John 1:15-51

The Gospel Of John Chapter 1:15-51

I. Outline: I. The Testimony Of John The Baptist: 1:15, 19-34 II. What Jesus Brought/Revealed: 1:16-18 III. His First Disciples: 1:35-42 IV. Philip And Nathanael: 1:43-51

II. Commentary: John 1:15 ‘John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I , for He existed before me.’”’

‘John bore witness of Him’-Again, it is made clear that John is not the Light.

Rather, John the Baptist agrees with the testimony written in the Gospel of John, that Jesus is the Messiah, and that Jesus is Eternal. Jesus was infinite, John was finite.

Repeatedly, John preached that he was inferior to Jesus (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:7; John 3:28).

‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’-John the Baptist was actually some six months physically older than Jesus (Luke 1:36). In fact, John had even started preaching before Jesus did. This is a clear reference to the pre-existence of Jesus. John knew the true nature of Jesus, that He is God!

John 1:16 ‘For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.’

‘His’-Jesus. ‘fulness’-‘abundance’ (Thayer p. 518); ‘sum total, fulness, even super-abundance’ (Arndt p. 672). ‘The word for “fulness” is pleroma and is the same word Paul uses in Colossians 2:9. There Paul says that in Christ dwells all the fulness…of the Godhead..in a bodily

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form….In Christ dwells the ultimate of wisdom, power and love.’ (Butler p. 33) ‘the sum total of all that is in God’ (Barclay p. 52)

‘we have all received’-The word ‘we’ includes the writer, the other apostles, the first century Christians, and even John the Baptist needed the spiritual blessings which only Christ can give.

‘grace upon grace’-‘one grace after another’ (Ber); ‘blessing after blessing’ (Gspd).

The word fulness suggests that this expression means an abundant supply.

Points To Note: 1. All spiritual blessings are found in Christ (Eph. 1:3). 2. And yet, we must always remember that grace is conditional (Titus 2:11-12; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:8-10). 3.

If we are lovers of God and the truth, seeking to serve Him and grow, then we will find all the grace that we need. The fountain of grace never dries up, no matter how much we draw, as along as we are humble and seeking to do His will. 4. Even the apostles, needed such grace! (Galatians 2:11-13)

John 1:17 ‘For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.’

‘For the Law was given through Moses’-John agrees with the historical detail found in the Old Testament. Moses was the instrument through whom the Law was given to Israel. In fact, Moses recorded the Law. Carefully note that the Law ‘was given’. ‘It was not a human development, an outgrowth of the religious genius of the people of Israel, or a product of its great leader or of a number of its leaders.’ (Lenski p. 92)

‘grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ’-‘Realized’-Obviously the Law talked about truth, and revealed many truths, in addition, the Law also contained grace—every sinner wasn’t immediately struck dead. But when Jesus came, He didn’t merely talk about truth or grace, rather, by His death He opened up an avenue to the abundance of God’s grace, and through the apostles, all truth was revealed (John 16:13).

Points To Note: 1.

People erroneously think that the above passage is teaching that since Jesus came, we no longer have to obey any of God’s laws. Christianity contains many laws (Hebrews 8:10 ‘Laws’). Jesus believed that not only had He brought grace, but He had also brought a number of ‘commandments’ (John 14:15). 2. Jesus gave laws concerning our salvation (Mark 16:15-16); the Church (Matthew 18:15-17); the marriage relationship (Matthew 19:3-9), and whatever else was revealed through the apostles (1 Cor. 14:37). 3. Unlike the faithful under the First Covenant, we don’t have to wait for the ultimate sacrifice (Hebrews 9:15).

Presently, we have immediate access to all the grace we need when we humbly 2

repent and confess our sins (1 John 1:8-10). 4. Jesus not only brought all truth, but He also brought the ‘reality’, the ‘substance’ the things which various Old Testament practices and institutions had only been faint shadows (Colossians 2:1617; Hebrews 9:23). 5. When someone starts teaching that God’s laws are too complicated to understand, not necessary for salvation, they are not teaching the lesson that grace teaches (Titus 2:11-12). 6. Grace teaches that we can be forgiven when we sin, it does not teach that sin has become any less sinful. 7.

Some seem to think that grace means that the ‘list of sins’ has shrunk to include only a few things. The apostles didn’t have this attitude (Galatians 5:19-21). 8.

Woods notes, ‘It involves grievous error to assume, as many today do, that all there was of the Old Testament order was law, and all there is of the New Testament system is grace…It was the unmerited favor of God which allowed sinful man to approach him through Jewish modes of worship….’ (p. 35) 9. In fact, every command which we have been given is a manifestation of God’s grace.

10. To say that anything other than ‘faith’ in Jesus amounts to a work of human merit, is foolish. For repentance, confession, baptism, etc….are as much a human response as is faith (Colossians 2:11-12).

