John 1:6

John 1:6-9. There was a man sent from God — The introducer of a new dispensation, the morning star, preceding the rise of the Sun of righteousness; whose name was JOHN — That is, grace; a name fitly given to the Messiah’s forerunner, who was sent to proclaim the immediate accomplishment of God’s gracious intentions toward men, the expectation of which had been raised in them by all his preceding dispensations. The same came for a witness — Εις μαρτυριαν , for, or, in order to give, a testimony of an infinitely important kind; to bear witness of the light — Ινα μαρτυρηση περι του φωτος , that he might testify concerning the light: namely, the light mentioned above, Christ, the light of the world; that all men through him — Through his testimony; might believe — In Christ, the light. He — John, though an extraordinary messenger of God, was himself not that light, but was merely sent to bear witness of that light — And thereby to draw men’s attention to it, and induce them to believe in it; namely, in the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world — Both as he is their Maker, who has put into their minds the light of reason and conscience, and as he visits and strives with them by his Spirit, and is the author of that revelation, which was not intended to be confined to the single nation of the Jews, but to be communicated to all mankind.

There was a man (ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος) Better, Rev., "there came a man," ἐγένετο denoting the historical manifestation, the emergence of the Baptist into the economy of the revelation of the light. Compare John 3:1, there was a man (ἦν ἄνθρωπος), where the mere fact that there was such a man as Nicodemus is stated. See remarks on ἦν, John 1:1. A distinction is also intimated between the eternal being (ἦν) of the Word and the coming into being of his messenger. Sent (ἀπεσταλμένος) See on Matthew 10:2, Matthew 10:16; see on Mark 4:29; see on Luke 4:18. The verb carries the sense of sending an envoy with a special commission. Hence it is used of the mission of the Son of God, and of His apostles; the word apostle being directly derived from it. It is thus distinguished from πέμπω, to send, which denotes simply the relation of the sender to the sent. See on John 20:21, and see on 1 John 3:5. The statement is not merely equivalent to was sent. The finite verb and the participle are to be taken separately, as stating two distinct facts, the appearance and the mission of John. There came a man, and that man was sent from God. From God (παρὰ Θεοῦ) The preposition means from beside. It invests the messenger with more dignity and significance than if the writer had said, "sent by God." It is used of the Holy Spirit, sent from the Father (John 15:26). Whose name was John (ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἱωάνης) Literally, the name unto him John. The first mention of John the Baptist.

The last occurs, Acts 19:3. On the name, see on Matthew 3:1; see on Luke 3:2. John never speaks of the Baptist as John the Baptist, like the other Evangelists, but simply as John. This is perfectly natural on the supposition that John himself is the author of the gospel, and is the other John of the narrative.

There was a man sent from God; not the Christ, not an angel, but a man; yet one, than whom (as our Saviour saith) there had not risen a greater amongst those that were born of women. He did not come of his own head, but was sent; for it was he of whom it was written, Malachi 3:1 , Behold, I will send my messenger before thy face, & c., Luke 7:27 , he was not sent of men, but from God, foretold by the angel, as to his existence, name, work, and success, Luke 1:13-17 . Whose name was John; his name was John, named by the angel, Luke 1:13 , before he was born; by his father and mother, Luke 1:60,63 , when he was born. John signifieth grace; and doubtless the Baptist obtained that name, because he was to be the first and a famous preacher of the grace of the gospel which came to the world through Jesus Christ.

6–13 . The Word revealed to Men and rejected by them 6 . There was a man ] Rather, There arose a man , in contrast to the ‘was’ in John 1:1 . The word was from all eternity; John arose , came into existence, in time. Comp. John 10:19 . Note once more the noble simplicity of language. sent from God ] i.e. a Prophet. Comp. ‘I will send my messenger,’ Malachi 3:1 ; ‘I will send you Elijah the Prophet,’ John 4:5 . From the Greek for ‘send’ ( apostello ) comes our word ‘Apostle.’ whose name was John ] In the Fourth Gospel John is mentioned 20 times, and is never once distinguished as ‘the Baptist.’ The other three Evangelists carefully distinguish the Baptist from the son of Zebedee: to the writer of the Fourth Gospel there is only one John. This in itself is strong incidental evidence that he himself is the other John. See on John 11:16 .

