GOSPEL OF JOHN.
JOHN 1
JOHN MACARTHUR SAYS OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN...
"Although the author’s name does not appear in the gospel, early church tradition strongly and consistently identified him as the Apostle John. The early church father Irenaeus (ca. A.D.130–200) was a disciple of Polycarp (ca. A.D. 70–160), who was a disciple of the Apostle John, and he testified on Polycarp’s authority that John wrote the gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia Minor when he was advanced in age (Against Heresies 2.22.5; 3.1.1). Subsequent to Irenaeus, all the church fathers assumed John to be the gospel’s author. Clement of Alexandria (ca. A.D. 150–215) wrote that John, aware of the facts set forth in the other gospels and being moved by the Holy Spirit, composed a “spiritual gospel” (see Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History 6.14.7).
Reinforcing early church tradition are significant internal characteristics of the gospel. While the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) identify the Apostle John by name approximately 20 times (including parallels), he is not directly mentioned by name in the Gospel of John. Instead, the author prefers to identify himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (in John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20).
The absence of any mention of John’s name directly is remarkable when one considers the important part played by other named disciples in this gospel. Yet, the recurring designation of himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved,” a deliberate avoidance by John of his personal name, reflects his humility and celebrates his relation to his Lord Jesus. No mention of his name was necessary since his original readers clearly understood that he was the gospel’s author. Also, through a process of elimination based primarily on analyzing the material in chaps. 20, 21, this disciple “whom Jesus loved” narrows down to the Apostle John (e.g., 21:24; cf. 21:2). Since the gospel’s author is exacting in mentioning the names of other characters in the book, if the author had been someone other than John the apostle, he would not have omitted John’s name.
The gospel’s anonymity strongly reinforces the arguments favoring John’s authorship, for only someone of his well known and preeminent authority as an apostle would be able to write a gospel that differed so markedly in form and substance from the other gospels and have it receive unanimous acceptance in the early church.
In contrast, and against the teachings of then and now teachers of apocryphal/gnostic gospels produced from the mid-second century onward were "falsely" ascribed to apostles or other famous persons closely associated with Jesus, yet universally rejected by the church. And the fact that all of the Bible is God breathed, God inspired, and God taught, if the apocryphal/gnostic gospels had been VALID AND TRUTH, ALMIGHTY GOD WOULD HAVE SEEN TO IT THAT THEY WERE INCLUDED IN THE BIBLE....THAT THEY NEVER HAVE BEEN....TELLS THOSE OF US WHO TRUST THE BIBLE AND OUR JESUS CHRIST THEY DID NOT COME FROM GOD NOR WERE THEY AUTHORIZED BY HIM NOR WERE THEY IMPORTANT TO US, THEN AND NOW.
John and James, his older brother (Acts 12:2), were known as “the sons of Zebedee” (Matt. 10:2–4), and Jesus gave them the name “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). John was an apostle (Luke 6:12–16) and one of the 3 most intimate associates of Jesus (along with Peter and James—cf. Matt. 17:1; 26:37), being an eyewitness to and participant in Jesus’ earthly ministry (1 John 1:1–4). After Christ’s ascension, John became a “pillar” in the Jerusalem church (Gal. 2:9). He ministered with Peter (Acts 3:1; 4:13; 8:14) until he went to Ephesus (tradition says before the destruction of Jerusalem), from where he wrote this gospel and from where the Romans exiled him to Patmos (Rev. 1:9). Besides the gospel that bears his name, John also authored 1–3 John and the Book of Revelation (Rev. 1:1).
Because the writings of some church fathers indicate that John was actively writing in his old age and that he was already aware of the synoptic gospels, many date the gospel sometime after their composition, but prior to John’s writing of 1–3 John or Revelation. John wrote his gospel ca. A.D. 80–90, about 50 years after he witnessed Jesus’ earthly ministry.
Background and Setting
Strategic to John’s background and setting is the fact that according to tradition John was aware of the synoptic gospels. Apparently, he wrote his gospel in order to make a unique contribution to the record of the Lord’s life (“a spiritual gospel”) and, in part, to be supplementary as well as complementary to Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
The gospel’s unique characteristics reinforce this purpose:
First, John supplied a large amount of unique material not recorded in the other gospels.
