Who is Jesus? part 22

The prologue of John is thought to be verses 1 to 18 of the first chapter. As I said in nearly every post when looking at it, it is a song, with the poetic form of chiama. Chiasm, meaning crossing over, is a form used in nearly all Psalms and is a repetition of similar ideas in the reverse sequence.

But there’s not one song here, there’s three. If you haven’t noticed that before, I’m not surprised. The paragraph breaks in modern translations are put there by people treating it as narrative, and don’t fall according to the poetic structure.

¹⁹ And this is the testimony of John,

• when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 
  • ²² So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 
    • ²³ He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’, as the prophet Isaiah said.”
  • ²⁴ (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 
• ²⁵ They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 

• ²⁶ John answered them, “I baptize with water,
  • but among you stands one you do not know, 
    • ²⁷ even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
      • ²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 
    • ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 
  • ³¹ I myself did not know him,
• but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

³² And John bore witness:

The words are John 1:19-31 from the ESVUK. The structure is changed to show the structure.

There’s truly nothing wrong with perceiving John Chapter 1 as a narrative; I’ve explored verses 19- 31 that way in previous posts, starting here. However, as I continue on this journey, I’m now turning my attention to the poetic structure, which offers a wonderfully different perspective. Embracing both of these views enriches our understanding, and it’s beautiful to appreciate the unique insights each brings.

Narrative is for finding logical meaning. Songs are for proclamation and praise.

Many psalms beautifully illustrate a chiasm structure, and within that design, some feature a unique central section that doesn’t repeat. This centre holds the essence of the song, where you can truly pause and reflect on its deeper meaning.

The songs in John Chapter 1 embrace an inspiring pattern. If we delve into the central sections of this song about John the Baptist, highlighted in bold above, we can truly appreciate the beauty of the pattern: verse 23 captures the essence of John’s ministry, while verse 29 beautifully encapsulates the significance of Jesus Christ. We are invited to compare this contrast.

John said of himself: “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’.”

John said of Jesus: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! “

I don’t wish to say anything else, except for asking you to meditate on those two quotes. Remember, songs are for proclamation and praise!

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