John 1:19-51

John the Baptist was questioned by priests and Levites as to who he was and why he was baptizing. He testified that he was not the Christ. He was not Elijah. He was not the Prophet foretold in the book of Deuteronomy. He came to baptize in order to point to the ONE who was and is the Christ - "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The Jewish Feast of Atonement deal with Israel's sins, but had to be repeated year after year because the sacrifice offered at that feast had no permanent affects. It could cover Israel's sins for a year. It could not take sins away. Jesus, however, came to take sins away - PERMANENTLY!!! There were people who were waiting anxiously for the coming of the Messiah. These were some of the first to whom Jesus revealed himself as we will hear.