Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 3:28
Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
28. Ye yourselves ] Though you are so indignant on my account.
bear me witness, that I said ] They had appealed to his testimony ( Joh 3:26); he turns it against them.
before him ] ‘Before Him, of whom you complain, whom I proclaim to be the Christ.’ In Joh 1:26; Joh 1:30, John spoke less clearly.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Bear me witness – You remember that at first I told you I was not the Messiah. As he had been witness to Jesus – as he came for no other end but to point him out to the Jews, they ought not to suppose that he was his superior. It was but reasonable to expect that Christ himself would be more successful than his forerunner. I came, not to form a separate party, a special sect, but to prepare the way that he might be more successful, and that the people might be ready for his coming, and that he might have the success which he has actually met with. You should rejoice, therefore, at that success, and not envy it, for his success is the best proof of the greatness of my word, and of its success also.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
I appeal to you that are my disciples, Did not I always plainly tell yea that I was not the Christ? It belongeth unto Christ alone, who is the Head of the church, to send out such as shall labour in it, and to restrain those that labour in it; would you have me silence or suspend him? I told you, that I was but one of his ministers,
sent before him to prepare his way, Joh 1:20,23.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Ye yourselves bear me witness,…. In what they now said, and referred to, in describing Christ, as he to whom John bore witness; and he appeals to them for what he said in their presence, and before all the people in that testimony:
that I said I am not the Christ; see Joh 1:19; wherefore, if he, who is the Christ, is now come, and teaches, and baptizes, and has the greatest number of followers, it is not to be wondered at; and much less to be envied; but rather to be rejoiced at. For John, by repeating what he had before said, that he was not the Christ, suggests, that Jesus was; and therefore was superior to him in office, honour, and usefulness, who was only his harbinger and forerunner, as follows:
but I am sent before him; to prepare his way, to make straight his paths, to proclaim his coming, and kingdom, being at hand; and that the expectations of men may be raised, and they may be ready to receive him when come: and hereby the end of John’s office, and ministry, had its accomplishment. The Ethiopic version adds, “to preach him”.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
I said (). As in John 1:20; John 1:23. He had always put Jesus ahead of him as the Messiah (1:15).
Before him ( ). “Before that one” (Jesus) as his forerunner simply.
I am sent ( ). Periphrastic perfect passive indicative of .
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “Ye yourselves bear me witness,” (autoi humeis moi martureite) “You all (as my disciples) bear witness to me;) You can certify, truthfully give evidence, regarding Jesus Christ, the anointed Messiah of whom I spoke, Mat 3:11-12. You therefore should be no more surprised than I am that He is baptizing, and assembling a chosen company of followers, as His church, see? Luk 1:17.
2) “That I said, I am not the Christ,” (hoti eipen ouk eimi ego ho Christos) “That I told you am not the Christ,” the Messiah, Joh 1:6-8; Joh 1:20; Joh 1:22-37; Mar 1:6-8.
3) “But that I am sent before him.” (all’ hoti apestalmenos eimi emprosthen ekeinou) “But that I exist as the one having been sent (commissioned or mandated) before that one,” Isa 40:3; Mal 3:1. Before that one who is the Messiah, Mat 3:1-3; Joh 1:15; Joh 1:19; Joh 1:23; Joh 1:26; Joh 1:29-34. John had witnessed that Jesus was: 1) The Word, 2) The Light, 3) The Christ, 4) The Lamb of God, and 5)The Bridegroom, Joh 1:9; Joh 1:14; Joh 1:25; Joh 1:27; Joh 1:29; Joh 3:29-30.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
28. You are witnesses to me. John expostulates with his disciples that they did not give credit to his statements. He had often warned them that he was not the Christ; and, therefore, it only remained that he should be a servant and subject to the Son of God along with others. And this passage is worthy of notice; for, by affirming that he is not the Christ, he reserves nothing for himself but to be subject to the head, and to serve in the Church as one of the rest, and not to be so highly exalted as to obscure the honor of the Head. He says that he was sent before, to prepare the way for Christ, as kings are wont to have heralds or forerunners.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(28) Ye yourselves bear me witness.They remembered (Joh. 3:26) that John had borne witness to Jesus. Did they not remember too what he had said? He had from the first known his own work, and the greater work. Some of his disciples had known it also, and had gone from him to Jesus. This which they see was the necessary result of the truth he had ever declared.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
28. Yourselves bear me witness So clearly did Peter and John (who were originally the Baptist’s disciples) understand that the Baptist was the mere herald of Jesus the Messiah, that they left John and went to Jesus. It seems strange, therefore, that any of John’s disciples should fail to understand John’s subordination. He therefore rebukes them by appealing to their own recollection of his testimony.
