NOTES for Joh 3:22-33

John the Baptist, like Jesus, had his own community, his own circle of disciples and followers. Jesus washed those who came to Him, and John did the same. In the eyes of those around them, and even, as we can see, in the eyes of some of John’s disciples, their activities were, if not identical, at least very similar. Apparently, some of John’s disciples considered their teacher to be the Messiah who, like Jesus, was concealing his messiahship for a time. John then has to make everything perfectly clear. He reminds his followers that he himself never made any claim to be the Messiah. But according to John, the main point is something else: messiahship is not a human affair at all; it is God’s affair, and unless it is “given from above,” there can be no question of messiahship. John, like Jesus Himself, tries to make his listeners understand that one does not become the Messiah, but is born the Messiah. There can be no competition, rivalry, or choice in the matter. He, John, was not born the Messiah and therefore will never become Him. He has another mission. Indeed, if the messianic Kingdom really were what many people wanted it to be then and at other times—an earthly religious and political phenomenon—everything would be different. The messianic calling would then resemble the prophetic calling, something that could be given to anyone chosen by God. But the Kingdom to which Jesus bears witness is above all a spiritual reality, inseparably connected with His own person. He carries it within Himself and has carried it from the beginning. He was born the Messiah, and there can be no alternative to Him. John understands and acknowledges this, and he tries to explain the same thing to his disciples and followers.