Second, he often supplied information that helps the understanding of the events in the synoptics.
For example, while the synoptics begin with Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, they imply that Jesus had a ministry prior to that (e.g., Matt. 4:12; Mark 1:14). John supplies the answer with information on Jesus’ prior ministry in Judea (chap. 3) and Samaria (chap. 4).
In Mark 6:45, after the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus compelled his disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida. John recorded the reason. The people were about to make Jesus king because of His miraculous multiplying of food, and He was avoiding their ill-motivated efforts (6:26).
Third, John is the most theological of the gospels, containing, for example, a heavily theological prologue (1:1–18), larger amounts of didactic and discourse material in proportion to narrative (e.g., 3:13–17), and the largest amount of teaching on the Holy Spirit (e.g., 14:16, 17, 26; 16:7–14). Although John was aware of the synoptics and fashioned his gospel with them in mind, he did not depend upon them for information. Rather, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he utilized his own memory as an eyewitness in composing the gospel (1:14; 19:35; 21:24).
John’s gospel is the ONLY one of the 4 that contains a precise statement regarding the author’s purpose (20:30, 31). He declares, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (20:31).
The primary purposes, therefore, are two-fold: evangelistic and apologetic. Reinforcing the evangelistic purpose is the fact that the word “believe” occurs approximately 100 times in the gospel (the synoptics use the term less than half as much). John composed his gospel to provide reasons for saving faith in his readers and, as a result, to assure them that they would receive the divine gift of eternal life (1:12).
The apologetic purpose is closely related to the evangelistic purpose.
John wrote to convince his readers of Jesus’ TRUE identity as the incarnate God-Man whose divine and human natures were perfectly united into one person who was the prophesied Christ (“Messiah”) and Savior of the world (John 1:41; 3:16; 4:25, 26; 8:58).
He organized his whole gospel around 8 “signs” or proofs that reinforce Jesus’ true identity leading to faith. The first half of his work centers around 7 miraculous signs selected to reveal Christ’s person and engender belief:
1) water made into wine (2:1–11).
2) the healing of the royal official’s son (4:46–54).
3) the healing of the lame man (5:1–18).
4) the feeding of multitude (6:1–15).
5) walking on water (6:16–21).
6) healing of the blind man (9:1–41).
7) the raising of Lazarus (11:1–57).
8) the miraculous catch of fish (21:6–11) after Jesus’ resurrection.
Historical and Theological Themes
In accordance with John’s evangelistic and apologetic purposes, the overall message of the gospel is found in 20:31: “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.”
The book, therefore, centers on the person and work of Christ. Three predominant words (“signs,” “believe,” and “life”) in 20:30, 31 receive constant reemphasis throughout the gospel to enforce the theme of salvation in Him, which is first set forth in the prologue (1:1–18; cf. 1 John 1:1–4) and reexpressed throughout the gospel in varying ways (e.g., 6:35, 48; 8:12; 10:7, 9; 10:11–14; 11:25; 14:6; 17:3).
In addition, John provides the record of how men responded to Jesus Christ and the salvation that He offered. Summing up, the gospel focuses on: 1) Jesus as the Word, the Messiah, and Son of God; 2) who brings the gift of salvation to mankind; 3) who either accept or reject the offer.
John also presents certain contrastive sub-themes that reinforce his main theme. He uses dualism (life and death, light and darkness, love and hate, from above and from below) to convey vital information about the person and work of Christ and the need to believe in Him (John 1:4, 5, 12, 13; 3:16–21; 12:44–46; 15:17–20).
There are also 7 emphatic “I AM” statements which identify Jesus as God and Messiah (John 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 9; 10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5).
Interpretive Challenges
Because John composed his record in a clear and simple style, one might tend to underestimate the depth of this gospel. Since John’s gospel is a “spiritual” gospel, the truths he conveys are profound. The reader must prayerfully and meticulously explore the book, in order to discover the vast richness of the spiritual treasures that the apostle, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 16:13), has lovingly deposited in his gospel.
