[34] And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. (John 1:34)
Explanation
Here is the final summary phrase of what John declared. Jesus Christ is not a mere human. He is “the Son of God.” This is not the only time that Jesus will be called this in the Gospel of John.
- The phrase “Son of God” is used 10 times.
- The word “Son” referring to Christ is used 38 times.
- The phrase “only begotten Son” is used 3 times.
It is clear that Jesus is declared as the Son of God. This is significant for many reasons, no least of which is the fact that this makes him co-equal with the Father. This is made clear in John 5 by the witness of Jesus’ enemies.
[17] But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. [18] Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:17-18)
Some try to hold up Jesus as merely a good example. In there mind He was a moral man made legendary by ages of time and oral tradition. Some try to say Jesus was a good teacher who taught a lot of good things, but whose claim to deity was not made by Him, only by those who followed him much later.
The case being made that Jesus was the Messiah, and the Son of God was the inaugural event of His ministry. Before He called disciples, preached a sermon, or did a miracle, He was declared to be the Son by the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the prophesied forerunner John the Baptist.
Application
Over the coming weeks and months we will see the case laid out more and more convincingly in the Gospel of John. When good witnesses give good evidence of something that is of critical importance, the most basic and right response is to believe. Have you placed your trust in Christ?
Response
- What case can you make to the veracity of Jesus Christ’s identity as the Son of God?
- Who do you need to make that case to, today?