I said, I am not the Christ Not the Messiah.
Sent before him Not as a superior, but as a herald before a superior. This humility of the Baptist, as narrated by our Evangelist, is more fully, but not more energetically, expressed in the previous Gospels. In the first three Gospels John is a voice proclaiming a reality; a herald preceding a coming Jehovah; he is the sandal-bearer of a Master, unworthy to unloose his shoe-lachet; he is the outpourer of mere water, shadowing the Outpourer of the Spirit, who is therefore God, who is Author of final judgment and retribution. Now much is said in the fourth Gospel more diffuse and extended, but nothing more intense and decisive.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
Ver. 28. Ye yourselves bear me witness ] I should rather choose the just commendation of one good man (saith Rolloc upon this text) than the foolish admiration of a whole multitude, Equidem pluris fecerim iustam commendationem, &c. Demetrius hath good report of the truth itself, that is enough for him, 3Jn 1:12 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
28. ] ‘Not only so, but I have always given the same consistent testimony; that I was only the forerunner of One greater than myself.’ does not refer to , in which case it would have been (see, however, apparent exceptions to this, ch. Joh 7:45 : Act 3:13 ; see also Winer, Gr., edn. 6, 23. 1): but to Jesus , as the subject of Joh 3:26 ; and thus is not merely a general testimony with regard to the Messiah, but a personal one to Jesus.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 3:28 . . John’s disciples should have been prepared for what they now see happening. He had emphatically declared that he was not the Christ, but only His forerunner (Joh 1:19-27 ; Joh 1:30 ).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
the Christ = the Messiah. App-98.
sent. App-174.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
28.] Not only so, but I have always given the same consistent testimony; that I was only the forerunner of One greater than myself. does not refer to , in which case it would have been (see, however, apparent exceptions to this, ch. Joh 7:45 : Act 3:13; see also Winer, Gr., edn. 6, 23. 1): but to Jesus, as the subject of Joh 3:26; and thus is not merely a general testimony with regard to the Messiah, but a personal one to Jesus.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 3:28. , before Him) Him, concerning whom Joh 3:26 treats. So Joh 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease. John did not openly term Jesus the Christ: but however he spake so concerning Him, that He might easily be recognised.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 3:28
Joh 3:28
Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am sent before him.-He had from the beginning testified that he was not the Christ, but is his messenger and sent before him to make ready for his coming.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
I said: Joh 1:20, Joh 1:25, Joh 1:27
but: Joh 1:23, Mal 3:1, Mal 4:4, Mal 4:5, Mat 3:3, Mat 3:11, Mat 3:12, Mar 1:2, Mar 1:3, Luk 1:16, Luk 1:17, Luk 1:76, Luk 3:4-6
Reciprocal: Mar 1:7 – General Luk 3:15 – mused Joh 1:6 – a man Joh 1:8 – that light Act 3:12 – or Act 18:5 – was Christ Act 19:4 – John 1Co 1:15 – I
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
8
John also reminded his disciples that he had previously predicted this very turn of affairs. Such predictions and instructions are in chapter 1:15, 27.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Joh 3:28. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but, I am sent before him. The acceptance of the lower place was no new thing to John. Ye remind me that have borne witness to Him; ye yourselves bear witness to me, that my testimony to Him contained in it all that now offends you. Of the two sayings here quoted, one (I am not the Christ) is to be found in Joh 1:20 : the other is not given in this Gospel in the very words, but is implied in Joh 1:30-31, and no doubt had been expressly uttered by John to his disciples.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Ver. 28. Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said: I am not the Christ, but I am sent before him.
John expressly applies to himself the maxim of Joh 3:26. He has informed his disciples, from the beginning, of the fact of which they are complaining. He has always said to them, that it was not given to him to be the Christ, that his mission went no further than to open the way for Him. He appeals, with respect to this point, to their own recollection and discharges Himself thus from all responsibility for their jealous humor towards Jesus. The words: Ye bear me witness, seem to allude to their own expression, in Joh 3:26, where they had recalled the conduct of John with reference to Jesus. Then, he explains to them, by a comparison, the feeling which he experiences and which is so different from theirs.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
John proceeded to remind his disciples that he never claimed to be the Messiah but only Messiah’s forerunner (Joh 1:15; Joh 1:20; Joh 1:23; Joh 1:26-34).