Who Jesus is Not…?
Jesus is the eternal Word of God, who is with God and is God (John 1:1). Jesus is the Creator of all things (v.3). Jesus is the Life-giver and the Light of men (v.4-5). Who, at this point, could be confused about Jesus’ identity? Yet John continues to explain who Jesus is, this time by telling us who Jesus is not: He is not just a man. “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light” (John 1:6-8).
When John the Apostle introduces us to John [who is called “the Baptist” or “the Baptizer”], he makes it clear that John was not the Light of all men, because he was just a man. Let’s go back to verse 1 where John says, “In the beginning was the Word…” The verb was conveys the idea of had been, so that John is saying the Word already existed when there was a beginning. But in v.6 he uses a different verb to talk about John, even though some of our English versions translate both of them with the simple past tense was. The word he uses in v.6 of John means came to be, and it describes John being made or born. So right away we have a contrast between the Word and John: the Word is eternal, while John had a beginning.
But this is not the only distinction being made by the Gospel writer. Since John came to be, he cannot be the Creator of all things – the Creator made everything that began to be. John also was not the source of life or light, although he may have reflected them. He was just a man sent by God. Even John’s name means “graciously given by the Lord,” and it affirms the fact that he was a messenger sent by God for a special purpose.
What was his special purpose? V.7 says John came to be a witness. What does it mean to be a witness? It means to speak about what you know and have seen, but it actually means a bit more than that, because being a witness is more than just bearing witness. A witness is who you are; this includes, but is more than, what you do. For John to be a witness, he had to speak the truth about who Jesus was, but he also had to live in a way that showed his witness was true. That’s what John means when it says, “This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light.”John’s entire life revolved around the purpose for which he was made and sent.
John was made to prepare the way for Christ’s coming into the world.
A Man with a Purpose
The entire purpose of John’s life was defined by God before he was ever born, even before he was conceived. The angel who announced his conception and birth told his father, “He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:15b-17).
John was made to prepare the way for Christ’s coming into the world, to turn the hearts of the Jewish people back to God so they would receive the Light. That’s what his whole life was about! Not focusing on himself, but pointing people to the Light, who is Jesus Christ. The goal of his testimony was to lead men and women to believe on Jesus. John was a man who could see – who knew that Jesus was the true Light – and his whole life was spent trying to convince men to open their eyes and see the Light. This is why John came into the world, to answer the question “Who is Jesus, really?” and to lead men to believe on Jesus.
John didn’t try to impress other men, and he didn’t try to please them. He wasn’t worried about having a nice house, a nice car, or nice clothes. He was only interested in one thing, getting men to look at Jesus Christ the Light! D. A. Carson says, “All who have ever come to faith are indirectly dependent on [John’s] opening proclamation of the identity and saving purpose of Jesus Messiah.”1 John pointed away from himself and toward Jesus. He wanted all men to come to know the Messiah, and he was willing to give up his entire life in order to make him known. He didn’t live a long life or enjoy the American dream. He didn’t have a nice home, he lived in the desert; he didn’t have nice clothes, he wore a camel’s hair robe; he didn’t eat fine meals, he ate locusts and wild honey. But John’s life isn’t measured by any of those things. His life is measured by his purpose – to bear witness of the Light who is Jesus Christ.
Jesus, Not Just a Man
Earlier I said that we find in these verses another answer to the question, “Who is Jesus, really?” The answer is Jesus is not just a man. He is the eternal Word of God, who was with God in the beginning, and who was God. Jesus is the Creator who made all things that came to be. He is the source of life, the Light that shines in the darkness to give light to all men. Jesus is not just a man, but John was just a man like you and me. He had to come to Jesus the same as us, by repenting of his sin and believing in Jesus as Lord. That’s why John objected when Jesus came to him to be baptized. “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and You are coming to me?’” (Matthew 3:13-14) John knew he was a sinner in need of repentance, and Jesus did not need to repent of anything. It’s also why John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). He understood that while Jesus is indeed a man, he is not just a man; he is the true God who came down from heaven.
1D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 121
