19 And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites that they might ask him, Thou, who art thou? 20 And he acknowledged and denied not, and acknowledged, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he says, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No. 22 They said therefore to him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I [am] [the] voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the path of [the] Lord, as said Esaias the prophet. 24 And they were sent from among the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him and said to him, Why baptisest thou then, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? 26 John answered them saying, I baptise with water. In the midst of you stands, whom ye do not know, 27 he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things took place in Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was baptising.
29 On the morrow he sees Jesus coming to him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. 30 He it is of whom I said, A man comes after me who takes a place before me, because he was before me; 31 and I knew him not; but that he might be manifested to Israel, therefore have I come baptising with water. 32 And John bore witness, saying, I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not; but he who sent me to baptise with water, he said to me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on him, he it is who baptises with [the] Holy Spirit. 34 And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God.
35 Again, on the morrow, there stood John and two of his disciples. 36 And, looking at Jesus as he walked, he says, Behold the Lamb of God.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on John 1:19-36
Commentary on John 1:19-28
(Read John 1:19-28)
John disowns himself to be the Christ, who was now expected and waited for. He came in the spirit and power of Elias, but he was not the person of Elias. John was not that Prophet whom Moses said the Lord would raise up to them of their brethren, like unto him. He was not such a prophet as they expected, who would rescue them from the Romans. He gave such an account of himself, as might excite and awaken them to hearken to him. He baptized the people with water as a profession of repentance, and as an outward sign of the spiritual blessings to be conferred on them by the Messiah, who was in the midst of them, though they knew him not, and to whom he was unworthy to render the meanest service.
Commentary on John 1:29-36
(Read John 1:29-36)
John saw Jesus coming to him, and pointed him out as the Lamb of God. The paschal lamb, in the shedding and sprinkling of its blood, the roasting and eating of its flesh, and all the other circumstances of the ordinance, represented the salvation of sinners by faith in Christ. And the lambs sacrificed every morning and evening, can only refer to Christ slain as a sacrifice to redeem us to God by his blood. John came as a preacher of repentance, yet he told his followers that they were to look for the pardon of their sins to Jesus only, and to his death. It agrees with God's glory to pardon all who depend on the atoning sacrifice of Christ. He takes away the sin of the world; purchases pardon for all that repent and believe the gospel. This encourages our faith; if Christ takes away the sin of the world, then why not my sin? He bore sin for us, and so bears it from us. God could have taken away sin, by taking away the sinner, as he took away the sin of the old world; but here is a way of doing away sin, yet sparing the sinner, by making his Son sin, that is, a sin-offering, for us. See Jesus taking away sin, and let that cause hatred of sin, and resolutions against it. Let us not hold that fast, which the Lamb of God came to take away. To confirm his testimony concerning Christ, John declares the appearance at his baptism, in which God himself bore witness to him. He saw and bare record that he is the Son of God. This is the end and object of John's testimony, that Jesus was the promised Messiah. John took every opportunity that offered to lead people to Christ.