The chronological reckoning between John’s gospel and the synoptics presents a challenge, especially in relation to the time of the Last Supper (John 13:2). While the synoptics portray the disciples and the Lord at the Last Supper as eating the Passover meal on Thursday evening (Nisan 14) and Jesus being crucified on Friday, John’s gospel states that the Jews did not enter into the Praetorium “lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover” (John 18:28). So, the disciples had eaten the Passover on Thursday evening, but the Jews had not. In fact, John 19:14 states that Jesus’ trial and crucifixion were on the day of Preparation for the Passover and not after the eating of the Passover, so that with the trial and crucifixion on Friday Christ was actually sacrificed at the same time the Passover lambs were being slain in John 19:14.
The question is, “Why did the disciples eat the Passover meal on Thursday?”
The answer lies in a difference among the Jews in the way they reckoned the beginning and ending of days. From Josephus, the Mishna, and other ancient Jewish sources we learn that the Jews in northern Palestine calculated days from sunrise to sunrise. That area included the region of Galilee, where Jesus and all the disciples, except Judas, had grown up. Apparently most, if not all, of the Pharisees used that system of reckoning. But Jews in the southern part, which centered in Jerusalem, calculated days from sunset to sunset. Because all the priests necessarily lived in or near Jerusalem, as did most of the Sadducees, those groups followed the southern scheme.
That variation doubtlessly caused confusion at times, but it also had some practical benefits. During Passover time, for instance, it allowed for the feast to be celebrated legitimately on two adjoining days, thereby permitting the temple sacrifices to be made over a total period of four hours rather than two. That separation of days may also have had the effect of reducing both regional and religious clashes between the two groups.
On that basis the seeming contradictions in the gospel accounts are easily explained. Being Galileans, Jesus and the disciples considered Passover day to have started at sunrise on Thursday and to end at sunrise on Friday. The Jewish leaders who arrested and tried Jesus, being mostly priests and Sadducees, considered Passover day to begin at sunset on Thursday and end at sunset on Friday. By that variation, predetermined by God’s sovereign provision, Jesus could thereby legitimately celebrate the last Passover meal with His disciples and yet still be sacrificed on Passover day.
Once again one can see how God sovereignly and marvelously provides for the precise fulfillment of His redemptive plan. Jesus was anything but a victim of men’s wicked schemes, much less of blind circumstance. Every word He spoke and every action He took were divinely directed and secured. Even the words and actions by others against Him were divinely controlled confirmed to us in John 11:49–52; 19:11.
JOHN 1 OPENS WITH:
THE WORD AND THE WITNESS OF JOHN, THE 4TH GOSPEL.
Why are there four gospels? Each gospel presents a different perspective on the life of Jesus, and we need all four to get the full picture.
John was probably the LAST gospel written, and written in view of what the previous three had already said. This is one reason why John is so different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
There are significant events in the ministry of Jesus that Matthew, Mark, and Luke include that John leaves out, including Jesus' birth, baptism, temptation in the wilderness, the agony in Gethsemane, the Ascension, demonic confrontations, and parables.
The first three gospels center on Jesus' ministry in Galilee. John centers his gospel on what Jesus said and did in Jerusalem.
Each of the gospels emphasizes a different origin of Jesus.
1. Matthew shows Jesus came from Abraham through David, and demonstrates that He is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament (Matthew 1:1-17).
2. Mark shows Jesus came from Nazareth, demonstrating that Jesus is a Servant (Mark 1:9).
3. Luke shows Jesus came from Adam, demonstrating that Jesus is the Perfect Man (Luke 3:23-38).
4. John shows Jesus came from heaven, demonstrating that Jesus is God.
However, it is wrong to think that the Gospel of John completes the story of Jesus. John makes it clear that the story of Jesus can never be completed (John 21:25).
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the three synoptic gospels. Synoptic means "see-together" and the first three gospels present Jesus' life in pretty much the SAME format. The first three gospels focus more on WHAT Jesus taught and did; John focuses more on WHO Jesus is.
