized:

40 Jesus went away across the Jordan River again to the place where John had been baptizing at an earlier time, and he stayed there. 41 Many came to him and began saying, “John performed no miraculous sign, but everything John said about this man was true!” 42 And many believed in Jesus there (John 10:40-42, emphasis mine).

The man “was a man” and only a man. A strong contrast is being made between what had been said about Christ and what is now being said about John.

• Christ “was in the beginning”; He was “with God” and He “was God” (John 1:1-2).
• John “was a man” who had come into existence at birth, just as all men have the beginning of their existence at birth. John was the son of a man, whereas Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16). John was not a divine being, not even an angel. He was a mere man.

The man, however, was “sent from God”; and he was sent on a very special mission.

Two facts show this. The word “sent”. The phrase “from God” (para Theou) means “from beside God. “

John was not only sent by God, He was sent from the very side and heart of God. He was only a man, but a man of high calling and mission, of enormous responsibility and accountability. He was a man sent by God, not by man.

He was a light, not the light!

There was a group of men who wished to give John the Baptist too high a place.  John the Baptist himself gave no encouragement to that but rather did everything to discourage it.

But the Fourth Gospel knew that that tendency was there and took steps to guard against it.

It can still happen that men may worship a preacher rather than Christ.  It can still happen that men’s eyes may be fixed upon the herald rather than upon the King of whom he is the messenger.

John the Baptist was not in the least to blame for what had happened; but John the evangelist was determined to see that none should shoulder Christ from out the topmost niche.

John summarized what John the Baptist had to say about Jesus Christ (John 1:15–18).

John 1:15–28 (ESV) — (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.

First, He is eternal (John 1:15). John the Baptist was actually born six months before Jesus (Luke 1:36); so in this statement he is referring to our Lord’s preexistence, not His birth date. Jesus existed before John the Baptist was ever conceived.

Jesus Christ has fullness of grace and truth (John 1:16–17). Grace is God’s favor and kindness bestowed on those who do not deserve it and cannot earn it. If God dealt with us only according to truth, none of us would survive; but He deals with us on the basis of grace and truth. Jesus Christ, in His life, death, and resurrection, met all the demands of the Law; now God is free to share fullness of grace with those who trust Christ. Grace without truth would be deceitful, and truth without grace would be condemning.

In John 1:17, John did not suggest that there was no grace under the Law of Moses, because there was. Each sacrifice was an expression of the grace of God. The Law also revealed God’s truth. But in Jesus Christ, grace and truth reach their fullness; and this fullness is available to us. We are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8–9), but we also live by grace (1 Cor. 15:10) and depend on God’s grace in all that we do. We can receive one grace after another, for “He giveth more grace” (James 4:6). In John 1:17, John hinted that a whole new order had come in, replacing the Mosaic system.

Finally, Jesus Christ reveals God to us (John 1:18). As to His essence, God is invisible (1 Tim. 1:17; Heb. 11:27). Man can see God revealed in nature (Ps. 19:1–6; Rom. 1:20) and in His mighty works in history; but he cannot see God Himself. Jesus Christ reveals God to us, for He is “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15) and “the express image of His person” (Heb. 1:3). The word translated “declared” gives us our English word exegesis, which means “to explain, to unfold, to lead the way.” Jesus Christ explains God to us and interprets Him for us. We simply cannot understand God apart from knowing His Son, Jesus Christ.

The word Son is used for the first time in John’s Gospel as a title for Jesus Christ (John 1:18). The phrase “only-begotten” means “unique, the only one of its kind.” It does not suggest that there was a time when the Son was not, and then the Father brought Him into being. Jesus Christ is eternal God; He has always existed.

At least nine times in John’s Gospel, Jesus is called “the Son of God” (John 1:34, 49; 3:18; 5:25; 10:36; 11:4, 27; 19:7; 20:31). You will recall that John had as his purpose in writing to convince us that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:31). At least nineteen times, Jesus is referred to as “the Son.” He is not only the Son of God, but He is God the Son. Even the demons admitted this (Mark 3:11; Luke 4:41).

John gave the record of four days in the life of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the first disciples. He continues this sequence in John 2 and presents, as it were, a “week” in the “new creation” that parallels the Creation week in Genesis 1.

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.” 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)

On the first day (John 1:19–24), a committee from the Jewish religious leaders interrogated John the Baptist. These men had every right to investigate John and his ministry, since they were the custodians and guardians of the faith. They asked him several questions and he clearly answered them.

“Who are you?” was a logical question. Was he the promised Messiah? Was he the Prophet Elijah who was supposed to come before the Messiah appeared? (Mal. 4:5) Great crowds had gathered to hear John, and many people had been baptized. Though John did no miracles (John 10:41), it was possible the people thought that he was the promised Messiah.

