Who is Jesus? part 24

A poem within a poem

John chapter 1 is special. It has nothing to do with teaching, philosophy, or theology because it is a series of songs or poems. What songs should do is proclaim, and the proclamation is “this is who Jesus is.”

Except in this short section, we are proclaiming the Trinity.

• ³² And John bore witness: 
  • “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 
    • ³³ I myself did not know him,
      • but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me,
  • ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, 
    • this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 
• ³⁴ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

John 1:32-34 ESVUK with added indents to show the poetic structure.

We are nearly at the end of the story of John the Baptist in John’s Gospel (The two Johns are different people.) The little poem in verses 32- 34 is within the longer poem of verses 32-20. There is a second poem within the poem at the end, which I’ll look at in good time.

The structure is a chiasm. Chiasm, meaning crossing over, is a form used in nearly all Psalms and is a repetition of similar ideas in the reverse sequence. Here, it has two sections, A and B, and a middle section, C, after which B’ and A’ are repetitions in reverse order.

A – Bearing witness
B- Spirit descending, and I did not know him
C – he said
B’- Spirit descending, and this is he
A’ – Bearing witness

The meaning:

John the Baptist is proclaiming who Jesus is, a proclamation at the beginning and end of this short poetic section. But it is not the only proclamation, in the central section, often the most important part of a chiasm, it is the one who sent John, God the Father, who is doing the proclaming. God says, “My Son is here; you’ll know him when the Spirit falls on him.” Jesus was baptised by John with water, and by the Father with the Holy Spirit. Jesus will then go on to baptise others with the Holy Spirit.

God the Father baptises God the Son with God the Holy Spirit. This is the Holy Trinity at work. There are two Johns here, John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, both of them are testifying to the Holy Trinity at work in the baptism of Jesus.

Baptism of the Spirit is the same baptism Jesus got and the same as the Apostles received at Pentecost. It is available now.

So far, so good, but where’s the fun? Songs are often remembered because they are fun to sing, often because of a musical hook. If there was ever music to this song, it is long forgotten. But there is a lyrical hook:

I saw the Spirit descend and remain
I baptise with water
The Spirit descended and remained
He baptises with the Spirit.

Give it a catchy tune and a rhyme, and it’s good to go.

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