HOW?
1. John shows us who Jesus is by highlighting seven signs (miracles) of Jesus. SIX of these miracles are NOT mentioned in the first three gospels.
2. John shows us who Jesus is by allowing Jesus to speak for Himself in SEVEN dramatic I Am statements.
3. John shows us who Jesus is by calling forth witnesses who will testify about the identity of Jesus. FOUR of these witnesses speak in the FIRST chapter alone.
4. John is a gospel written for a specific purpose: that we might KNOW AND BELIEVE. A key verse for understanding the Gospel of John is found at the end of the book, in John 20:31, which says, "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."
5. The Gospel of John has even helped SCHOLARLY SKEPTICS to believe. The oldest surviving fragment of the New Testament is a portion of John 18, found in Egypt and dating well before 150 a. d. indicating wide circulation by that early date.
6. The Gospel of John is a BELOVED gospel. It has been called "a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant may swim."
Commentator Charles Erdman says: "Its stories are so simple that even a child will love them, but its statements are so profound that no philosopher can fathom them."
Verses 1-2 tells us The ORIGIN of the Word (Logos).
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God."
In the beginning refers to the TIMELESS ETERNITY of Genesis 1:1: In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. John essentially says, "When the beginning began, the Word was already there. " That is, that the Word predates ALL time or ALL creation.
John makes it clear that the Word is NOT just the beginning, but the beginning of the beginning. He was there in the beginning, before anything was.
In the beginning was the Word: Word translated the ancient the Greek word Logos. The idea of the logos had deep and rich roots in both Jewish and Greek thinking.
Jewish rabbis often referred to God, especially in His more personal aspects, in terms of His word. They spoke of God Himself as "the word of God. " For example, ancient Hebrew editions of the Old Testament change Exodus 19:17 (Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God) to "Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet the word of God. " In the mind of the ancient Jews, the phrase "the word of God" could be used to refer to God Himself.
The Greek philosophers saw THE LOGOS as the power which puts sense into the world, making the world orderly instead of chaotic. The logos was the power that set the world in perfect order and kept it going in perfect order. They saw the logos as the "Ultimate Reason" that controlled all things.
Therefore, in this opening, John says to both Jews and Greeks: "For centuries you HAVE been talking, thinking, and writing about the Word (the logos). Now I will tell you WHO He is. " John meets both Jews and Greeks where they are at, and explains Jesus in terms they already understood.
And the Word was with God, and the Word was God:
With this brilliant statement, John 1:1 sets forth one of the most basic foundations of our faith - THE TRINITY. We can follow John's logic:
1. There is a Being known as the Word.
2. This Being is God, because He is eternal (In the beginning)
3. This Being is God, because He is plainly called God (the Word was God).
4. At the same time, this Being does not encompass all that God is. God the Father is a distinct Person from the Word (the Word was with God).
5. So, the Father and the Son (the Son is known here as the Word) are equally God, yet distinct in their Person. The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father. Yet they are equally God, with God the Holy Spirit making one God in three Persons.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God:
What about the Watchtower's New World Translation here? This Jehovah's Witness translation reads like this: "In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was A god. "
Their translation is used to DENY the teaching that Jesus is God.
In answer to this approach to Greek grammar and translation, we can only refer to the multitude of other times in the New Testament where "God" appears without the article. If the Watchtower were honest and consistent, they would translate "God" as "god" every place it appears without the article. But it seems that this grammatical rule only applies when it suits the purpose of backing up THEIR OWN RE-CREATED doctrinal beliefs of the Watchtower.
In the main resource the Watchtower uses to establish their claim (The Kingdom Interlinear), the Watchtower quotes two well-known Greek authorities to make them appear to agree with their translation.
But they both have been misquoted, and one of them, Dr. Mantey has even written the Watchtower, and demanded that his name be removed from the book! Another "scholar" whom the Watchtower refers to in their book The Word - Who Is He? According to John, is Johannes Greber. Greber was actually an occult-practicing spiritist, and NOT a scholar of Biblical Greek.
