Thomas Aquinas Commentary John 1:19-23

"And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet." — John 1:19-23 (ASV)

1. Previously, the Evangelist showed how Christ was made known to the apostles through the testimony of John; here, he develops this testimony more fully.

   He presents this in two parts:

   1. John’s testimony to the people.

   2. The testimony he gave of Christ to his own disciples, beginning with, on the following day, John was standing there again (John 1:35).

   If we carefully consider what was said, we discover a twofold testimony of John to Christ: one which he gave to Christ in His presence, the other in His absence. For he would not have said, this was he (John 1:15), unless he had given testimony in Christ’s presence; and he would not have said, of whom I spoke, unless he gave testimony to Him in His absence.

   The Evangelist develops these in order:

   1. The testimony John gave to Christ in His absence.

   2. The testimony he gave in His presence, beginning with, the next day, John saw (John 1:29).

   Now, these two testimonies differ, because the first was given when he was questioned, while the other was spontaneous. So in the first instance, we are given not only his testimony but also the questions asked of him.

   He was questioned about two things:

   1. About himself.

   2. About his office, beginning with, and they who had been sent (John 1:24).

   Regarding the first point, we are shown two things:

   1. How John stated that he was not what he truly was not.

   2. That he did not deny what he was, beginning with, therefore they said to him: who are you? (John 1:22).

2. Regarding the first point, there are three questions and three answers, as is clear from the text.

   In the first question, the Jews show great respect for John. They had sent certain men to him to ask about his testimony. The greatness of their respect can be seen in four facts:

   1. From the dignity of those who sent the questioners, for they were not sent by Galileans but by those who were first in rank among the people of Israel—namely, Judeans, of the tribe of Judah, who lived around Jerusalem. It was from Judah that God chose the princes of the people: salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22).

   2. From the preeminence of the place, that is, from Jerusalem, which is the city of the priesthood, the city dedicated to divine worship: you say that Jerusalem is the place where it is fitting for men to worship (John 4:20); they will worship him with sacrifices and offerings (Isaiah 19:21).

   3. From the authority of the messengers, who were religious and from among the holier of the people, namely, priests and Levites: you will be called the priests of the Lord (Isaiah 61:6).

   4. From the fact that they sent them so that John might testify about himself, indicating that they put such trust in his words as to believe John even when giving testimony about himself. Hence he says, to ask him, who are you? They did not do this to Christ; in fact, they said to Him, you give testimony about yourself, but your testimony is not true (John 8:13).

3. Then, when he says, and he declared openly, and did not deny, John’s answer is given.

   The Evangelist twice mentioned that John stated clearly to show his humility. For although he was held in such high esteem among the Jews that they believed he might be the Christ, he, for his part, usurped no honor that was not his. Indeed, he stated clearly: I am not the Christ.

4. What about the statement, he declared openly, and did not deny? It seems that he did deny, because he said that he was not the Christ.

   It must be answered that he did not deny the truth, for he said he was not the Christ; otherwise, he would have denied the truth. If I have looked at the sun when it shone, or the moon moving in splendor and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand; this also would be a very great iniquity, and a denial of the most high God (Job 31:28). Thus he did not deny the truth, because however great he might have been considered, he did not become proud by usurping for himself the honor of another. He stated clearly, I am not the Christ, because in truth he was not. He was not the light (John 1:8).

5. Why did John answer, I am not the Christ, since those who had been sent did not ask if he was the Christ, but who he himself was?

   I answer that John directed his answer more to the mind of the questioners than to their question. We can understand this in two ways. According to Origen, the priests and Levites came to John with a good intention. They knew from the Scriptures, and particularly from the prophecy of Daniel, that the time for the coming of the Christ had arrived. So, seeing John’s holiness, they suspected that he might be the Christ. They sent to John, wishing to learn by their question, who are you?, whether John would admit that he was the Christ. And so he directs his answer to their thoughts: I am not the Christ.

   Chrysostom, however, says that they questioned him as a stratagem. For John was related to priests, being the son of a chief priest, and he was holy. Yet, he bore witness to Christ, whose family seemed lowly; for that reason they even said, is not this the son of the carpenter? (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3). And they did not know Him. So, preferring to have John as their master, not Christ, they sent to him, intending to entice him by flattery and persuade him to take this honor for himself and to state that he was the Christ. But John, seeing their evil intent, said, I am not the Christ.

6. The second question is stated when they ask him, who then? Are you Elijah?

   Here we should note that just as the Jews awaited the Lord who was to come, so they also waited for Elijah, who would precede the Messiah: I will send you Elijah, the prophet (Malachi 4:5). And so those who were sent, seeing that John did not say that he was the Messiah, pressed him to at least state if he were Elijah. And this is what they ask: who then? Are you Elijah?

7. There are certain heretics who say that souls migrate from one body to another. This belief was current among the Jews of that time. For this reason, they believed that the soul of Elijah was in John’s body, because of the similarity of John’s actions to those of Elijah. They say that these messengers asked John whether he was Elijah—that is, whether the soul of Elijah was in John. They support this with Christ’s statement, he is Elijah who is to come (Matthew 11:14).

   But John’s answer conflicts with their opinion, as he says, I am not Elijah.

   They counter this by saying that John answered in ignorance, not knowing whether his soul was the soul of Elijah. But Origen says in answer to this that it seems most unreasonable that John, a prophet enlightened by the Spirit and telling such things about the only-begotten Son of God, should be ignorant of himself and not know whether his soul had been in Elijah.

8. So this was not the reason John was asked, are you Elijah? Rather, it was because they understood from Scripture (2 Kings 2:11) that Elijah did not die but had been taken up alive into heaven by a whirlwind. Accordingly, they believed that he had suddenly appeared among them.

   But against this opinion is the fact that John was born from parents who were known, and his birth had been known to everyone. So it is said, what do you think this child will be? (Luke 1:66). One might say to this that it is not incredible that they should regard John in the manner described. For a similar situation is found in Matthew: Herod thought that Christ was John, whom he had beheaded, even though Christ had been preaching and was known for some time before John had been beheaded (Matthew 14:1). And so from a similar foolishness and madness, the Jews asked John whether he was Elijah.

9. Why does John say, I am not Elijah, while Christ said, he is Elijah (Matthew 11:14)?

   The angel gives us the answer: he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17), that is, in his works. Thus he was not Elijah in person, but in spirit and power, because he showed a similarity to Elijah in his works.

10. This similarity can be noticed in three things:

    1. Regarding his office: for just as Elijah will appear before the second coming of the Lord, so John preceded His first coming. This is why the angel also said: he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17).

    2. Regarding his manner of living: for Elijah dwelt in the desert, took scanty food, and clothed himself in rough garments, just as it says in Kings (1 Kings 19:3 and following; 2 Kings 1:8). And John was in the desert, his food was locusts and wild honey, and his tunic was of camel hair.

    3. Regarding his zeal: for his zeal was the greatest, which is why it was said: with zeal I have been zealous for the Lord (1 Kings 19:10). And this is how John died—for zeal of the truth, as is clear from Matthew (Matthew 14:6 and following).

11. Afterward, when it says, are you the prophet? a third question is asked.

    First, it must be considered: since it says, you shall be called the prophet of the Most High (Luke 1:76), when John is asked if he is a prophet, why does he answer that he is not?

    This can be answered in three ways:

    1. John is not merely a prophet, but even more than a prophet. For while other prophets only predicted things in the distant future, as in Habakkuk, if it make any delay, wait for it (Habakkuk 2:3), John announced the present Christ, as if pointing with his finger: behold the Lamb of God (John 1:36). And thus, in Matthew, the Lord says he is more than a prophet (Matthew 11:9).

    2. Alternatively, according to Origen, the Jews, due to a misunderstanding, believed in three preeminent future persons surrounding the coming of the Christ: the Christ himself, Elijah, and some other great prophet, about whom Deuteronomy says, the Lord will raise up for you a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15). Although this greatest prophet is, in truth, none other than the Christ, the Jews believed he was someone other than the Christ. And so they do not ask simply whether he is a prophet, but whether he is that greatest prophet. This indeed appears from the order of the question. For first, they ask whether he is the Christ; second, whether he is Elijah; third, whether he is that prophet. And thus in the Greek, the definite article is used, so as to indicate the prophet, as though speaking antonomastically.

