John 1:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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?"

NIV: Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

NASB: Then they said to him, 'Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?'

CSB: "Who are you, then?" they asked. "We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?"

NLT: Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?'

KJV: Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

NKJV: Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

It's not necessarily wrong to ask "rhetorical" questions, or to pose questions which are really statements. But a common mark of dishonest skeptics is to ask without sincere interest in the truth. Once the interrogators (John 1:19–21) run out of their own ideas about who John the Baptist might be, they finally give him the opportunity to speak for himself. And yet, this seems mostly because they want to get their errand finished. This suggests that the men physically present were messengers of local religious leaders, not necessarily the religious leaders themselves (John 1:24). The Baptist's ministry must have been influential enough to require investigation, but not enough to convince priests or scribes to come out in person.

Israel's spiritual leaders were supposed to act like shepherds, protecting the people from false ideas. So, it was legitimate for local priests to question John the Baptist. He was attracting attention by preaching a controversial message (John 1:19). As usual, the Baptist would rather tell others about the Messiah, than talk about himself (Malachi 3:1).

John 1:19–28 describes a conversation. On one side is John the Baptist, different from the author of this gospel. On the other are local religious leaders. Baptizing converts to Judaism was common, but the Baptist was calling on Jews to repent and be baptized. The Baptist makes it clear that he is not the "Promised One," but equally clear that his mission is to prepare the way for that One.

The first chapter of John introduces Jesus as "the Word," from the Greek logos. This chapter clearly describes Jesus as God. After this prologue, the chapter describes Jesus recruiting the first of His disciples, as well as a conversation between John the Baptist and the Pharisees. There are seven names or titles for Christ in this chapter, including "the Son of God," "the Word," and "the King of Israel."

The first chapter of the gospel of John equates Christ with God and introduces John the Baptist. The Baptist specifically points to Jesus as the Promised One. Jesus collects the first five of His disciples. In this chapter, Jesus is given seven descriptive names, including "the Word," "the Son of God," and "the King of Israel." This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the gospel, by giving the reader a sense of who Jesus truly is, and why He has come. The rest of the gospel is an exploration of the claims made in this initial passage.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.