THE KING’S' BUSINESS 173 Studies in the Gospel According to John* , By R. A. TORREY [These Studies are for careful study, not rapid and heedless reading] II. The Public Ministry of Jesus Leading Those Who Were of the Truth to Believe in Him as the Christ, the Son of God, Con tinued, 1:19—12:50. 1. The Testimony of John the Baptist, Cont’d, (1:19-34.)
witness and not worthy to unloose the latchet of His shoes. He knew that because God had told him so. Who the coming One was he made no effort to discover until God should give him the sign which He Himself had appointed. There is a lesson here for us all when we are tempted to in dulge in speculation rather than to wait for and to go by the unmistak able word of God Himself. John the Baptist knew that his mission was to lead up to the manifestation of an other, and that was all he asked to know until the time came. Skeptics and- critics have found, or thought they found, a difficulty in John’s statement that he knew Him not, but instead of being a difficulty it is a proof of the genuineness of the rec ord, and contains a profound lesson for us. It was the popular belief of the time that the Messiah would be unknown until He was, anointed by Elijah. The word “Israel” is used in this verse, as always, with the thought of the spiritual privileges at taching to the descendants of Israel (cf. v. 49; 3:10; 12:13 ; Gen. 32:28). Since John knew that there was com ing One who should be made mani fest to Israel, therefore in fulfillment of his own preparatory work he came “baptizing in water.” The “in water” by the position of the words in Greek is made emphatic, and John the Bap tist thus emphasizes the contrast be-
V. 31. “ And I knew Him not; but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore (rather, for this cause ) am I come (rather, came I) baptizing with (rather, in) water.” Both the “I’s” in this passage are emphatic, especially the first. John the Baptist does not say here that he had no acquaintance whatever with the Lord Jesus, though this is possi bly true, for though John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus were cousings, it appears from the narrative in Luke that John was in the desert until the day of his showing unto Israel (Luke 1:80). He may not have met Jesus until He came to his baptism. The words here used, however, taken in their context do not even say that John the Baptist did not suspect that Jesus was the coming One but that he did not know Him as such, and he re fused to follow his own surmises and inferences and waited before he decid ed that Jesus was the One, who though coming after him, should become be fore him (who was in fact the eter nally pre-existent One and the Mes siah) for the sign which God had given him. All John was sure of was that there was some, one who was to be manifest to Israel who was in finitely above himself, eternally pre existent, and of whom he was only a •Copyright. 1913, by R. A. Torrey
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker