Transcript

In his classic work, “More Than a Carpenter,” Josh McDowell wrote the following.

“Men and women down through the ages have been divided over the question, ‘Who is Jesus?’ Why so much conflict over one individual? What is it that His name…causes irritation?

“Why is it that you can talk about God and nobody gets upset, but as soon as you mention Jesus, people so often want to stop the conversation? Or they become defensive.

“I mentioned something about Jesus to a taxicab driver in London, and immediately he said, ‘I don’t like to discuss religion, especially Jesus.’

“How is Jesus different from other religious leaders? Why don’t the names of Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius offend people? The reason is that these others didn’t claim to be God, but Jesus did. That is what makes Him so different…

“It didn’t take long for the people who knew Jesus to realize that He was making astounding claims about Himself. It became clear that His own claims were identifying Him as more than just a prophet or teacher.

“He was obviously making claims to deity. He was presenting Himself as the only avenue to a relationship with God, the only source of forgiveness of sins, and the only way of salvation.

“For many people this is too exclusive, too narrow for them to want to believe. Yet the issue is not what do we want to think or believe, but rather, who did Jesus claim to be?”

In this series, we will address the question, “Who is Jesus? and we will use various portions and discourses of Christ from the Gospel of John to show Who He claimed to be.

John 1:29-34: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

“And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

“And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

“And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.”

As John the Baptist was carrying out his baptizing ministry in Bethabara in the Jordan River, he saw Jesus coming to him.

When Christ approached, John the Baptist, who was a prophet, prophesied, “Behold [or Look!] the Lamb of God.” The title, “Lamb of God,” is the first of a number of titles given to Christ in this chapter.

A lamb, under the law, was a sacrificial animal, killed as a substitute for sins. The lamb was used for sacrifice in the Passover and the sin offering. It was killed and its blood was shed so that sins might be atoned for and covered.

The lambs offered in the temple were types and representatives of the true Lamb Who was to come, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here at the dawn of His ministry, Christ was greeted with words prophesying and declaring His destiny. The title “Lamb of God” foreshadowed Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross for our sins as a sacrificial lamb.

John did not present Christ as “Behold the great moral example” or “Behold the great teacher.” He proclaimed Jesus as the Lamb who was the sacrifice for the sin of the world.

This was Christ’s purpose for coming to the world, to lay down His life and die the death of the cross, paying for the sin of the world.

That He was called the Lamb “of God” meant that He was the Lamb provided by God. The lambs for sacrifice in the temple were brought by men to men, but Jesus Christ is God’s Lamb, given by God to men, out of His love for the world.

There is no other lamb like Him. The sacrifice of the lambs under the Mosaic offerings could not take away sin. As Hebrews 10:11 reminds us, “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.”

However, the Lamb of God and His sacrifice can, does, and will take away sin. As Hebrews 9:26 states, “but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to PUT AWAY SIN by the sacrifice of Himself.”

Notice, though, in his prophecy that John the Baptist said, “sin,” not sins. The “sin of the world” refers to the sinful state of the world, under the curse of sin, that has existed since the time of the fall.

As a result of the Lamb of God’s perfect sacrifice for sin, one day “the sin of the world” and its curse will be taken away and replaced by everlasting righteousness in the new earth.

As Revelation 21:4 tells us of the new earth: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and” because the sin of the world and its curse will be removed, “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Then John stated in verse 30, “This is he of whom I said,” which refers to verse 27 when John told the Pharisees, “He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”

Now that Christ appeared before John, by the Holy Spirit, John stated, “This is He of Whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.”

John was the FORErunner of Jesus, and he was born 6 months before Christ, but the Messiah preceded John the Baptist in time (1:15,30).

The reason Christ was “before” John in time is because John 1:1 says of Jesus Christ, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Christ existed before John the Baptist from eternity past. He came from eternity. Because He is God, Christ had no beginning, and He is eternal.

Thus, as God, Christ is “before” John the Baptist in time, and as such, of course, He is superior, far higher, and infinitely “before” him in rank and authority.

John later said of Christ, “He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: He that cometh from heaven is above all.” (3:31). Christ as God in the flesh is far above all.

John stated in verse 31, “And I knew Him not,” meaning that the identity of the Messiah and this One who was preferred before him, was previously unknown to John the Baptist until this moment.

What John did know before this was that “He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.”

John’s baptizing ministry was for two purposes: to prepare the nation of Israel for the Messiah and His kingdom (Matt. 3:1-3), and to present the Messiah to that nation (Jn. 1:31-34). Through the forerunner, John the Baptist, and his baptizing ministry the Messiah was to be revealed, introduced, and “made manifest to Israel.”

