Thessalonian Faith

John the Baptist – Interrogated (John 1:19-28)

(43-04a)

For this week’s study:

  1. Any time you read or study the Bible, always start with prayer, asking God to guide you, so you understand God’s message and learn His methods for living.
  2. Read John 1:19–28 several times using your Bible, and the two translations provided below, to understand the boundaries, content and flow of the study passage. (Reading the passage once a day from any of these translations is recommended.)
  3. Then, explore the “Study Guide” and “Study Resources” provided below.

Read the Passage

Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)

The Mission of John the Baptist

(c.p. Isaiah 40:1–5; Matthew 3:1–12;
Mark 1:1–8; Luke 3:1–20)

<19> And this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” <20> He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”

<21> “Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

<22> So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

<23> John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”1

<24> Then the Pharisees who had been sent <25> asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

<26> “I baptize with2 water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know. <27> He is the One who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

<28> All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*

John the Baptist and Jesus

<19>The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites (temple assistants) to investigate what was going on. This is the record of the evidence John gave them. They asked John, ‘Who do you claim to be?’ <20>John had nothing to hide. He acknowledged freely, ‘I am not the promised Messiah.’

<21>‘Who are you, then? Are you Elijah come back from the dead?’ they asked him.

He replied, ‘I am not.’

‘So are you the Prophet that Moses referred to?’

‘No,’ he insisted.

<22>They kept on asking him, ‘Who are you, then? Tell us so that we can report back to the leaders who sent us. What have you got to say for yourself? Stop keeping your identity secret.’

<23>Finally, John replied to them, using some words of the prophet Isaiah:

‘I’m simply the voice of a messenger

crying out in the desert,

announcing the coming of the king,

“Clear the way for the Lord:

straighten out your lives,

to prepare for his coming!”3

<24>Now the Pharisees who had been sent to investigate John thoroughly <25>asked him, ‘If you’re not the Messiah, Elijah or the Prophet, why then do you baptize people? On whose authority do you do that?’

<26>John answered them, ‘I baptize with water, but One has already come among you. You haven’t recognized him. <27>He comes after me. I acknowledge I am nothing compared with him. I’m not even worthy to perform the least important duties of his humblest servant.’

<28>All these things took place in Bethany, east of the River Jordan, where John was baptizing people at that time.

*Words in italics are not translated from the original Greek text.  They have been added to explain and at times apply the text, much as a preacher does on a Sunday or notes do at the foot of the page in a study Bible. These additions are integrated with the text itself, and are in italics, so readers can see what has been explained, changed or added.

Study the Passage

Study Guide

This study passage has two propositions4 based on two interrogation teams sent from the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. Each team was assigned to ask John the Baptist a specific question.

► The first team, consisting of some Priests and Levites, were to ask John the Baptist, “Who are you?”

  • Re-read the first proposition (John 1:19-23).
  • Based on this passage, how would you describe who John the Baptist was?

► The second team, consisting of some Pharisees, were to ask John the Baptist, “Why do you baptize?”

  • Re-read the second proposition (John 1:24-28)
  • Based on this passage, how would you describe why John the Baptist was baptizing people.

► What questions do you have about this study passage? (Write them down and bring them to the study so we can answer and discuss them. God want us to know, feel, think, say, and/or do?

Study Resources

To learn more about this study passage, go to
https://www.bibleref.com/John/1/John-1-19.html. Read the commentary of each verse in the study passage.  (Also read the Context Summary and the Chapter Summary.)

If you have any questions about this passage, type the verse reference or your question in the search box at the top of
https://www.gotquestions.org/ and explore the results.

If you have a study Bible, read the footnotes and study notes and see how they help you understand this passage.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:23 Isaiah 40:3 (see also LXX) ↩︎
  2. 1:26 Or in; also in verse 31 and twice in 33 ↩︎
  3. Isaiah 40:3. ↩︎
  4. Proposition: Something offered for consideration or acceptance; The point to be discussed or maintained. (Inc Merriam-Webster, in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).) ↩︎