John 1:6 . Ἐγένετο ) not ἦν . The Evangelist does not say, was of John, but was made [fiebat: εἶναι is to be , γίνεσθαι , to begin to be ]. The question is asked, how far the opening introduction to this book extends. The answer is. There is no introduction: the treatise itself [ipsa tractatio, the handling of the subject itself] begins with the beginning of the book. For in John 1:6 the Evangelist already describes the office of John, in bearing witness of the Light: and in the first five verses, he records what before had always been the nature and principle of the Light. Therefore up to this point a summary has been given of those things, which evidently preceded John; nor can these by any means be referred to the action of Jesus immediately succeeding John, as Artemonius, p. 412, refers it; and now there is unfolded by the Evangelist a more copious description of recent [new] events. Both [the things preceding John, and the things then from that point occurring] are most orderly in their arrangement.— ἄνθρωπος , a man ) God deals with men through agents similar to themselves, namely, men; in order that they may the more readily take [‘capiant,’ take in, understand] and accept [His offers of love].— ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ Θεοῦ , sent from God ) The definition of a prophet. Comp. Matthew 11:9-10 [A prophet? Yea—and more than a prophet.

For this is He, of whom it is written, Behold I send My messenger ,” etc.] The Participle is here in immediate connection with the noun a man : and in mediate connection with the verb, was made [ ἐγένετο began to be].— παρὰ Θεοῦ , from God , John 1:33 .— Ἰωάννης , John ) That is, an interpreter [exponent] of the grace of God . The greatness of John [is hereby implied], of whom mention is made immediately after the preceding statements [ John 1:1-5 ]. Greater knowledge was brought into the world through John, than had been in all previous ages.

(6) There was a man, or, There appeared a man. The word is the same as that which is used in John 1:3 , “were made,” “was made,” and, as contrasted with the verb “was” in John 1:1-2 ; John 1:4 , signifies the coming into being, as contrasted with original existence. In the same way “man” is emphatically opposed to “the Word,” who is the subject of the previous verses. “The Word was God:” the man was “sent from God.” On the mission of John, see Notes on Matthew 3. The name was not uncommon, but it is striking that it is given here without the usual distinctive “Baptist.” The writer stood to him in the relation of disciple to teacher. To him he was the John. A greater teacher had not then appeared, but when He did appear, former teacher and disciple alike bear witness to Him. Great as was the forerunner, the least in the kingdom of heaven became greater than he was, and to after ages the disciple became the John, and his earlier master is given the title “Baptist,” which distinguishes the man and commemorates the work.

A man sent from God - See Matthew 3 . The evangelist proceeds now to show that John the Baptist was not the Messiah and to state the true nature of his office. Many had supposed that he was the Christ, but this opinion he corrects; yet he admits that he was "sent from God" - that he was divinely commissioned. Though he denied that he was "the Messiah," yet he did not deny that he was sent from or by heaven on an important errand to human beings. Some have supposed that the sole design of this gospel was to show that John the Baptist was not the Messiah. Though there is no foundation for this opinion, yet there is no doubt that one object was to show this. The main design was to show that "Jesus was the Christ," John 20:31 . To do this, it was proper, in the beginning, to prove that "John" was not the Messiah; and this might have been at that time an important object. John made many disciples, Matthew 3:5 . Many persons supposed that he might be the Messiah, Luke 3:15 ; John 1:19 . "Many of these disciples of John remained" at Ephesus, "the very place where John is supposed to have written this gospel, long after the ascension of Jesus," Acts 19:1-3 . It is not improbable that there might have been many others who adhered to John, and perhaps many who supposed that he was the Messiah.