The Green Forest tribune., 1917-01-12
LESSON FOR JANUARY IA
JOHN THE BAPTIST AND JESUS

LESSON TEXT-John 1:19-34.
 GOLDEN .TEXT-Behold, the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world-John 1:29
 John began his public ministry in the summer of A. D. 26 and the baptism of Jesus probably took place in January, A. D. 27. The delegation from Jerusa- lem to interview John must have ap- peared along toward the latter part of February.
 l. John the Witness (vv. 15-1S). Johns ministry created great excite ment. The people were in expectancy. All classes were reasoning as to who this strange but marvelously forceful man might be. Some thought perhaps he was the Christ Uuke 3:15). To settle this question a committee was sent to Jerusalem to investigate. Malachi, the prophet has suggested the coming of Elijah (Mal. :5) before the Messiah should come, and another prophecy indicated that the prophet should be like unto Moses (Deut. IS: S:16-1S). John freely confesses to this delegation that he is not the Christ nor Elijah nor the prophet pre- dicted by Moses. How foolish and silly are those modern ones who pro- fess to be the messenger of the cov- enant or some other fanciful title, in- dicating the return of the witness which is to precede the coming of Christ. John exercises humility in the way he states his real position though he does apply to himself the prophecy of Isaiah Usa. 40 :3-5) which sets forth what his mission was to be. A voice can be heard but not seen. With our bodily eyes we never see 2 spirit. No man ever saw the soul of his nearest friend. We do see God, however, in his works, in his marvellous deliver | ances and his guidance of the world and his answers to prayer. We can also see him in the only begotten Son who has made him to be seen. Who ever sees Jesus as he was and is has seen God. Truly blessed are the "pure in heart for they shall see God"
 II. John the Baptizer (vv. 19-29). AS John had denied that he was the Christ or Elijah, the priests and Lev ties made bold to question his author ity at later time (Matt. 21-23), and still later the authority of the apos- ties and the priests (Acts 5 :29). John answers them with another display of his humility. His baptism in water was nothing to the baptism of the copoipo ono (Soo Mott Q .11. ctc 1 .SN
 Though Christ was in their midst, they were blind and did not recognize him. (See w. 10, II; oh. 8:19; 16:3). Johns baptism of repentance denotes ba0tism which penitent submitted to tt he might receive the pledge and assurance that his sins were for given. Baptism meant the cleansing of the people from past sins that they might be fitted for entrance into the kingdom. Baptism is not conversion. It is witnessing and a symbol of a spiritual truth that we are dead unto sin, and have risen to newness of life (ROm. :3-5). Like John, our voice must be not only that of humility but 1t must be really voice with a mes- sage from God, one that sounds an un- mistakable note, one that can be heard wherever We go, one that will make men happier, stronger, braver, more like God, to prepare the way for Christ in the hearts of men.
 III. The Witness of the Spirit (vv. 28-34). The writer is very explicit, stating the exact time that these things occurred, for he was an eye witness. John first testifies that Jesus was the Lamb of God, referring of course to the sacrificial lamb, the atoning sacri- fee of the Old Testament (Gen. 22 :7-9 1; Ex. 8; Isa. :7). As the Lamb of God, Jesus would take away the sins of the world thus the thought is pri- marily that of atonement, substitu- ton of another and the deliverance from the guilt of sin. The next day | after Johns witness to the delegation from Jerusalem, he saw Jesus coming unto him, and said to the assembled people, Behold the Lamb of God" This refers not so much to his charac- ter, that of innocence, meekness and patience, as to his office, his completed work of atonement by the sacrifcial death wherein he takes away the sins of the world. On the ground of the propitiatiOn for sin which Jesus wrought q John 2:2; Matt. 20 :2S; II Cor. 5 :21; Gal. 3:13) sin is removed from the sinner as far as the East is from the West. God dealt in mercy with men before Christ's time because of the lamb which was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Here John says that at first he did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, but he does bear record that he saw the spirit descending at his baptism, and it abode upon him. Luke adds that the heavens were opened, and the spirit descended in the form of dove. There Is no difficulty in Johns statement, "I knew him not" He lived in Judea i; Jesus lived in Galilee, and 1t is doubt | ful if they had ever met. What John probably means is that he did not ] know him as the coming Messiah, but he that commissioned John in the will | derness to be the forerunner of the Messiah had given John sign where by he should know him, the Son of God. John had waited patiently until this sign was given. He did not speak until he had the certificate of God. He knew that one was to be made mani- | fest; therefore he came baptizing with water, preparing the way (Matt. 3 :2-6). As soon as he did see, John gave his