October 20, 1985
At the crossroads of everyone’s life stands Jesus Christ. But who is He? Why did He come to this world? These questions are relevant not only to the people of the first century but also to us today. As Alistair Begg explains, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world—and just as John the Baptist testified to this truth, each of us must respond to Him.
19And this is the otestimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, p“Who are you?” 20qHe confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21And they asked him, “What then? rAre you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you sthe Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23He said, “I am tthe voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight8 the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25They asked him, u“Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26John answered them, v“I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27even whe who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, xthe Lamb of God, who ytakes away the sin zof the world! 30This is he of whom I said, a‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31I myself did not know him, but bfor this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32And John cbore witness: d“I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and eit remained on him. 33I myself did not know him, but fhe who sent me to baptize gwith water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, hthis is he who baptizes gwith the Holy Spirit.’ 34And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son9 of God.”
Copyright © 2024, Alistair Begg. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.