    3. In the third way, the Pharisees were provoked by John because he had assumed the office of baptizing outside the established order of their law and tradition. But the Old Testament speaks about three who are qualified to baptize: the Christ, as it is said in Ezekiel in the person of the Christ, I will pour upon you clean water (Ezekiel 36:25); also, Elijah, of whom it is said that he divided the waters of the Jordan, and crossing over it, he was taken up (2 Kings 2:8); or again, Elisha, who made Naaman the Syrian wash seven times in the Jordan, so that he would be cleansed of his leprosy, as it is said (2 Kings 5:9). Therefore, when the Jews saw John baptize, they believed him to be one of those—that is, the Christ, Elijah, or Elisha. And so when they say here, are you the prophet? they are asking if he is Elisha. And "prophet" is said in the singular because of the many miracles Elisha had done, which is why it also says in Kings: let him know that there is a prophet in Israel (2 Kings 5:8). And according to this, he answers, I am not, that is, not Elisha.

12. Afterward, when it says, and they asked him: who then? it shows how he confessed himself to be what he was. This is set forth in two parts:

    1. The questioning of the messengers.

    2. The answer, at I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness.

13. Therefore they said: who are you that we may give an answer to those who sent us? As if to say, "We were sent for this, to know who you are; will you then say to us, what do you say about yourself?"

    But note John's devotion: for he fulfilled what the Apostle says in Galatians, I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20). And so he does not respond, "I am the son of Zechariah," or such and such, but only describes himself in his role of following Christ.

14. This is why he says: I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness.

    He calls himself a voice because a voice, in its origin, comes after a word, but in our perception, it comes before it. For we only come to know a word conceived in the heart when it is brought forth by a voice, which is its sign. But God the Father sent John as a forerunner created in time, so that His Word, conceived from all eternity, might be announced. Thus, he fittingly says, I am a voice.

15. The fact that he adds, crying out, can be understood in two ways. It could be referring to John in the desert crying out and preaching, or to Christ crying out in him: do you seek a proof that the one who speaks in me is Christ? (2 Corinthians 13:3).

    But he cries out for four reasons:

    1. Since shouting conveys a revelation. To show that Christ was speaking in John and in Himself, He shouted: and on the last and great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried out, saying: if any man thirst, let him come to me and drink (John 7:37). But among the prophets, He did not cry out, because prophecies were given in riddles and symbolic language, which is why it is said: dark water was in the clouds of the air (Psalms 18:11).

    2. Because crying out happens toward those who are far away. The Jews had been estranged from God, so it was necessary for him to shout: you have borne away from me friend and neighbor (Psalms 88:18).

    3. He shouts because they were deaf: who is deaf, but my servant? (Isaiah 42:19).

    4. He cries out because he speaks with indignation, as they deserved the wrath of God: he spoke to them in his anger (Psalms 2:5).

16. Note that he cries out in the wilderness, because, as Luke says, the word of God was made unto John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness (Luke 3:2). The reason for this can be understood both literally and mystically.

    Literally, he was staying in the wilderness to be preserved from all sin, so that he might be more worthy to bear witness to Christ, and so that his witness might be more convincing to people because of his life.

    The mystical reason is twofold. First, the wilderness signifies the Gentiles, according to this passage: many are the children of the deserted woman, more than of her who has a husband (Isaiah 54:1). Therefore, to show that God's teaching should not be in Jerusalem alone but also among the Gentiles, he cried out in the wilderness. In Matthew, it says, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits of it (Matthew 21:43). Second, the wilderness also represents Judea, which was then a desert: behold, your house shall be left to you deserted (Matthew 23:38). Therefore he cried out in the wilderness, that is, in Judea, so that by this it might be understood that the people to whom he preached were already deserted by God: in a desert land where there is no way and no water, so I have come before you in the sanctuary (Psalms 63:1).

17. But what does he cry out? Make straight the way of the Lord. For he was sent for this, as seen in Luke: you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways (Luke 1:76).

    The way that is prepared and made right for receiving the Lord is the way of justice, as it says in Isaiah: the path of the just man is right (Isaiah 26:7). For the path of the just man is right when a person is completely subjected to God, such that his intellect is subject to God by faith, his will by love, and his actions by obedience. And this is, as the prophet Isaiah says—that is, as he predicted. It is as if he were saying: "I am the one in whom these things are fulfilled."