John introduces the next section of his prologue by speaking of John the Baptist. He was the one sent by God to announce the coming of Jesus. The famine of the word of God lasted so long that when John began to speak of the coming of the Messiah, folks began to reason that John was the Messiah (John 1:19-20) or that Prophet who was to be like Moses (John 1:21, 25). Nevertheless, John confessed that he was no such person as these, but was sent by God to tell the truth and correct falsehood that would cause people to miss the coming of the Light (John 1:23).
John was sent with a message to tell—that the very one who is the Light of every man was coming into this world (John 1:7-9). He told those who questioned him that he was come to fulfill the word of God spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 40:1-5 KJV Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. (2) Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins. (3) The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (4) Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: (5) And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Contrary to what many believe, God was not angry with his people (Isaiah 40:1), but he knew that they were not of a mind that would readily recognize the Light of God (cp. John 1:5). John was sent to call the Jews back to the “way of the LORD” or to the truth of God. Their paths were crooked and rough (Isaiah 40:4), whereupon they stumbled and couldn’t see the end of the way in which they trusted. John was sent to correct this situation and show the people their sins, so they knew enough to repent. The oppressed needed lifting up and the oppressors needed to be brought low (Isaiah 40:4; cp. Luke 1:51-53; 3:5).
John showed the people who their oppressors were (Matthew 3:7-10). The oppressors were the very ones who taught them about God and what he required of his people. Jesus, himself, said likewise, showing that they brought many needless burdens upon the people (Matthew 23:1-4, 13-15), yet, though it was their duty to relieve their brethren of oppression every seventh year and in such times as the year of jubilee, they made excuses to nullify the word of God, for they took bribes from the rich to keep the poorer classes in servitude.
Jesus came to comfort his people, and John was sent to help the Jews recognize who their Comforter really was. This was the Light of the world, and he was about to come into the world of men to bring them good news of comfort and mercy, showing the loyalty of God to them and their fathers, Abraham Isaac and Jacob.
We need to realize that it was not only the pagan gentiles who needed enlightening. The very people of God needed to return to the truth given them through Moses and the prophets. The Word was indeed the Light of the world, but men’s hearts had become darkened. They were not able to recognize the real truth of God. They professed themselves to be wise (Romans 1:22), but in reality they were foolish, rejecting the Light of God and loving the darkness of their own thoughts (John 3:19).
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