{I have seen} (he(9372)aka). Present perfect active of
hora(935c). John repeats the statement of verse 32 ( etheamai).
{Have borne witness} (memartur(886b)a). Perfect active indicative
of marture(935c) for which verb see 32 . {This is the Son of God}
(ho huios tou theou). The Baptist saw the Spirit come on Jesus
at his baptism and undoubtedly heard the Father's voice hail him
as "My Beloved Son" ( Mr 1:11 Mt 3:17 Lu 3:22 ). Nathanael uses
it as a Messianic title ( Joh 1:49 ) as does Martha ( 11:27 ).
The Synoptics use it also of Christ ( Mr 3:11 Mt 14:33 Lu
22:70 ). Caiaphas employs it to Christ as a Messianic title ( Mt
26:63 ) and Jesus confessed under oath that he was (verse Mt
26:64 ), thus applying the term to himself as he does in John's
Gospel ( 5:25 10:36 11:4 ) and by implication (the Father, the
Son) in Mt 11:27 ( Lu 10:22 ). Hence in the Synoptics also
Jesus calls himself the Son of God. The phrase means more than
just Messiah and expresses the peculiar relation of the Son to
the Father ( Joh 3:18 5:25 17:5 19:7 20:31 ) like that of the
Logos with God in 1:1 .
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