Dr. Julius R. Mantey says, "A GROSSLY MISLEADING TRANSLATION. It is neither scholarly nor reasonable to translate John 1:1 'the Word was a god. ' But of all the scholars in the world, so far as we know, none have translated this verse as Jehovah's Witnesses have done."
DR. WILLIAM BARCLAY says, "The deliberate distortion of truth by this sect is seen in their New Testament translations. John 1:1 is translated: ' … the Word was a god,' a translation which is grammatically impossible. It is abundantly clear that a sect which can translate the New Testament like that is intellectually dishonest."
He was in the beginning with God again makes the point that the Father is distinct from the Son, and the Son distinct from the Father. They are equally God, yet they are separate Persons.
Verses 3-5 tells us The work and nature of the Word.
"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
Without Him nothing was made that was made:
The Word created all created things. Therefore He Himself is an UN-CREATED Being, as Paul says in Colossians 1:16.
In Him was life:
The Word is the source of all life. The ancient Greek word translated life is "ZOE", which means "the life principle," NOT "bios", which is mere biological life. This life is the light of men, speaking of spiritual light as well as natural light. It is NOT that the Word "contains" life and light; He IS life and light.
Therefore, without Jesus, we are dead and in darkness. We are lost. Significantly, man has an inborn fear towards both death and darkness.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it:
Did not comprehend can also be translated did not overcome. The light can not lose against the darkness; the darkness will never overcome it.
Verses 6-13 tells us The revelation of the Word.
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
There was a man sent from God: John the Baptist bears witness of the light, that all through him might believe.
The world did NOT know Him:
How can it be? How can it be that God came to the same world He created, to the creatures made in His image, and the world did NOT know Him? It shows how deeply FALLEN human nature has rejected God.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
Though some rejected this revelation, others received Him and thereby became children of God. They became children of God through a new birth, being born … of God.
As many as received Him:
The idea of "receiving Jesus" is Biblically valid. We need to embrace and receive Him unto ourselves. As many as received Him is just another to say those who believe in His name.
Those who received Him are born of God, but not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Here, John reminds us of the nature of the NEW birth: it is God's sovereign gift to man, NOT man's achievement.
Verses 14-18 tells us The Word became flesh.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me. '" And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him."
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us:
This is John's most startling statement so far. It would have amazed both Jewish and Greek thinking to hear that the Word became flesh.
WHY?
The GREEKS had a generally LOW view of God. To them, John says the Word became flesh. The ancient Greek gods such as Zeus and Hermes were simply super-men; they were NOT equal to the order and reason of the Logos.
The JEWS had a generally prohibitive view of God too. To the Jews, John says the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Jews had a hard time accepting that the great God revealed in the Old Testament could take on human form. John says to the Jewish thinkers, "the Word of God became flesh."
We beheld His glory:
John testifies to this as an eyewitness, even as John the Baptist testified. John could say, "I saw His glory, the glory belonging to the only begotten of the Father."
Though, the word "BEHELD" is stronger than the words "saw" or "looked". John tells us that he and the other disciples carefully studied the glory of the Word made flesh.
John bore witness of Him and cried out:
The one announced by John the Baptist - Jesus Christ - is the Word made flesh. He brings a different order than the one instituted by Moses (For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ).
It is an inexhaustible supply of grace (grace for grace) and truth, contrasting with an order of rigid laws and regulations given through Moses.
No one has seen God at any time:
Jesus, the Word, is the perfect declaration of the unseen God. The Father and the Son belong to the same family, and Jesus has declared the nature of the unseen God to man. We do NOT have to wonder about the nature and personality of God. Jesus has declared it with both His teaching and His life.
AND THIS REMINDS US ALL...TO BEWARE OF THOSE WHO SAY AND PROCLAIM...I WALK WITH GOD. I TALK TO HIM FACE TO FACE. HE VISITS ME. HE EATS BREAKFAST WITH ME. HE COMES TO ME FOR ADVISE AND GUIDANCE. ANY WHO SAYS ANY OF THE ABOVE..DO NOT KNOW THE BIBLE AND ITS TRUTH. NO ONE HAS SEEN GOD THE FATHER.