As you read all the Gospel records, what you find is that when Christ came to John the Baptist to be baptized of him, after John at first protested, Matthew 3:16 tells us, “And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him…”

So the Lord went down into the Jordan River, was baptized with water by John, and unlike what tradition says, AFTER He was baptized, and as He walked up out of the river,

THEN the heavens opened, and then verse 32 took place, “And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him.”

And Matthew 3:17 adds, “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Only the Gospel of John records that John saw the descent of the Spirit like a dove and that it abode upon Jesus. But verse 33 explains the purpose for which he saw this important event.

John explained that he did not know the identity of the Messiah and this One Who was so infinitely superior to him, but that God, Who sent and commissioned John to baptize with water by His authority, had told John that the One on Whom the Spirit descended while he was baptizing was He.

And John, seeing the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove on Jesus, bears proof and testimony that He is the Messiah of Israel and the Son of God.

John baptized with water, but as God the Father told John the Baptist, the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit. This took place on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit was sent from heaven and Christ spiritually baptized and identified kingdom believers with the Holy Spirit, and they were indwelt by Him.

John stated, “And I saw,” that he saw with his own eyes the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus of Nazareth and remain on Him, and thus, he bore record that Jesus “is the Son of God.”

John bore record that Christ is the Son of God. God the Father bore witness that He is the Son of God, when He spoke from heaven and said, “This is My beloved Son,” and the Holy Spirit gave witness that Christ is the Son of God, by descending upon Him at His baptism.

So when we answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” the other two members of the Godhead both testify that “this is the Son of God;” the Father by His words, and the Spirit by descending upon Him and remaining on Him. This is the most authoritative proof possible for Christ’s identity as the Son of God.

John 1:35-42: “Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

“Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

“He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

“He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

“And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”

On the day after Christ’s baptism, two of John the Baptist’s disciples were with him when John saw Jesus walking by. As soon as John the Baptist saw Christ, he made a statement about where his follower’s loyalty should be.

And John said again, “Behold the Lamb of God!” This announcement that Christ is the Lamb of God was a directive to his disciples to follow and shift their allegiance to Christ.

John the Baptist wanted his followers to commit to a higher and the highest authority, to the Son of God, Who is God Almighty.

After hearing John’s words, these two disciples, who were Andrew and likely John the writer of this Gospel, they both left John the Baptist and followed Christ.

This was the purpose of John’s ministry, to prepare the way for the Messiah, to reveal His identity to Israel, and to point others to follow Him. As John said later in this Gospel, “I am not the Christ…I am sent before Him…He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Seeing these two disciples following and walking behind Him, the Lord Jesus asked them, “What seek ye?” The question Christ posed to these disciples is more profound than the response He received.

The question had more to do with asking about their purpose and object in life and what they were seeking by following Him. He wanted them to search their hearts as to whether they were motivated by idle curiosity or by a real desire to know Him and follow Him and were committed to where He would lead them in life.

The response by these two men was, “Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest Thou?” The reason the disciples asked Christ where He was staying was that they were stating their intention to follow Him wherever He went.

Thus, the Lord replied, with “Come and see,” and invited Andrew and John to see where He dwelt, and also to accompany Him and be a part of His ministry.

Verse 39 tells us, “They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day” and they remained with Him from that day forward.

John, the author of this Gospel, added, “for it was about the tenth hour,” as he recalled, even after years had elapsed, the exact hour he found Christ and first met his Lord, because this was a life-changing moment for John.

Christ changed John’s life, He changed my life, and He can change yours as well. There are countless people who have this testimony of being transformed by Him, which powerfully bears out the truth of who Jesus is as God, Savior, and Lord.

Before they went with Christ to see where He dwelt, however, Andrew “first” went to find “his own brother Simon” [or Peter]. Andrew’s response to finding Christ was to invite his family to come and meet Him as well.

When Andrew found his brother, he told him, “We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.” Andrew fully believed and was convinced that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah.

“Messias,” or “Messiah,” is Hebrew, and means the same as the Greek word “Christ,” which is anointed, or the anointed One. The words Messiah and Christ are synonymous.

The title “Messiah” came to be used for the future Davidic King of Israel. The idea behind “the anointed One” came from the practice in Israel’s history of anointing with oil, which was symbolic of the Holy Spirit (Isa. 61:1).

In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil and set apart for their special service. And Jesus Christ is all three: Prophet, Priest, and King. So, “Who is Jesus?” He is the long-promised Messiah of Israel, her Prophet, Priest, and King.

Andrew brought Peter to Christ, and when the Lord beheld Peter, He told him, “Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”

When Christ looked at Simon, fully knowing him as God, knowing the man’s character and destiny, indicating the purpose He had for him and the kind of man Simon would be transformed into, which was a rock-solid man of strength and stability, the Lord gave him a surname, or a nickname: Cephas.