John denied being either Elijah or the Messiah. (In one sense, he was the promised Elijah. See Matt. 17:10–13.) John had nothing to say about himself because he was sent to talk about Jesus! Jesus is the Word; John was but “a voice”—and you cannot see a voice! John pointed back to Isaiah’s prophecy (Isa. 40:1–3) and affirmed that he was the fulfillment.

Having ascertained who John was, the committee then asked what he was doing. “Why are you baptizing?” John got his authority to baptize, not from men, but from heaven, because he was commissioned by God (Matt. 21:23–32). The Jewish religious leaders in that day baptized Gentiles who wanted to adopt the Jewish faith; but John baptized Jews!

John explained that his baptism was in water, but that the Messiah would come and baptize with a spiritual baptism. Again, John made it clear that he was not establishing a new religion or seeking to exalt himself. He was pointing people to the Savior, the Son of God (John 1:34). We shall learn later that it was through baptism that Jesus Christ would be presented to the people of Israel.

The phrase full of grace and truth modifies “the Word.” It also softens the glare of glory. The Greek word for “grace” (charis) parallels a Hebrew word meaning “lovingkindness”; the word in Greek also means “that which is a free gift.” The Greek word for “truth” (aletheia) means “reality” and “genuine”; John’s Gospel connects it with the idea of divine revelation (8:32; 17:17; 18:37). Those enlightened realize Christ as the divine reality. In union with Christ, we experience his grace and truth. By his power we can show his life to others.

GLORY

Although we have not yet been granted the privilege of seeing Jesus as the disciples did, someday we will. “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12 ). In the meantime, we have the testimony of those who were with Jesus. Jesus prayed for those of us who would believe in him through their witness (17:20). In his prayer, Jesus anticipated the time when we would see his glory (17:24).

For now, even the “poor reflection” of his glory is enough to change us. As we allow his words to become part of us, as we obey his commands and seek to honor him, we will discover in ourselves a growing eagerness to stand before him and to experience his glory fully (Philippians 3:12–14) and share in it too (2 Corinthians 4:17).

1:15 (John testified to him … “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”)  This verse interrupts the flow of the narrative—for verse 16 naturally follows the end of verse 14 (“full of grace and truth … and of His fullness have we all received, and grace for grace,” ). John probably decided to insert John the Baptist’s testimony at this point to underscore a major theme in the prologue: Christ’s eternal existence.

John the Baptist declared that Christ ranks ahead of me because he was before me. Although Jesus was humanly born after John the Baptist, Jesus existed from eternity past. For this reason, Jesus outranked John the Baptist.

1:16 Of His fullness.  The Greek word for fullness is pleroma; it indicates superabundance and completeness. John used a root form in verse 14, “full (pleres) of grace and truth” (). John stretched the language to its very limit in attempting to capture the facts about Jesus and, at the same time, the lasting impact Jesus had on those who followed him. When John spoke of Jesus’ “fullness,” he was affirming that he had never found Jesus lacking in any way. John’s description conveys a subtle invitation for us to trust Jesus’ ability to meet our needs.

It is a greater work of God to bring men to grace, than being in the state of grace, to bring them to glory; because sin is far more distant from grace than grace is from glory. John Trapp

FULLNESS

The Gnostics used the word fullness to describe the totality of all deities. Gnosticism was the widest known of the so-called mystery cults. Although exclusive in membership, the Gnostics were inclusive in theology. Instead of receiving the truth that “the Word became flesh,” they invented a religion of “the word became secret.” They made “fullness” a protected mystery; but Jesus made “fullness” a living reality!

Both John and Paul used pleroma to describe Christ—proclaiming that Christ embodies the fullness of God (see Ephesians 1:23; 3:19; Colossians 1:19; 2:9). Because all of God’s fullness dwells in Christ, we can find every spiritual reality we need in him. He embodies all of God’s power, wisdom, mercy, and love. He fills everything in every way (Ephesians 1:23). The infinite God allows us to draw on all of his attributes and resources.

We have all received.  At this point, John includes all the believers, not just himself and the apostles (for whom he was spokesman—1:14). All believers receive Christ’s fullness, but no single believer can receive all of Christ; it takes the whole body of Christ to appropriate his fullness and to express it (see Ephesians 1:23).

Nothing can deplete Christ—no matter how much the believers receive of him, he keeps on giving. His strength is not diminished by helping us. Believers do not need to seek any other source of spiritual power but Christ. Paul said: “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete [or made full] in Him” (Colossians 2:9–10 ). Christ himself fulfills our Christian life; we do not need to seek anything beyond him.

