John 1:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

That is, He has not simply "come to be before me," but in such a way that I am not worthy to be numbered even among His lowest servants. Loosing footwear is the task of the lowest service.

If John is unworthy to loose the strap, John, than whom "among those born of women there is no prophet greater," where shall we place ourselves?

If he who is worthy of the whole world, or rather greater than it, since it is said, "of whom the world was not worthy," recognizes himself unworthy to be among His lowest servants, what shall we say?

What shall we say, who are burdened with thousands of vices, and stand as far from John's virtue as earth stands from heaven?

Thus John says of himself, "I am not worthy to loose the strap of His shoe." But the enemies of truth reach such madness that they consider themselves worthy to know Him just as He knows Himself.

What could be worse than such madness? What could be more deranged than such boasting? A certain wise man rightly said, "The beginning of pride is man's departure from the Lord, and his heart's withdrawal from his Maker" (Sir 10:14).

By persuading them to repentance, he also showed them the way to the complete casting off of this strap and sinful footwear. But on Christ, finding no strap or bond of sin, he naturally could not loose it.

Why did he not find it? Because He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth (1 Pet 2:22). "Footwear" also signifies the Lord's appearance to us, and its "strap" signifies the manner of the Incarnation and how the Word of God was united to the body.

This manner cannot be loosed. For who can explain how God was united to a body?

If he had said that he was worthy to loose the straps of His shoes, and had spoken thus, "There comes after me One who has come to be before me, whose shoe straps I am worthy only to loose," he would have shown great humility.

But when he said that he was unworthy even of this, he was truly filled with the Holy Spirit. As a servant, he recognized his Lord and deserved, from being a servant, to become a friend.

Of whom else, if not the Word of God, is it fitting to say, "His legs are pillars of marble, set upon bases of gold" (Song 5:15)? For Christ alone enters souls and walks through the minds of the saints.

Upon them, as upon golden and precious foundations, the footsteps of the heavenly Word are imprinted.

Submitting himself to Him, John declares what most reverent humility he must have before Him: "He preached, saying: After me comes One mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose" (Mk 1:7).

Among the ancients there was a custom that if someone did not wish to take as wife the woman betrothed to him, he was obliged to remove the sandal of the one who by right of kinship appeared as bridegroom to her.

What, then, did Christ appear to be among men, if not the Bridegroom of the holy Church? The same John says of this: "He who has the bride is the bridegroom" (Jn 3:29).

But since people thought that John was the Christ, which John himself denies, he rightly says that he is not worthy even to loose the strap of His sandals.

He clearly speaks as if to say: I do not have the power to uncover the feet of our Redeemer, because I do not undeservedly appropriate to myself the name of bridegroom.

Yet this may also be understood otherwise. Who does not know that sandals are made from dead animals? The incarnate Lord appeared as if shod, because in His Godhead He assumed the mortality of our corruption.

For this reason He also says through the Prophet: "Over Edom I will cast My shoe" (Ps 59:10). By Edom is understood paganism, and by the shoe, the mortality He assumed.

Therefore the Lord says that He will cast His shoe over Edom, because when He became known to the Gentiles in the flesh, the Godhead came to us as if in footwear.

But the human eye cannot penetrate the mystery of this Incarnation. For it cannot in any way grasp how the Word is made flesh. Nor can it grasp how the supreme and life-giving Spirit is animated in the Mother's womb.

Nor can it grasp how He who has no beginning both exists and is conceived. Therefore the sandal strap is the bond of the mystery.

John cannot loose the strap of His sandals, because he himself cannot penetrate the mystery of His Incarnation, although he knew of it through the spirit of prophecy.

What, then, do the words mean: "I am not worthy to stoop down and loose the strap of His sandal"? They express a clear and humble consciousness of his own ignorance.

He clearly speaks as if to say: What wonder is it if He is exalted before me, when I behold Him as born after me, yet do not comprehend the mystery of His birth?

Behold John, filled with the spirit of prophecy, renowned for wondrous knowledge. Yet he teaches us about himself that he does not know what cannot be known.

In this matter, most beloved brethren, we must weigh and ponder with full attention how holy men guard the virtue of humility within themselves. When they know something wondrously, they strive to call before the eyes of the mind what they do not know.

They do this so that their soul may not become proud from the side on which it is perfect, while from another side it reflects on its own weakness. For knowledge is a virtue, and humility is the guardian of virtue.

Therefore the mind must be checked, so that the wind of pride may not scatter what the virtue of knowledge gathers.

When you do good, brethren, always call evil deeds back to memory, so that the soul may never heedlessly delight in a good work. It must look cautiously upon its own guilt.

Likewise, regard those above you, especially those who have no fellowship with you, as your neighbors. For you do not know what good is hidden in the very thing which you judge to be some evil in their actions.

Therefore let each strive to be great, yet in some manner let him not know that he truly is so. Otherwise, by boldly claiming greatness for himself, he may lose it.

For this reason it is said through the Prophet: "Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight" (Is 5:21). Therefore Paul says: "Do not be wise in your own opinion" (Rom 12:16).

For the same reason it is said against proud Saul: "Were you not little in your own eyes when you became head?" (1 Sam 15:17). It is clearly said as if thus: When you regarded yourself as small, I magnified you before the others.

