Christian Koinonia, Dr. Samuel Lee
ONE YOU DO NOT KNOW
Passage: John 1:19~28  
Key verse: 26
John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah
19 Now this was John’s(A) testimony when the Jewish leaders[a](B) in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”(C)
21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”(D)
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”(E)
He answered, “No.”
22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness,(F) ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[b](G)
24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26 “I baptize with[c] water,”(H) John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me,(I) the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”(J)
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan,(K) where John was baptizing.
Footnotes
- John 1:19 The Greek term traditionally translated the Jews (hoi Ioudaioi) refers here and elsewhere in John’s Gospel to those Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus; also in 5:10, 15, 16; 7:1, 11, 13; 9:22; 18:14, 28, 36; 19:7, 12, 31, 38; 20:19.
- John 1:23 Isaiah 40:3
- John 1:26 Or in; also in verses 31 and 33 (twice)
Cross references
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. Who are you? (19-23)
John's popularity was growing. Many people came to hear him and repent of their sins and be baptized. But the priests and Levites who came were not seeking to make personal commitments to truth. They came as an investigating committee just to get information to take back to the Jewish establishment. John's answers to them became increasingly short. He had not come to talk about himself. He gave them one verse of scripture (Isa 40:3). He was a man with a mission from God. His mission was his life.
2. Among you stands one you do not know (24-28)
They asked him why he was baptizing. (He answered the next day.) He talked about the one whom they did not know, the one who was his Lord and King--Jesus. He is the one whom they must seek to know. He is the one whom all men must seek to know, for he alone is worthy of our worship.
Prayer: Lord, help me to find my mission from you in your word. Please use me in some small way to make Jesus known to a world that does not know him.
One Word: Know Jesus and make him known