Catoctin clarion., 1908-01-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR JANUARY IL.

Subject: Jesus and John the Baptist,
John 1:19-34 - Golden Text,
John 1:20-Commit Verses 20,
documentary.
TIME. FEBRUARY. A.D27. PLACE.
Bethany beyond the Jordan.
EXPOSITION.-I. Johns Answer
to the Committee from Jerusalem, 10.
28. The ministry of John the Bap-
tist has aroused great excitement.
People were in expectation. All men
were reasoning concerning John,
whether happily he were the Christ
(Luke 3:15). This gave rise to a
committee being sent from Jerusalem
to investigate. There were two per-
sons for whom the people were look
ing as preparatory to the coming Of
Christ, Elijah, as prophesied by NAL
achi (Mal. 4:5) and the prophet
like unto Moses" (Deut. 18:16-18l.
John frankly confesses that he was
not Christ, nor Elijah, nor. the
Prophet predicted by Moses. There
have been those in recent years who
claimed to be Elijah and the Prophet
predicted by Moses, and Messenger
of the covenant" and David" and the
Branch" one of the two witnesses Of
Revelation. etc. There was a sense in.
which John was Elijah Matt. 11:14;
17:10-13), /. e., he came in the spirit
and power of Elijah (Luke 1:1O, but
Elijah in the sense in which the ques-
tion was asked, real re-incarna.ion
of the prophet Elijah, he was not.
How unlike the real John was to
those who in our day claim to be his
successor! There is the utmost hui
mility in the way in which John
states his real position. He speaks Of
himself as only "a voice crying In tho
wilderness" applying to himself the
prophecy of Isaiah lisa. 40:3-5).
which so clearly set forth John the
Baptist's mission. A voice Is some
thing to be heard, not seen. AS John
had denied that he was the Christ, or
Elijah, or "that prophet" the priests
and Levites made bold to question his
authority for baptizing. In similar
way, they made bold to question
Jesus authority at later day Matt.
21:23), and later still the authority
of the apostles to preach (Acts 5:28).
In his answer John again displays his
humility. His baptism in water was
nothing to the baptism of the Coming
One (cf. Matt. 3:11; Acts 1:5). The
Christ was already in their midst, but
they were so blind that they did not
recognize Him (cf. VS.. 10, IL; chap.
S-19; 16:3). Happy is the man who
really knows The Christ (Jno. 17:3),
but the world, even to-day, knows
Him not II John 3:D.
INI, IN cfs Tnctfvppnnv
Concerning Jesus, 29-34. Notice the
precision with which John the Evan
gelst marks the exact time that these
things occurred. He himself was an
eyewitness. John first testifies that
Jesus was the Lamb of God" Tho
reference is beyond question to tn,
sacrificial lambs, the atoning sacri.
fees of the Old Testament (cf. Gen.
22:7, 8; Elk. 1878; Mum. 28:3-10;
Isa. $50. AS the Lamb of God,
Jesus would take away the sin of the
world. The thought here Is not de-
liverance from sins power, but atone
ment and deliverance from sins guilt.
Jesus is the Deliverer from sins
power and presence as we'll as sins
guilt Matt. 1921; Heb. 7:25; jude
24), but this is not the thought here.
Where taking away of sin Is spoken
of in connection with atoning blood, it
always refers to the removal of the
guilt of sin (cf Lev. 16:30; 17:11;
1919, 81; Jer. 33:S; Ps. 51:7; Rev.
1:5; 7:14; Heb. 9:22, 23; Eph. II;
Rom. 1925; $50; Matt. 26:28). AS
the Lamb Of God in atoning sacrifice.
Jesus made Precipitation for sin Il
John 2:2; Matt. 20:2S; 2 Cor. 5:21;
Gal. 3:13), and on the ground of this
Precipitation sin Is taken away, re-
moved from the sinner as far as the
east is from The west FPS. 103:12;
CT. Lev 1921, 22). God dealt in
mercy with men before Christ's time
because Jesus was THE Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world"
(Rev. 13:S). The death Of Christ
was, in Gods sight. an eternal fact.
But while the death of Christ avails
in this way for all men, believer and
nnbeliever, it fully avails only for
those who accept it. Jesus us the
Saviour of all men, especially of those
that believe" Il Tim. 4:10): There
need be no difficulty with Johns
statement, 81 knew Him not" John
lived in Judea, Jesus in Galilee; and
though Jesus had gone uD to- the pass
over, it is quite likely that in the
great crowds He did not meet John,
but probably what John means is that
he did not know Him as the coming
Messiah. AS soon IS he saw, John
gave his testimony. The descent of
the Spirit was not nero subjective
experience seen only by Jesus (cf.
Matt. 3:16; Luke 3:22), but an OBJ
jective fact, witnessed by John as
we'll as Jesus John is not the real
baptizer but Jesus, the baptizer with
the Holy Ghost and fire (cf. Matt.
3:11; John 3:34, r. w.; Acts 10:44-
At; 1926. The baptism with the
Spirit is the great baptism, the one
baptism that unites all believers into
the one body (Eph. 4:4, s.; CT. Cor.
1919 and Jesus, and Jesus only, Is
He that baptized with the Holy
Ghost. AS the baptizer with the Holy
Ghost, John also recognized Jesus as
the Son of God. He is the Son Of
God, because begotten of God (Luke
1850, and possessed of the attributes
of the Father (Heb. 1:3; Phil. 2:6,
r. W, SO fully that He could say,
"He that hath seen Me hath seen the
Father" (John 14:9O; the One in
whom all the fulness of the Godhead
dwelt bodily (Col. 2:9); to be hon
ored even as the Father is honored
(John 5:23).