Cephas is Aramaic and means a stone, a rock. And the Greek translation of “Cephas” (Mk. 3:16) is “Petros” or Peter.

John 1:43-51: “The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

“Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

The day after Andrew and John met Christ, and Peter was also introduced to Him, the Lord desired to “go forth into Galilee” in northern Israel.

Christ had been in the southern district of Judea when He was baptized by John, and now He decided to return to Galilee.

As He went, He found Philip, and finding Him, the Lord told him plainly and challenged him to “Follow Me,” as one of His disciples. And Philip did (Matt. 10:3).

Verse 44 tells us that “Philip was of Bethsaida,” which was a fishing town located in Galilee on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee. Bethsaida was also the hometown of Andrew and Peter according to verse 44.

Like Andrew (v. 41), Philip then went to find and tell someone about Christ. And he found “Nathanael” (v. 45). We learn later in John that Nathanael was from “Cana in Galilee.”

Philip told Nathanael that “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

He told Nathanael that they had found the promised Messiah, who was foretold would come in the law and the prophets, the One who was the fulfillment of prophecy.

This shows us that their beliefs were based on and anchored in the Scriptures, as ours are to be as well.

Philip identified Christ with His earthly father. Jesus was the “son of Joseph” in a legal sense only. The general public in Jesus’s day knew Him by His parents, as you see later in John 6:42 when the Jews said: “And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?”

But as Luke 3:23 states in light of His virgin birth, “And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (AS WAS SUPPOSED) the son of Joseph…”

Nathanael’s response was “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael wondered if anything good could come out of such an insignificant place as Nazareth, especially the most significant person of all to an Israelite, the Messiah.

Nazareth was not a consequential place in Scripture either. And thus, Nathanael’s question and mindset might have arisen from this as well. Such as later in John, when some debated the Messiah coming from Galilee:

“Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the Scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?… Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”

Philip’s response was not to argue with Nathanael, but to simply invite him to “Come and see.” Philip knew that if Nathanael met Christ personally, his apprehension would be taken away, and his questions would be answered.

Presumption, bias, and a predetermined mindset about who Jesus is are a problem when it comes to understanding who He truly is. Many “think” they know who Jesus is without ever having truly looked into it for themselves. Like Nathanael, people need to come directly to Him in order to see who He truly is.

So Nathanael went, and as he approached Christ, verse 47 says, “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

Without any previous contact with Nathanael, out of His supernatural, divine knowledge as God (2:25), Christ complimented him that there was no guile, or nothing deceptive or hypocritical about Nathanael.

This took Nathanael back, and so he asked the Lord, “Whence knowest thou me? or “How do you know me?”

Christ saw into Nathanael’s heart without ever having met him, and then He saw his exact earlier physical location without being present, telling him, “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”

What Christ said was exactly right and His omniscience overwhelmed Nathanael and removed any doubt as to His identity. Thus, “Nathanael answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the king of Israel.”

He ascribed titles to Christ that far transcended Him being a Rabbi or teacher only. He believed in His person as the Son of God and in His office as the King of Israel.

“Who is Jesus?” Nathanael tells us plainly: He is the Son of God and the King of Israel; He is God, and He is royal. And the fact that Christ is God’s Son and Israel’s King is the testimony from a man with no guile or deceit!

This is what Israel was called to believe under the terms of the gospel of the kingdom and is what gave them eternal life. As John wrote of His Gospel record, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.”

The Lord had supernaturally described Nathanael’s character and had seen him under the fig tree when He was not present. But now Christ promised that he would see greater proofs than these that He is the Son of God and Israel’s Messiah-King.

And He told him, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

We have no record of the disciples seeing these words literally fulfilled during Christ’s earthly ministry. In Israel’s past, however, Jacob dreamed and saw “a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it” (Gen. 28:12).

In the Lord’s words in John 1:51, “the Son of man” replaces the ladder. Because Christ is the Son of God (Jn. 1:49) and the Son of man (1:51), He is the Ladder, the living link between heaven and earth.

He gives man access to God, and “no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (14:6). And He was God’s communication with mankind as “the Word” (1:1), the One Who declared the Father in heaven (1:18) and spoke His words to Israel on earth.

Also, during the future kingdom of heaven on earth and in the eternal state in the new earth, the Lord will have a throne on earth, and angels will ascend and descend upon Him as they do His bidding.

And since Nathanael believed in Christ as the Son of God and the King of Israel (1:49), the Lord told him that he would literally see this take place someday.

From just this section of John alone, as we answer the question, “Who is Jesus?” we learn that He is the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of Israel, and the Son of man.