(6) There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  (7) The same came for a witness, to bear witness of that Light that all men through him might believe.”

John 1:6-7

Explain:

Verse 6 introduces us to a man “sent from God” named John.  This is not the namesake of the Gospel, but John the baptist.  He came as a forerunner of the messiah who proclaimed who Jesus was and why He was coming.  This was predicted in the Old Testament.

Isaiah 40:3-5

[3] The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. [4] Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: [5] And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Isaiah has been called “the Bible within the Bible.”  As the Gospels begin with the proclamation of the witness of the forerunner, the 40th chapter of Isaiah foretells of this prophet coming proclaiming the Messiah’s coming, and preparing people for His ministry.

This is also predicted in Malachi.

Malachi 3:1

[1] Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

What John the Apostle says here about John the Baptist is literally what John the Baptist said about himself.

Luke 3:15-18

[15] And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; [16] John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: [17] Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. [18] And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

John the Baptist was not the Light, but he prepared people about Jesus Christ.

What was his aim?

“that all men through him might believe.

Who is “him”? Some say that “him” here is John the Baptist.  Some say that “him” here refers to the Light.  It works either way.  All people who believe eventually believe because of the evidence of who the Light is and was. John’s whole ministry was to get everyone to believe.

Apply:

The ministry of John the Baptist should be imitated by every person who is a Christ follower. We bare witness of the person and work of Jesus Christ. We point people to faith and repentance. We testify that we are not God, we are not the Savior, we are not the answer for people’s sins.  Jesus Christ is.

Respond:

God, I pray that today you’d help me to be a good witness for You.  I love you!  Amen.