15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
John 1:15
Explanation
The John in view here is not the author of the book. This is the John referred to in vers 6.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
John 1:6
We already know that his purpose for being sent is to bare witness of Jesus.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
John 1:7
What was John’s quoted witness in verse 15?
When Jesus showed up in person, he literally pointed to him in real time. He had already told his followers about the coming of the Messiah. He said that thought He was a prophet, a greater prophet is coming, One that is greater than a prophet.
Here he says it by saying that Christ was “preferred before me”. In John’s estimation, Jesus Christ is greater than Himself. His whole ministry was to point to Jesus while preparing people for Jesus.
Why? At the end John points to one way we can know that Jesus is greater than John.
When John was conceived, He, like the rest of us began at conception. Before John’s conception, He did not exist. Yet, this is not true about Jesus. Jesus has always existed. He existed before John. He existed in eternity past, before time began.
He has no beginning or end. This is the God that we worship.
Application
John had a great mindset. Point to Jesus. Prefer and prioritize Jesus over self. Putting our own existence and self image in light of the person of Jesus Christ will always give us an accurate view of who we are and what we are to do. In that way, He is like a compass that directs. In that way He is the Light of the world. It is by Him that we can see ourselves and everything else accurately. Consider the songwriter that said:
Two wonders here that I confess
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed
My ransom paid
At the cross
Response
- Who do you need to witness to about Jesus Christ today?
- Are you thinking accurately of yourself, in light of the person of Jesus?
- How does the pre-existence and eternality of Jesus make you view Him?