THE KING’S BUSINESS
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be no difficulty with John’s statement, “ I knew Him n o t f o r though John was Jesus’ cousin, John lived in Judea, Jesus in Galilee, and though Jesus had gone up to the Passover it is quite likely in the great crowds He had not met John: but. probably what John means in saying “ I knew Him not” is that he knew Him not as the coming Messiah. He knew that the Messiah was to be' manifested to Israel, and though probably he had v an inkling from what he had heard from his mother that his cousin Jesus would be the Messiah, he was unwilling to recognize Him as such until God definitely revealed Him to him as such. Thursday, April 6 . , John 1 : 32 - 34 . Though John did npt know for a cer tainty that Jesus was the coming Messiah .up to this time, yet He who commissioned John in the wilderness to be. the fore-run ner o f. the Coming One had given John a sign whereby he should know “the Son o f God,” “the Baptizer with the Holy Gho^t.” John patiently waited until the sign was given, he did not speak until he had God’s own certification. He knew that One was to be made manifest, therefore he came baptizing with water (v. 31), prepar ing the way (cf. Matt. 3:2-6). As soon as he saw the Divinely given sign John gave his testimony, and not until then. The descent o f the Spirit was not a mere sub jective experience seen only by Jesus (cf. -Matt. 3:16; Luke 3:22), but an objective fact, witnessed by John as well as by Jesus. John the baptizer is not the real baptizer: the real “baptizer” is Jesus the baptizer with the Holy Ghost and fire (cf. Matt. 3:11; John 3:34, R. V .; Acts 10:44-47; 19:2-6). The baptism with the Spirit is the great baptism, the one baptism that unites all believers into one body (Eph. 4:4, 5; cf. 1 Cor. 12:13) and Jesus, and Jesus only, is He that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. As the baptizer with the Holy Ghost John also recognizes Jesus as “the Son o f God.” He is the Son o f God because begotten o f God (Luke 1:35), and
possessed o f all the attributes o f the Father (Heb. 1:3; Phil. 2:6, R ..V .), so fully possessed o f all the attributes o f the Father that He could' say, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9), the One in whom all the fullness o f the Godhead dwelt bodily (Col. 2 :9 ), to be honored even as the Father is honored (John 5:23). Friday, April 7 . John 1:35-37- Here we see a great preacher with a congregation o f but two men,, but though the audience was small it was one o f the most important sermons that John the Bap tist ever preached. It laid the foundation o f that group o f men, the Apostles, to whom we owe all our knowledge o f the gospel. Little did John realize how much was involved in the message he gave that day, but faithful man that he was he gave it and it is bearing fruit still. It was looking intently (this is the force o f the Greek word translated “looking” in v. 'Sô) upon Jesus as he walked, that made John burst forth into the exultant and meaning ful cry found in verse 36 (see R. V .). If we fix our eyes upon Him, we too will I cry the same, unless, alas, our eyes are sightless. “ O Andrew, O John, look,” he cries, “there goes the Lamb o f God, the lamb o f God’s own providing” (Gen. 22:8), the lamb that takes away all men’s guilt, the lamb typified in the Passover (Heb. 9:26; 1 Cor. 5:7 ). The result o f John’s testimony was startling but gladdening,) John and Andrew at once turn their backs upon John the Baptist and follow Jesus. John, the gréât man that he was, was pleased to be thus deserted (John 3 :26- 30). W e have in these verses three "steps o f Christian experience; they heard, they lopked, they followed. ' Other steps are shortly to follow. W e too must first look at Jesus as the Lamb if we .would follow Him as our example. It is by the look, not by the following, that we are saved (Isa. 45:22; John 3:14, 15; cf. Num. 21:9). We must first believe in what Jesus has done (John 19:30; Rom. 3:25) before we ask
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