How does John 1:21 connect with Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah? Verse Under Study “Then they asked him, ‘Who are you then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ ‘No,’ he answered.” (John 1:21) Setting the Scene • Priests and Levites have come from Jerusalem to interrogate John the Baptist. • Their questions arise from specific Old Testament promises about a coming deliverer. • They want to know whether John himself fulfills any of those promises or whether someone greater is still to come. Three Messianic Expectations Behind the Question 1. Elijah re-appearing before “the great and awesome day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:5-6). 2. “The Prophet” like Moses, promised in Deuteronomy 18:15-18. 3. The anointed Messiah (Christ) who would bring final salvation (Psalm 2; Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 7:13-14). Elijah Foretold — Malachi 4:5-6 • “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD”. • Jewish leaders expected the literal, bodily return of Elijah, who had been taken into heaven without dying (2 Kings 2:11). • John denies being Elijah in that literal sense. Yet Jesus later affirms, “And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who was to come” (Matthew 11:14) — John fulfills the role and spirit of Elijah (cf. Luke 1:17). “The Prophet” — Deuteronomy 18:15-18 • Moses promised, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to Him”. • First-century Jews often distinguished this figure from the Messiah, expecting a separate forerunner. • John rejects that title because the prophecy points to Jesus, not to himself (Acts 3:22-23; 7:37). Why John Answered “No” • He knows his calling precisely: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3). • He refuses any title that would detract from Jesus. • His literal statement harmonizes with Jesus’ later words: John is not Elijah reincarnated, but he is Elijah’s prophetic forerunner in spirit and power. Connecting John 1:21 to Messiah Prophecies • John’s denial strengthens the case that all three prophetic streams converge in Jesus: – Jesus alone is “the Prophet” (John 6:14). – Jesus confirms John’s Elijah-like ministry, pointing back to Malachi 4. – Jesus is the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). • By eliminating himself as the fulfillment, John firmly directs Israel’s expectation toward the One who is coming after him, “whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:27). Takeaway John 1:21 acts as a vital crossroads between Old Testament prophecy and New Testament fulfillment. The questions asked of John the Baptist reveal the specific promises Israel held — Elijah, the Prophet like Moses, and the Messiah. John’s clear “No” to each title keeps the spotlight on Jesus, in whom every prophecy finds its literal, complete realization. |
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