<p>3:28- see on Mt. 3:7.</p><p><i>You yourselves can testify that I said: I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him- </i>It was only at the Lord's baptism that John the Baptist realized that Jesus of Nazareth, his relative, was in fact the Christ. But now, John is clearly stating that this Jesus is the Christ and they ought to follow Him instead. The Gospel of John is therefore making the point that those disciples of John who were still loyal to him rather than the Lord were out of step with John's own clear words.</p>