John 1:15

“John bore witness about Him, and cried out, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because He was before me.’”

               John wrote this verse as an example of what he had been talking about. John has been showing us two men as a comparison. One is the man of God, and you can see this as John the Baptist, a man called by God to proclaim His coming on earth in the form of Jesus. The second man is the man who is God, and this God man is Jesus Christ who is God come in flesh to heal the world from what truly ails them—their sin. In this example of the first man, John is showing how one might proclaim the coming of the second man.

               When John the Baptist speaks, he does not just say what he wants to say softly but cries out. John the Baptist is seen here as one who does not mince words. He proclaims Jesus boldly. He is not worried about the arguments that could be brought against what he is saying, he is worried about proclaiming to as many people by being as loud as he can. This is an example that John is laying down for everyone. We do not need all the answers to the questions; we just need to proclaim Him.

               In the next part of the verse John the Baptist says “this was He whom I said” showing that he has been proclaiming this for a while in anticipation. He was not a man that just started and then was able to see Jesus. He had been at it a while—knowing who John is, probably since childhood.

               What was his proclamation, though, and how long had he been at it? John had been saying He is coming—that is, Jesus is coming. He describes Him in heavenly and human terms. He said Him who is coming after me, meaning this is someone who, in time, comes after John. Then, John clarifies He ranks before him because He was before him. John the Baptist was using some clever wordplay to represent that Jesus ranks before him, meaning in power, like if you were ranking the top ten of something. The defense for this is because He came before, meaning He is before, and as we know from the beginning of the chapter that is because He is God and created everything.

               We can see here another example for us of John the Baptist, a man that followed the calling of God on His life and did what God said. We can take this example into our own lives. It is not our job, usually, to build a perfect defense for why Jesus is God. It is our job to proclaim Him as God, God of the universe, God of creation, and God of all of us. John the writer of the gospel has laid out the basics already. Things that John the Baptist spent his life and death proclaiming, that Jesus is God and Jesus is our God. This simple fact is the part that divides those who are called Christians from those that aren’t. We get our boldness for this task when we read our Bibles and we pray, making sure to keep in constant contact with the Holy Spirit for our benefit. Our task is to go into the world and boldly shout Him into the World for our own edification and for the salvation of those in the world.

               For those that do not believe Jesus is God, this will be the hardest fact that you must accept because by accepting it you have let go of yourself. You have to let go of your own arrogance that you need more proof. There will never be enough proof for you to believe. If you are going to believe, no proof will ever be enough. The belief must come from the calling of God in your life. You can have more proof tomorrow who Jesus is, but it will still not be enough to satisfy curiosity because it comes from a place of rebellion in the first place. He calls to you now and even shouts into your life that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and worthy of your whole life submitted to Him.