Verses 19-28 tells us John tells us WHO John the Baptist is & his testimony.
"Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ. " And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not. " "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No. " Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as the prophet Isaiah said. " Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. " These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing."
John the Baptist is emphatic:
I am NOT the Christ. For John the Baptist, it was unthinkable that attention would focus on himself, because he was not the Messiah. His job was to point to the Messiah.
Are you Elijah?
It might be easy for the priests and Levites from Jerusalem to associate John the Baptist with Elijah because of his personality and because of the promise in Malachi 4:5-6. If he is the forerunner of the Messiah, then is he Elijah?
In a sense, John the Baptist WAS like Elijah, ministering in his office and spirit (Matthew 11:13-14 and Mark 9:11-13).
Are you the Prophet?
This refers to God's promise through Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15, promising a prophet to come. Based on this passage, they expected ANOTHER Prophet to come.
I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
John the Baptist sees himself as the advance man of the great King. His baptism was a preparatory cleansing for the King. The idea is, "get cleaned up, get ready for a royal visit!"
DID YOU KNOW...The Jews in John the Baptist's day practiced BAPTISM. It was an outgrowth of ceremonial washings. But the Jews of that time typically reserved baptism for GENTILES who wanted to become Jews. So to submit to John the Baptist's baptism, a Jew had to identify with the Gentiles. This was a genuine sign of repentance & one most Jews and Jewish leaders called blasphemy and heresy.
I baptize with water:
John the Baptist's baptism was negative. It cleansed, but it gave nothing to help someone keep clean. Christian baptism illustrates both our death with Jesus and our rising to new life with Him.
Who sandal strap I am not worthy to loose:
Untying the strap of a sandal (before foot washing) was duty of the LOWEST slave in the house.
Among Rabbis and their disciples, there was a teacher-student relationship that had the potential for abuse. It was entirely possible that a Rabbi might expect unreasonable service from their disciples. One of the things which was considered "too low" for a Rabbi to expect from his disciples was the untying of the Rabbi's sandal strap. John says he is unworthy to do even this for Jesus Christ.
Verses 29-34 tells us John the Baptist tells us who Jesus is.
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me. ' I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water. " And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. ' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."
Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
THINK ABOUT THIS....
At the VERY dawn of His ministry, Jesus is greeted with words that REMIND Him of his destiny: His sacrificial agony on the cross for the sin of mankind. The shadow of the cross was cast over the ENTIRE ministry of Jesus.
For He was before me:
John the Baptist was actually born before Jesus - and John would know this from Luke 1. So, when John the Baptist says He was before me, he refers to the eternal pre-existence of Jesus. John knew very well that Jesus was God.
Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit:
God gave John the Baptist the sure sign to know the Messiah. He would be the one on Whom the Holy Spirit descended upon from heaven. John is a reliable witness regarding who Jesus is, because he has had confirming evidence from God.
I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God:
John the Baptist gives his solemn testimony:
This Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Son of God in the sense shown in John 1:18: the One who perfectly declares the nature and personality of God the Father.
The gospel of John emphasizes John the Baptist's role as a witness, NOT a baptizer. Witnesses give testimony as to what they have seen and experienced, in an effort to establish the truth. Beyond that, they are unreliable, and operate on hearsay.
Witnesses are NOT neutral - they are committed to the truth of their testimony, or they are unreliable witnesses. John knows that John the Baptist is a reliable witness, and knows who Jesus is because of what he has SEEN with his own eyes.
Verses 35-39 tells us The TESTIMONY of the FIRST TWO of John's disciples begin to follow Jesus.
"Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come and see. " They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
Behold, the Lamb of God!
John already said this of Jesus in John 1:29. Did he say this every time he saw Jesus? It was a vivid reminder of Jesus' destiny at the cross.
And they followed Jesus:
John did NOT care about gathering disciples after himself. He was perfectly satisfied to have these disciples leave his circle and follow Jesus. It fulfilled his ministry; it did NOT take away from it.
Come and see:
Jesus invited John and Andrew to be a part of His life. Jesus did NOT life a cloistered, ultra-private life. Jesus taught and discipled others by allowing them to live with Him.
Now it was about the tenth hour:
This was such a memorable occasion for writer that he remembered the EXACT hour that he met Jesus. This is a subtle clue that one of the two disciples who came to Jesus from John the Baptist WAS the apostle John himself.
Verses 40-42 tells us Andrew brings his brother, Simon Peter to Jesus.
"One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone)."
He found his own brother:
THINK ABOUT THIS...
THEN AND NOW...IS IT NOT the nature of Christian experience that those who enjoy the experience of JESUS CHRIST desire to share their experience with others.
You shall be called Cephas:
In giving Simon a new name (Cephas or Peter, meaning A Stone), Jesus tells Andrew's brother what kind of man he will be transformed into. At the time, and throughout the gospel, Peter may have looked like a "rock" on the outside, but was really anything but a rock. But before Jesus is done with Peter, he will be a stone of stability for Jesus Christ.
We have found the Messiah:
This Andrew's testimony about who Jesus is. He KNOWS that Jesus is the Messiah.
Verses 43-44 tells us Jesus calls Philip to follow Him.
"The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me. " Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter."
Follow Me:
There is nothing dramatic recorded about the call of Philip. Jesus simply says "Follow Me," and Philip does.
Verses 45-51 tells us Nathaniel OVERCOMES prejudice to follow Jesus.
"Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote; Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. " And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see. " Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. " Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these. " And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets wrote:\
This is PHILIP'S testimony as a witness of Jesus Christ. He declares that He is the Messiah and Savior predicted in the Old Testament.
Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
With this, Nathanael prejudices himself against Jesus. If Jesus comes from Nazareth, that is all Nathanael cares to know about Him!
Come and see:
Instead of arguing against Nathanael's prejudice, Phillip simply invites him to meet Jesus for himself.
Under the fig tree, I saw you:
It is possible Nathanael liked to pray and meditate on the things of the Lord under the shade of an actual fig tree. But under the fig tree was a phrase Rabbis used to describe meditation on the Scriptures. Nathanael was spending time with the Lord, meditating on the Scriptures, and Jesus tells him "I saw you" there.
Nathanael gives his testimony regarding Jesus:
You are the Son of God, the King of Israel.
You shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man:
Jesus promises Nathanael a greater sign than he has seen before. But what does He mean by the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man?
This probably connects with the dream of Jacob in Genesis 28:12, where Jacob saw a ladder from earth to heaven, and the angels ascending and descending upon it. Jesus says that He is the ladder, the link, between heaven and earth. When Nathanael comes to understand that Jesus is the mediator between God and man, it will be an even greater sign (you will see greater things than these).
This seems like rather obscure reference, but it was extremely meaningful to Nathanael. Possibly, it was the very portion of Scripture Nathaniel meditated on under the fig tree.
Son of Man:
The idea behind this phrase is NOT "the perfect man" or "the ideal man" or "the common man. " Instead, it is a reference to Daniel 7:13-14, where the King of Glory coming to judge the world is called the Son of Man.
Jesus used this title often because in His day, it was a Messianic title FREE from political and nationalistic sentiment. When a Jewish person of that time heard "King" or "Christ" they often thought of a political or military savior. Jesus emphasized another term, often calling Himself the Son of Man.
This section of John shows FOUR ways of coming to Jesus:
1. Andrew came to Jesus because of the preaching of John.
2. Peter came to Jesus because of the witness of his brother.
3. Phillip came to Jesus as a result of the direct call of Jesus.
4. Nathaniel came to Jesus as he overcame personal prejudices by a personal encounter with Jesus.
This section shows us FOUR different witnesses testifying to the identity of Jesus. How much more testimony does anyone need?
1. John the Baptist testified that Jesus is eternal, that He is the man uniquely anointed with the Holy Spirit, that He is the Lamb of God, and that Jesus is the unique Son of God.
2. Andrew testified that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ.
3. Phillip testified that Jesus is the One prophesied in the Old Testament.
4. Nathaniel testified that Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israel.