John
testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’”
John 1:15
John 1 [1.] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light. The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
John 1 [10.] He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’” From his fullness we all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
John 1 [19.] This is John’s testimony, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
Meaning:
In the middle of his great prologue about the Word, the Gospel writer brings in the voice of John the Baptizer. Having just said, “The Word became flesh, and lived among us” (John 1:14), he calls the Baptizer as a witness to who this Word is. John's cry contains a puzzle that only makes sense if Jesus existed before his birth.
- “John testified about him. He cried out”
John had been introduced as a man sent “as a witness” (John 1:6-8). Now we hear his testimony. The word “cried out” suggests a loud, public proclamation, the voice of a prophet calling in the wilderness. In the Greek the verbs give this testimony lasting force, as if John's voice still rings out.
- “He who comes after me”
In time, Jesus came after John. John was born about six months earlier: the angel told Mary, “Elizabeth, your relative, also has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her” (Luke 1:36). John also began preaching before Jesus began his public ministry. In the other Gospels John says, “After me comes he who is mightier than I” (Mark 1:7).
- “has surpassed me, for he was before me”
Here is the paradox. The one who came after John in time ranks above him, because he existed before him. John is not merely saying that Jesus was more important. He is saying that Jesus was “before” him in a way that goes beyond human birth. This matches the opening words of the Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1), and Jesus' own claim, “before Abraham came into existence, I AM” (John 8:58).
John repeats this testimony the day after his meeting with the delegation from Jerusalem: “After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me” (John 1:30).
The Significance of John 1:15
- The eternal Son
John's words support the Christian belief that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who existed before he took on flesh. Paul expresses this when he speaks of Christ Jesus, “who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6).
- Ranking ourselves rightly
John was famous and had many disciples, yet he gladly placed Jesus above himself. His testimony is a model for anyone who serves God: to make much of Christ and little of ourselves.
Cross-References:
Mark 1:7: “After me comes he who is mightier than I,” John's similar testimony in Mark.
John 8:58: “before Abraham came into existence, I AM.” Jesus' claim to exist before Abraham.
Luke 1:36: “this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.” John was born shortly before Jesus.
Philippians 2:6: “who, existing in the form of God,” Christ's existence before the incarnation.
Conclusion: John 1:15 records John the Baptizer's public testimony that Jesus, though he came after him in time, ranks far above him because he existed before him. This points to the eternal nature of the Word who became flesh. John's humble witness calls us to honour Jesus above all.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible