The Voice in the Wilderness: John the Baptist Points to Jesus (John 1:19–34)
Have you ever had to introduce someone important? That’s exactly what John the Baptist did in this part of the Bible. His job was to prepare people’s hearts for the arrival of Jesus, and in John 1:19–34, we see him do just that. Let’s take a closer look at how John points others to Jesus and what we can learn from it.
Who Is John the Baptist?
In this passage, a group of religious leaders—priests and Levites—come to question John. They’ve heard about the crowds coming to him and want to know who he is. They ask directly: “Are you the Messiah?”
John answers, “No.”
Then they ask, “Are you Elijah?”
Again, John says, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
“No.”
John doesn’t try to make himself look important. Instead, he keeps pointing to someone greater.
A Voice Preparing the Way
So who is John? He quotes a verse from the prophet Isaiah to explain:
“I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
He’s not the main character in the story—he’s the messenger, getting everyone ready for Jesus. In fact, John says he isn’t even worthy to untie the sandals of the one who is coming after him. That’s how humble he is.
“Look, the Lamb of God”
The next day, John sees Jesus coming toward him. He points to Him and says something very important:
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
This is the first time we hear Jesus called “the Lamb of God.” In Bible times, lambs were used as sacrifices to cover people’s sins. John is saying that Jesus will take away sin—not just for one person, but for the whole world.
John also says, “This is the one I was talking about!” Even though Jesus was born after John, He existed before him. That shows Jesus is more than just a man—He’s someone eternal.
A Sign from God
John didn’t just guess that Jesus was the Savior. God gave him a clear sign. John says that when he baptized Jesus, he saw the Holy Spirit come down like a dove and remain on Him. God had told him ahead of time that when he saw this happen, he would know that person was the one chosen by God.
Because of that sign, John boldly says,
“I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
What Does This Mean for Us?
There are a few things we can take away from this part of John’s Gospel:
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John knew his role. He didn’t try to be the star. He knew he was there to prepare the way for Jesus. We’re reminded to stay humble and point others to Jesus, too.
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Jesus is the Lamb of God. From the start, we see that Jesus came to take away sin. This isn’t just a nice story—it’s life-changing news.
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God confirmed who Jesus is. John saw the Holy Spirit come down, just like God said would happen. That gave him the confidence to share what he knew to be true.
John 1:19–34 shows us the beginning of something powerful. John the Baptist, standing in the wilderness, faithfully points people to Jesus. And his words still matter today—because Jesus is still the Lamb of God, ready to take away our sin and bring us new life.
John 1:19-34 (WEB)
1:19 This is John’s testimony, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”20 He declared, and didn’t deny, but he declared, “I am not the Christ.”21 They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”He said, “I am not.”“Are you the prophet?”He answered, “No.”22 They said therefore to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”24 The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”26 John answered them, “I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don’t know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.” 28 These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.29 The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’ 31 I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water, that he would be revealed to Israel.” 32 John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. 33 I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending and remaining on him is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”