‘There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness that he might bear witness of the light that all may believe through him.'
For the Word did not come unheralded. ‘A man' came (in contrast with the Word Who was God), sent from God, whose name was John (the Baptiser). There is no idea here that this man was just someone who was simply ‘inspired' in a general way, a new thinker. Rather he is seen as a man specifically ‘sent from God'. And the purpose of this sending is shown to be that he might point to a great light, that he might bear witness to One Who was the full light of God, so that through his testimony ‘all may believe'.
All the Gospels combine in pointing out that John was the preparer of the way (see Mark 1:2-3; Mark 1:7-8; Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16; John 1:23; John 1:30), and they all make clear the success of his ministry. People of every kind came to hear him and to respond to his teaching. He brought men to repentance and was renewing men's moral awareness in order that they may respond to the coming light. But notice the verb used. ‘There came ---' (egeneto), compare John 1:3 where it means ‘came into being'. There is a stress that, in contrast to Jesus Who always ‘was', John the Baptiser has ‘come into being'. In contrast with the Word, John is of the earth, not of Heaven.
‘Whose name was John.' He wants his readers to realise that this was not just a vague someone but a genuine man who lived and taught and had a name. John the Baptiser would not be unknown to his readers. His powerful ministry had had an impact that had reached much further than Palestine, and there were followers of John the Baptiser all around the world wherever Jews could be found. It is one of the evidences that this Gospel was written by John the Apostle that he, and he alone, spoke of the Baptiser simply as ‘John'. For he never speaks of himself by that name but rather describes himself as the one ‘whom Jesus loved', something which humbled him to the core. And the more the Apostle sought to advance Jesus Christ, the more he withdrew himself into the background. He did not want men to see him as ‘the only now-living Apostle'. He wanted to withdraw himself into obscurity so that all eyes would be on Christ. No other could have so ignored the Apostle John and intentionally have not named him or his brother.