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A worthless person, a wicked man,
goes about with crooked speech,
13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
points with his finger,
14 with perverted heart devises evil,
continually sowing discord;
15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;
in a moment he will be broken beyond healing (Prov. 6:12-15).
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John 1:29–41
In some sense, John the Baptist did not know who Jesus was. This was revealed to him at the baptism of Jesus, when the Holy Spirit descended as a dove upon Jesus. This prompted John the Baptist’s testi- mony that Jesus was the long-foretold “lamb,” which God would send to take away the world’s sin. This was the lamb that God promised Abraham he would provide (Gen. 22:8), which was symbolized at Passover ( John 19:36), and was prophesied of Jesus (Is 53:7). Jesus was the lamb that God said he would provide.
This testimony culminated at the baptism of Jesus, when John beheld the descent of the Spirit, which confirmed a prophecy that he had been given as a key part of his own ministry. This was indeed the Son of God. John doesn’t describe the actual baptism of Jesus, but he does provide us with the place where this happened.
Two of John’s disciples, Andrew and probably John, leave John the Baptist to follow Jesus. It is said of Andrew that every time he shows up he is bringing someone to Jesus. Here, Andrew recruits his brother, Simon, whom Jesus renames Cephas (or Peter). Next, Jesus calls Phillip and Nathanael, and demonstrates his power to Nathanael by revealing to Nathanael his vision of him from afar.
Throughout this section there is a constant testimony that Jesus is being recognized as the “Son of God” – 1:34 and 49. This is a declaration the Jesus Christ was the eternal Son of God (1:18). But now Jesus introduces himself as something new. He says that he is the “Son of Man” – 1:51. With this he points back to the prophecy of Dan. 7:13-14. This refers to the pre-ordained earthly ministry that the Son of God came to perform. We should note that this launches the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. And from here, Jesus adds the reference to Jacob’s ladder (Gen. 28:12), the upcoming union of heaven and earth.
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John 1:1-28
Personal, first-hand account, and yet at some distance from the events because he writes to correct false accounts that have been passed on. Called as a fisherman.
When John opens his Gospel, he introduces us to the Son as the Creator. These first few verses are packed full of references to Genesis 1 and are meant to reveal to us something critical about who Jesus is – he is our Creator. And we should understand that the act of creation is a revelation of divine authority. The act of creation uniquely belongs to God. And the fact that the Father created by means of the Son is a testimony to the full divinity of the Son.
John the Baptist, who was introduced to us at the end of Malachi, was sent as a witness to Jesus. He was sent before, so that he could stand and point at Jesus and declare just who he was. But here, John the Evangelist introduces us to a dilemma, namely that we can have someone sit and point clearly at an obvious and brilliantly lit up truth, and we can still not see it.
We cannot overcome our own spiritual blindness. We require the grace of a loving God who stoops and reveals himself to us. This is what the incarnation was, God revealing himself to a blind people by sending his Son in the flesh. And we behold his glory because he gives us eyes to see it.
So how do you open your eyes to this? It is worth noting that the one who came to prepare the way for the Son came with a baptism of repentance. You get ready for Jesus through repentance.
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Pastor Douglas Wilson and Dr Ben Merkle join us to discuss Ephesians.
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Throughout the book of Malachi, the prophet has uncovered the pretense of religiosity amongst the Jews that covered their hard hearts. The Jews did not realize that their disbelief was speaking louder than their surface obedience.
This confrontation of the sin of the Jews was effective. Many of these people truly feared the Lord, despite their sinful behavior, and repented. And the Lord listened carefully to this and recorded it in his book of remembrance. They returned their focus to the Lord (meditating on his name), worshipping him. And he took them as his treasure and put his blessing on them.
The Day of the Lord is foretold throughout Scripture. There have been many mini-days of the Lord throughout world history. But the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was the culmination of all of them. Here Malachi describes both the judgment and the vindication that this day will bring.
The book of Malachi is the New Testament in miniature. God sends his prophet to confront the sin of the people and to preach the forgiveness of sins. Some hear the prophet and repent. Others harden their hearts as the day of judgment comes.
But then again, this is actually our lives in miniature. We live in the church and it is very easy for our hearts to grow hard, all while we walk through the motions of worship. Malachi preaches a warning for hypocrites. But Malachi also preaches a Gospel for hypocrites.
And one of the great blessings of this kind of repentance is the way it restores fathers to sons and sons to fathers. Gods blessings are best on display in successive generations.
Christ Church