Commentary - John 1:6-8

Bird's-eye view

After the majestic, cosmic opening of his gospel, where the Apostle John establishes the eternal deity of the Word, he makes a sudden, almost jarring, shift. He brings us down from the heavens to the dusty banks of the Jordan River. From the uncreated Word, we are introduced to a created man. This section, verses 6 through 8, serves as a crucial hinge. It introduces the first great witness to the identity of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist is presented not as a standalone figure, but as a man with a mission entirely defined by Another. His purpose is singular: to be a pointer, a signpost, a witness to the true Light. This passage establishes a fundamental principle of God's economy. God does not typically leave His great works unannounced. He sends heralds, witnesses, and messengers. John the Baptist is the ultimate fulfillment of this prophetic pattern, the final and greatest of the Old Testament prophets, whose entire ministry is to prepare the way for the Lord and then get out of the way. The text makes it emphatically clear that while John was a burning and shining lamp, he was not the source of the light. His job was to reflect it, to testify about it, so that men might believe, not in the witness, but in the One to whom he witnessed.

This introduction to John the Baptist is a masterclass in theological subordination. In a world that clamors for attention, John's greatness is found in his self-effacement. He is sent from God, he has a divine commission, but that commission is entirely about someone else. The purpose of his work is belief, but not belief in himself. It is belief that comes "through him," meaning through his testimony, but directed toward its object, the Light. This sets the stage for the rest of the gospel, which is structured around a series of witnesses and signs all pointing to the same conclusion: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

Outline

Context In John

These verses are embedded within the magnificent prologue of John's Gospel (1:1-18). The prologue functions as an overture, introducing all the major themes that will be developed throughout the book: the Word, life, light, darkness, witness, belief, rejection, and the incarnation. Immediately preceding this, John has declared that the Word is God, the agent of all creation, and the very life and light of men (1:1-5). The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot master it. It is at this point of cosmic conflict between light and darkness that a historical figure appears on the scene: John the Baptist. His introduction here is the first of several "witness" statements that the apostle will use to build his case for Jesus's divinity. This section, therefore, grounds the lofty theology of the opening verses in human history. The eternal Word is about to enter the world He made, and God, in His providence, has sent a man to prepare the way and to identify Him when He arrives. This passage sets up the later, more detailed accounts of John's testimony concerning Jesus (1:19-34; 3:22-36).

Key Issues

The Sent Man

It is crucial that we not miss the abruptness of the transition. The Apostle John has been soaring in the heavens, speaking of realities that existed "in the beginning," before time. He has been talking about the Logos, who was with God and was God. Then, suddenly, verse 6: "There was a man." The Greek is even more stark, egeneto anthropos, "a man came to be," or "a man appeared." This is the language of creation, of history, of time. The eternal Word was; the man John came to be.

But this man is not just any man who happened to wander onto the stage. He was "sent from God." His origin, in terms of his mission, was divine. God commissioned him. This is the pattern throughout Scripture. God does not leave His people to figure things out on their own. He sends prophets, judges, and apostles. John the Baptist stands as the final prophet of the old covenant, a man sent by God to bridge the gap between the promises of old and their fulfillment in Christ. His authority did not come from a seminary, or from the Sanhedrin, or from popular opinion. His authority came from the fact that he was a sent man, a divine emissary with a specific task to perform.

Verse by Verse Commentary

6 There was a man having been sent from God, whose name was John.

After the breathtaking theology of the first five verses, we are brought down to earth with a bump. A man. Not the Word, not God, but a man. His existence is noted in historical time. But he is not self-appointed. His mission is not his own idea. He has been "sent from God." This is the foundation of all true ministry. A true preacher is not one who decides to go, but one who is sent. John's name is given, connecting him to a real family, a real time, and a real place. This is not mythology; this is history. God is breaking into human history in a new way, and He sends a herald to announce the arrival of the King. The authority of the herald is derived entirely from the one who sent him. John's significance is not in who he is, but in who sent him and for what purpose.

7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, so that all might believe through him.

Here we have John's job description in triplicate. First, his role: he came "as a witness." A witness is not the main event; he is someone who has seen or heard something and is called to testify to its truthfulness. Second, his task: "to bear witness about the Light." His testimony had a specific subject. He was not there to give his opinions on politics or to offer self-help tips. He was there to point to the Light, who we already know from verse 4 is the Word, Jesus Christ. His entire ministry was Christocentric. Third, his goal: "so that all might believe through him." The purpose of the witness was to produce faith. But notice the careful phrasing. They were not to believe in him, but "through him." John was the conduit, the instrument, the signpost through which belief was to travel to its proper object: the Light Himself. This is the goal of all faithful preaching. The preacher is the arrow, not the target.

8 He was not the Light, but he came to bear witness about the Light.

The Apostle John, writing decades after the fact, knows that some people had been confused. John the Baptist was a powerful, compelling figure, and some of his disciples may have been tempted to elevate him too highly. So the apostle states the matter with blunt clarity, both positively and negatively. "He was not the Light." This is a crucial negative definition. In a world full of false lights, it is essential to identify what is not the source. John was a lamp, a bright and burning one as Jesus would later say, but a lamp is not the sun. A lamp can be blown out. A lamp needs to be lit. A lamp points to something beyond itself in the darkness. The verse then repeats his true purpose for emphasis: "but he came to bear witness about the Light." This is the sum of it all. His identity was wrapped up in his function, and his function was to testify. This is the heart of true humility. It is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. John understood his place in redemptive history perfectly. He was the best man, not the groom.

Application

This passage about John the Baptist is a profound lesson for the church today, and particularly for its ministers. The temptation is always to build our own little kingdom, to gather disciples to ourselves, to be clever and impressive. But our calling is the same as John's. We are sent men and women. We are witnesses. And we are not the Light.

First, we must be sure that we are sent. A ministry that originates in human ambition is a house built on sand. We must have a profound sense that God has commissioned us, that our message is not our own, but His. This brings both authority and humility. The authority is in the message, not the messenger. The humility comes from knowing we are simply mailmen delivering a letter from the King.

Second, our message must be about the Light. The central theme of all our preaching, teaching, and evangelism must be Jesus Christ. We are not called to bear witness to our experiences, our political savvy, or our cultural insights, except insofar as they can be used as a platform from which to point to Christ. The moment the spotlight begins to linger on the witness, the witness has failed.

Finally, we must remember the goal is belief. We speak, we write, we live "so that all might believe." But we must also remember that they are to believe "through" us, not in us. We are the window, not the view. John the Baptist's greatness was in his glad acceptance of this subordinate role. "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). This is the joyful calling of every Christian. We are to be mirrors, reflecting the glory of the true Light, so that a world lost in darkness might see Him and believe.