But since you regard yourself as great, I count you as small.

By contrast, David, when he danced before the Ark of the Lord's Covenant and looked with contempt upon the might of his kingdom, said: "Before the Lord I will play and dance; and I will be still more contemptible, and will be lowly in my own eyes" (2 Sam 6:21-22).

For who would not be puffed up by breaking the jaws of lions, tearing apart the limbs of bears, being chosen for the kingdom over elder brothers, casting down with one stone the Goliath feared by all. Bringing the appointed number of Philistine foreskins at the king's command, receiving the kingdom according to promises, and afterward possessing the whole people of Israel without any opposition?

Yet in all these things he despised himself, confessing that he was humbled in his own eyes.

Therefore, if holy men think lowly of themselves even when they perform great feats, what will those say in their own defense who are puffed up without performing any feat?

Even if there were some good works, they are nothing if they are done without humility. For a wondrous deed with pride does not exalt, but casts down.

Whoever gathers virtues without humility throws dust into the wind. From the very place where he seems to acquire something, he becomes still more blinded.

Therefore, my brethren, in all your deeds regard humility as the root of the good work. Look not at what you have already risen to, but at what you still fall short of.

Having before your eyes those who are better than you, you will be able always to ascend to higher things through humility.

In juridical terms, they considered themselves obliged to interrogate him about his right to introduce new rites into the religious life of the people. They were prepared to recognize such a right only in the Messiah and His forerunners.

For the meaning of John's answer, see the explanation on Mt 3:11 and parallels, and Jn 1:15, sections 1 and 18. Bethabara: see note 1 on Jn 1:19.

When someone entered a house, slaves or servants removed this footwear from those who came in and washed their feet, dusty from walking. The duties of loosing the shoe straps, removing the shoes, and washing the feet were considered the most humiliating.

And so John, in comparison with Christ, places himself in the same position as the last slave in relation to his master.

It is unknown what consequences followed this embassy of the Sanhedrin. Unable to resolve this mystery for itself, the Sanhedrin most likely left the whole matter without any consequence for a time, reserving the right to intervene later, when it became clearer.

This is not at all the Baptism that, according to the prophecies, the Messiah was to perform. Protestants, like the Pharisees who interrogated the Forerunner, have groundlessly confused John's baptism with Christ's Baptism. The result is that they understood neither one nor the other.

"Among you stands One whom you do not know." "He said this because Christ usually appeared among the crowd of the people as a simple man, and taught against pride and vainglory," with which the arrogant Jewish scribes appeared (Chrysostom).

The Jews awaited the Messiah, and awaited Him intensely. But they did not await the Messiah of whom the prophets spoke, the meek angel who by His sufferings redeems spiritual freedom for men.

They awaited a Messiah invented by their passions. Therefore it turned out that they did not recognize the Messiah who had come.

"He it is who comes after me, who was before me, the strap of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose." With what love the Forerunner uses the occasion to speak of the true Messiah, the Messiah of the prophets.

Behold, he says, the One whom the prophets promised: He is coming. He comes after me and appeared in time after me with His ministry. Yet how ancient He is! "He was before me": He existed long before me.

How exalted He is! "I am not worthy to loose the strap of His shoe." The shoe, or sandal, among Eastern peoples was fastened to the foot with a strap. Loosing the strap of sandals was the work of servants.

The disciples of a respected and beloved teacher considered it an honor if they fastened and loosed the straps of the teacher's sandals. John the Baptist does not consider himself a worthy servant and disciple of Him who came after him, Christ Jesus.

So great, so exalted is that Teacher, that Master!

See Jacob's prophecy to Judah in Gen 49:10, the numerous indications of the prophets, and compare the words of Symeon the God-receiver in Lk 2:30-32.

It is very remarkable that, when they hear that there is One "who is coming, who was before John," and "whose shoe strap John is not worthy to loose," the Pharisees do not grow curious to learn who this is, announced by such solemn words.

Apparently those who were sent do not want, and even fear, to enter into this mystery. They not only fail to investigate who this One is who stands among them, but apparently answer nothing and depart in silence.

Above, concerning verse 15, we said that the expressions "He was before me" and "He was prior to me" carry thought back into an indefinite depth of the past. This is like Jn 8:58, where the Lord said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."

We are not entirely certain whether the Pharisees departed completely from the Jordan after this conversation with John, or whether they were present at John's other testimony concerning the Lord and the Holy Spirit, spoken on the next day (vv. 29-34).

The holy evangelist John says nothing about this. From studying Mt 3:7-12 together with John chapter 1, it is clear that the words addressed to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to be baptized by John were spoken before the Lord's Baptism.

In John's Gospel, however, the Lord's Baptism is spoken of as an event already accomplished. Therefore the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to be baptized cannot be confused with the priests and Levites sent from Jerusalem to ask John, "Who are you?"

Therefore the testimony of Matthew does not clarify whether those sent from Jerusalem remained the next day and heard the second testimony of John the Baptist. We incline to the thought that, although they no longer disputed with the Baptist, they remained the next day.

They heard his testimony concerning Him who "baptizes with the Holy Spirit" (cf. below, v. 29 and following).