The Word Made Flesh
Then the Pharisees who had been sent John 1:24 · Berean Standard Bible
The delegation had been sent by the Pharisees.
The Pharisees were the religious gatekeepers of the day. They wanted to make sure nothing happened outside their authority.
John adds a detail about who was behind the questioning.
Behind the questions were the Pharisees — the people who thought they controlled access to God. They were about to learn that God doesn't ask for permission.
The narrative notes that this particular delegation had been sent by the Pharisees, specifying the faction behind the investigation.
The Pharisees' involvement adds a layer of theological scrutiny; as experts in Torah interpretation, they would be particularly concerned about unauthorized prophetic and baptismal activity.
The narrator identifies the Pharisees as the faction behind the delegation.
By identifying the Pharisees, the Gospel signals that the theological establishment — those most invested in controlling religious practice — initiated this interrogation.
22So they said to him, “Who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet: “I am a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
24Then the Pharisees who had been sent
25asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know.
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