Grace upon grace.  The Greek text literally says “grace in place of grace,” which could mean “grace replenishing grace” (a continual supply of Christ’s loving-kindness) or New Testament grace replacing Old Testament grace—in the sense that Christ’s dispensation of grace supersedes Moses’ or anticipated grace is replaced with fulfilled grace (see next verse). Either way, we need to realize that the grace given by Christ can never be exhausted because he is full of grace. When we are exhausted and “on empty,” Christ is always present to fill us with his grace.

1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  This statement presents a contrast and begs the question: Can the law given through Moses and the grace and truth from Jesus Christ be complimentary? John introduced one of the central questions Jesus would answer: Because law and grace seem to contradict, what action should people take?

Both law and grace express God’s nature. Moses emphasized God’s law and justice, while Jesus Christ came to highlight God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness. Moses could only be the giver of the law, while Christ came to fulfill perfectly the law (Matthew 5:17). The law revealed the nature and will of God; now Jesus Christ reveals the nature and will of God. Rather than coming through cold stone tablets, God’s revelation (“truth”) now comes through a person’s life. As we get to know Christ better, our understanding of God will increase.

1:18 No one has ever seen God.  This statement seems to contradict passages like Exodus 24:9–11, which says that the elders of Israel “saw God.” What then does John mean? Very likely, he is affirming the fact that no human being has seen the essential being of God—i.e., no one has seen God as God. Some men experienced “theophanies” (special appearances of God in various forms), but no one saw the essential being of God. As Calvin put it, “When he says that none has seen God, it is not to be understood of the outward seeing of the physical eye. He means generally that since God dwells in inaccessible light, he cannot be known except in Christ, his lively image.” Only the Son, who is himself God, can communicate his glory to us.

God the One and Only.  This is more precisely rendered, “an only one, God.” All the earliest manuscripts support this reading; other manuscripts read, “the only begotten Son.” The first reading is preferred. Whatever the translation, all the earliest manuscripts indicate that Jesus is called God, as well as the One and Only. Thus, Jesus’ deity is again affirmed (see 1:1).

Who is in the bosom of the Father.  This picturesque language portrays the Son as a child in close dependence on his Father—enjoying a close and warm relationship with him. It also reflects the image of two close companions enjoying a meal together. According to an ancient custom, the one who reclined next to the master at a meal was the one dearest to him.

Has made him known.  The Greek reads, “He has explained [him].” This tells us that the Son is God’s explainer; he came to earth and lived among men to explain God to us—with his words and by his person. No one can know God apart from Christ, God’s explainer. Again, this mirrors verse 1, where the Son is called “the Word”—the expression of God, the communicator of God.

In the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, the invisible God is now visible to men. Moses longed to see God more fully and was granted a partial glimpse (Exodus 33:17—34:7). In Christ, we see God dwelling among men in human flesh. It is more than we could ever have hoped. It is more than we shall ever be able to grasp. It is a wonder that will inspire our worship throughout time and eternity.

The incarnation is perhaps the most wonderful truth of history. Its implications are deep and wide:

• It tells us that God desires to communicate himself to us and because of our diminutive nature, was only able to do that by speaking at our level and becoming one of us.
• It tells us that God truly understands our nature and sufferings (Heb 2:17-18).
• It tells us of the seriousness of our sins, because Christ came to die for them.
• It tells us of God’s love for man—he is involved in human history. In fact, he is a major player.
• It tells us that the bridge between divinity and humanity is crossable. We therefore have the hope of future fellowship in God’s presence.

 JOHN THE BAPTIST DECLARES HIS MISSION / John 1:19–28 / His stirring summary accomplished, John launched into telling the gospel. He had already introduced John the Baptist in the prologue. His overall description of the wilderness preacher leaves out the physical notes of the other Gospels (see Mark 1:1–11; Luke 1:5–25, 57–80; 3:1–20) but focuses instead on his unique role as herald of the Messiah. The messianic expectations of the time, combined with his initial success in attracting large crowds, made John the Baptist the subject of speculation: Could he be the Messiah?

In the encounter recorded in this Gospel, John the Baptist accomplished three objectives: (1) he firmly denied being the Christ; (2) he identified himself as the herald predicted by Isaiah, who would announce the Messiah; (3) he announced the presence of the Messiah, yet he did not publicly identify Jesus even though he baptized Jesus and heard God’s verbal stamp of approval on him. As the ministry of Jesus begins, we see the final days of the ministry of John the Baptist.

1:19–21 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”  John the Baptist’s calling in life was described to his father even before John was conceived. An angel had told John’s father, Zechariah:

Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:13–17 )

John’s mission was to give testimony to Jesus Christ (1:7). He was Christ’s first and most important witness. John disavowed any personal status; he constantly pointed men to Christ.

The Jews, as used here and in many other places in John, designated the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. The priests and Levites were respected religious leaders in Jerusalem. Priests served in the temple, assisted by the Levites. The leaders who came to see John were Pharisees (1:24), a group that both John the Baptist and Jesus often denounced. Many Pharisees outwardly obeyed God’s laws in order to look pious, while inwardly their hearts were filled with pride and greed.

