What does John 1:31 mean?

In verse 31, John the Baptist strangely claims that he did not recognize Jesus as Messiah at first. He had simply been baptizing, so that Christ would be revealed to Israel. Although the Baptist and Jesus were related through their mothers, and the Baptist had responded to the presence of Jesus while in the womb, they probably hadn't spent much time around each other. Since Jesus hadn't yet performed any miracles, it's reasonable to think that the Baptist didn't know Jesus was the Messiah until seeing the vision of the dove (John 1:32). This is part of the mystery of Jesus' youth: the Bible doesn't give many details about Jesus prior to the start of His ministry. The word used for "baptism" is the Greek baptizo, which literally means "to immerse," but with a specific spiritual context. John's purpose in calling people to repentance, demonstrated by baptism, was to open the path of understanding for Jesus. Once Christ appeared on the stage, it was time for the Baptist to step aside.