Joh 1:7, 15 | Barnes | STEP | Verses 7, 8. For a witness . To give testimony. He came to prepare the minds of the people to receive him (Mt. 3; Lu. 3.); to lead them by repentance to God; and to point out the Messiah to Israel when he came, . Of the Light . That is, of the Messiah. Comp. . That all men , &c. It was the object of John's testimony that all men might believe. He designed to prepare them for it; to announce that the Messiah was about to come, to direct the minds of men to him, and thus to fit them to believe on him when he came. Thus he baptized them, saying "That they should believe on him who should come after him" ( ), and thus he produced a very general expectation that the Messiah was about to come. The testimony of John was peculiarly valuable on the following accounts: 1st. It was made when he had no personal acquaintance with Jesus of Nazareth, and of course there could have been no collusion or agreement to deceive them, . 2nd. It was sufficiently long before he came to excite general attention, and to fix the mind on it. 3rd. It was that of a man acknowledged by all to be a prophet of God--"for all men held John to be a prophet," . 4th. It was for the express purpose of declaring beforehand that he was about to appear. 5th. It was disinterested . He was himself extremely popular. Many were disposed to receive him as the Messiah. It was evidently in his power to form a large party, and to be regarded extensively as the Christ. This was the highest honour to which a Jew could aspire; and it shows the value of John's testimony, that he was willing to lay all his honours at the feet of Jesus, and to acknowledge that he was unworthy to perform for him the office of the humblest servant, . Through him . Through John, or by means of his testimony. Was not that Light . Was not the Messiah . This is an explicit declaration designed to satisfy the disciples of John. The evidence that he was not the Messiah he states in the following verses. From the conduct of John here we may learn, 1st. The duty of laying all our honours at the feet of Jesus. 2nd. As John came that all might believe, so it is no less true of the ministry of Jesus himself. He came for a similar purpose, and we may ALL, therefore, trust in him for salvation. 3rd. We should not rely too much on ministers of the gospel. They cannot save us any more than John could; and their office, as his was, is simply to direct men to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world .

John 1:7

Verses 7, 8. For a witness. To give testimony. He came to prepare the minds of the people to receive him (Mt. 3; Lu. 3.); to lead them by repentance to God; and to point out the Messiah to Israel when he came, Jn 1:31.

Of the Light. That is, of the Messiah. Comp. Isa 60:1.

That all men, &c. It was the object of John's testimony that all men might believe. He designed to prepare them for it; to announce that the Messiah was about to come, to direct the minds of men to him, and thus to fit them to believe on him when he came. Thus he baptized them, saying "That they should believe on him who should come after him" (Acts 19:4), and thus he produced a very general expectation that the Messiah was about to come. The testimony of John was peculiarly valuable on the following accounts:

1st. It was made when he had no personal acquaintance with Jesus of Nazareth, and of course there could have been no collusion or agreement to deceive them, Jn 1:31.

2nd. It was sufficiently long before he came to excite general attention, and to fix the mind on it.

3rd. It was that of a man acknowledged by all to be a prophet of God--"for all men held John to be a prophet," Mt 21:26.

4th. It was for the express purpose of declaring beforehand that he was about to appear.

5th. It was disinterested. He was himself extremely popular. Many were disposed to receive him as the Messiah. It was evidently in his power to form a large party, and to be regarded extensively as the Christ. This was the highest honour to which a Jew could aspire; and it shows the value of John's testimony, that he was willing to lay all his honours at the feet of Jesus, and to acknowledge that he was unworthy to perform for him the office of the humblest servant, Mt 3:11.

Through him. Through John, or by means of his testimony.

Was not that Light. Was not the Messiah. This is an explicit declaration designed to satisfy the disciples of John. The evidence that he was not the Messiah he states in the following verses.

From the conduct of John here we may learn,

1st. The duty of laying all our honours at the feet of Jesus.

2nd. As John came that all might believe, so it is no less true of the ministry of Jesus himself. He came for a similar purpose, and we may ALL, therefore, trust in him for salvation.

3rd. We should not rely too much on ministers of the gospel. They cannot save us any more than John could; and their office, as his was, is simply to direct men to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.

John 1:15

Verse 15. John bare witness of him. The evangelist now returns to the testimony of John the Baptist. He had stated that the Word became incarnate, and he now appeals to the testimony of John to show that, thus incarnate, he was the Messiah.

He that cometh after me. He of whom I am the forerunner, or whose way I am come to prepare. Mt 3:3.

Is preferred before me. Is superior to me. Most critics have supposed that the words translated "is preferred" relate to time, and not to dignity; meaning that though he came after him publicly, being six months younger than John, as well as entering on his work after John, yet that he had existed long before him. Most, however, have understood it more correctly, as our translators seem to have done, as meaning, He was worthy of more honour than I am.

He was before me. This can refer to nothing but his preexistence, and can be explained only on the supposition that he existed before John, or, as the evangelist had before shown, from the beginning. He came after John in his public ministry and in his human nature, but in his divine nature he had existed long before John had a being--from eternity. We may learn here that it is one mark of the true spirit of a minister of Christ to desire and feel that Christ is always to be preferred to ourselves. We should keep ourselves out of view. The great object is to hold up the Saviour; and however much ministers may be honoured or blessed, yet they should lay all at the feet of Jesus, and direct all men to him as the undivided object of affection and honour. It is the business of every Christian, as well as of every Christian minister, to be a witness for Christ, and to endeavour to convince the world that he is worthy of confidence and love.

(v) "John bare witness of him" Mt 3:13