These leaders came to see John the Baptist for several reasons: (1) As guardians of the faith, they needed to investigate any new preaching (Deuteronomy 13:1–5; 18:20–22). (2) They wanted to find out if John had the credentials of a prophet. (3) John’s growing following presented them with a possible threat if he chose to use his influence with people against the religious leaders. (4) They were also probably jealous and wanted to see why John was so popular.

“I am not the Messiah.”  Their question indicates that the Jews were looking for the Anointed One (Greek, ho Christos, “the Christ”). John wanted to make it perfectly clear that he was not the Christ; rather, he was one who prepared the way for the Christ.

“Are you Elijah?”  John’s role and actions reminded these religious leaders of what had been written of Elijah (see 2 Kings 2:11). The Old Testament predicted that Elijah would come to prepare the way for the Messiah (see Malachi 3:1; 4:5–6). John the Baptist, in the spirit of Elijah (Luke 1:17), had come to prepare the way for the Christ, but he did not claim to be Elijah.

“Are you the prophet?”  In the Pharisees’ minds, there were four options regarding John the Baptist’s identity: He was (1) the prophet foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15), (2) Elijah (Malachi 4:5), (3) the Messiah, or (4) a false prophet. John denied being the first three personages. His questioners wanted him to claim a special identity; he was perfectly content in his role. He simply called himself, in the words of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’” (Isaiah 40:3 ).

The leaders kept pressing John to say who he was because people were expecting the Messiah to come (Luke 3:15). But John emphasized only why he had come—to prepare the way for the Messiah. The Pharisees missed the point. They wanted to know who John was, but John insisted on pointing them toward Jesus.

1:22 “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us.”  Those sent by the religious leaders of Jerusalem confronted a man sent by God; they had run out of stereotypes and were ready to listen. Although their attentiveness was hostile, John gave them an answer.

1:23 “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”  John quoted Isaiah 40, a portion that introduces the Messiah’s forerunner and herald. In Isaiah 40:3–11, this herald announced the coming of the divine Shepherd. In ancient times, a herald (or forerunner) would go before a dignitary to announce his coming and to clear the way before him. John was the Messiah’s herald and forerunner; he came on the scene to announce Jesus’ coming and to exhort people to prepare the way to receive him.

MAKE IT MATTER

Whenever you are tempted to feel indispensable, remember John the Baptist. The fact that God uses us to do his work is no excuse for pride. God does not need us or have to keep us around. So we should make the most of the time we have.

John remained a loud “voice in the wilderness” right up until his death. His sacrifice presents us with a question: Was a shortened life too high a price to pay for hearing God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

1:24–25 Some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him.  This reading (found in the earliest manuscripts) indicates that some of the emissaries were Pharisees who began to question John further. Because John had publicly made some kind of claim about his role, he was subject to being grilled.

“Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”  Since John did not claim to be the Christ, the prophet, or Elijah, the Pharisees wanted to know why John was baptizing. John had not invented baptism. Gentiles converting to Judaism were baptized as an initiation rite. But John was calling upon Jews to be baptized. Since this was new, they demanded an explanation from John.

1:26 “I baptize with water.”  After this, we expect a reference to Jesus’ baptism “in the Spirit” because this is stated in the Synoptic Gospels after the mention of water baptism. But the announcement of Jesus’ baptism in the Spirit does not come until 1:33.

It was John’s function to provide the means for God’s cleansing through water baptism; it would be Jesus’ function to provide the people with an infusion of the Spirit.

“Among you stands one whom you do not know.”  The Son of God had taken up his abode among his own people, the Jews; but they did not realize it. This recalls John’s tragic words in the prologue (1:11–12): Jesus’ own people did not recognize him or receive him.

1:27 “I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.”  In ancient times, a slave would perform many menial tasks for his master, but unstrapping a sandal was considered an extremely menial task and was usually done by oneself, not a slave. In saying that he was not even worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals, John vividly pictured his subordination to Christ.

John knew who he was in comparison to Jesus—even though Jesus called him the greatest man ever born (Luke 7:28). We, by comparison, are far less qualified. We should never have a high opinion of ourselves; like Paul, we are “less than the least” (Ephesians 3:8 ).

A man is humble when he stands in the truth with a knowledge and appreciation for himself as he really is. Anonymous

1:28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan.  Bethany is the reading in the earliest manuscripts. The reading was changed from “Bethany” to “Bethabara” in some manuscripts because scribes did not want readers thinking this was the Bethany near Jerusalem. The exact location of a “Bethany on the other side of the Jordan” has never been determined. All we know is that it was east of the Jordan River.^[1]

 

^[1] Bruce B. Barton, John, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), 13–20.