John 1:18 ‘No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.’ ‘No man has seen God at any time’-Not even Moses, the great Lawgiver. Moses only saw a glimpse of the passing glory of God (Exodus 33:20-23). God has never been seen in His fullness and in His natural state, which is pure Spirit (John 4:23-24; 1 Timothy 6:16). See also (Exodus 33:20; Deut. 4:12; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17. The desire to ‘see’ God is not new (Job 23:3; Isaiah 64:1). ‘In the original Greek, the word translated “has seen” is, the perfect tense….John declares that there has never been any particular time in history when anyone has had a full vision of God.’ ‘in His essential being God has never been seen of men. Men had had their visions of God, but these were all partial.’ (Morris p.

113)

‘the only begotten God’-The best Greek Manuscripts here read, ‘God Only Begotten’.

Therefore, we know that the expression ‘begotten’ doesn’t refer to origin. Rather, Jesus is of the same substance and nature as is the Father (Hebrews 1:3), and Jesus is the Only Son of God in this sense.

‘who is in the bosom of the Father’-‘is in’-the idea of a timeless relationship. ‘bosom’-‘Whether taken from friends reclining at a feast or from a father’s embrace, denotes perfect intimacy’ (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 692) (John 13:23; Luke 16:23,25). ‘To be in the bosom of someone is the Hebrew phrase which expresses the deepest possible intimacy possible in human life…It is because Jesus is so intimate with God (the Father and Holy Spirit), that He is one with God, that He can reveal God to men.’ (Barclay p. 56) ‘means perfect understanding and love. The nature of the invisible and mysterious God is thus interpreted by One who is qualified to do so through kinship and understanding.’

(Tenney p. 72)

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‘He has explained Him’-‘Explained’-‘interpreted’ (Rhm); ‘made Him known’ (RSV) ‘John uses an interesting word in the Greek for ‘declared (explained)’. He uses exegesato, from which we get our English words exegesis and exegetical, meaning literally to lead out, or interpret.’ (Butler p. 34) Points To Note: 1.

Jesus had done what many thought and still do think is impossible. Barclay notes, ‘Plato had said: “Never man and God can meet” Celsus had laughed at the way that the Christians called God Father, because God is away beyond everything. At the best, Apuleius said, men could catch a glimpse of God as a lightening flash lights up a dark night—one split second of illumination, and then the dark.’ (p. 55) 2. In fact, even some professed Christians seem to echo the same sentiments.

That the Bible is just so confusing that we can never know that we really do know the truth. 3. In contrast, Jesus has fully explained God. Look at Jesus, listen to His teachings and you will know God! Please note, in the Gospel of John, eternal life is conditioned upon knowing God (John 17:3).

The Testimony Of John The Baptist The following verses are linked together by references to time (1:29,35,43, 2:1). ‘This group of events marks those occurring on four successive days and another that happened three days later….Jesus emerges from the quiet life in Nazareth and now takes up his public ministry.’ (Lenski p. 103) Some see a nice parallel between this chapter and Genesis chapter 1. There, we find the first week of Creation. Here, we find the first week in the public ministry of Jesus.

‘Startling from this passage and going on to 2:1-11 he tells step by step the story of the first momentous week in the public life of Jesus. The events of the first day are in 1:1928; the story of the second day is 1:29-34; the third day is unfolded in 1:35-39. The three verses 1:40-42 tell the story of the fourth day. The events of the fifth day are told in 1:4351. The sixth day is left a blank. And the events of the last day of the week are told in 2:1-11.’ (Barclay p. 57)

John 1:19 ‘And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”’ ‘this is the witness of John’-the testimony which John gave. ‘the Jews’-‘This word ‘Jews’ occurs in the Fourth Gospel no fewer than seventy times; and always the Jews are the opposition.’ (Barclay p. 58) Here the word probably means the leaders of the Jews, that is, the Jewish High Court, or the Sanhedrin. Which was a council composed of about 70 learned and influential Jewish leaders. Included in this

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court were the Pharisees (the traditionalists), the Sadducees (the modernists), and the Scribes, the professional interpreters, students and copyists of Scripture.

‘priests and Levites’-The priests were the direct descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses. The Levites were descendants from the tribe of Levi. ‘They performed the more menial tasks of the temple service, baking bread, leading temple music, etc…One of their main functions was to enforce the Law. They were the temple police force, and they carried out the sentences of the Sanhedrin when punishment was to be inflicted.’ (Butler p.

36) We should note that John the Baptist came from a priestly family (Luke 1:5f).

”Who are you?”-Carefully note that this Gospel picks up John the Baptist at the height of his popularity. Nothing is said here about were John came from, what He looked like, and so on. This is simply one more indication that the Gospel of John was written after the other three. John assumes that his readers will already know all the other details about John the Baptist. We should note that the Jewish authorities were doing their job. The claims of ‘prophets’ were to be tested (Deut. 18:20-22). And various false prophets had plagued Israel, even in somewhat recent times (Acts 5:36-37). Seeing that John was from a priestly family, these men were probably especially interested in his actions. The fact that this official delegation was sent, infers that this is happening when many were coming to John to be baptized (Luke 3:1-15; Matthew 3:5f).

John 1:20 ‘And he confessed, and did not deny, and he confessed, “I am not the Christ.”’

“I am not the Christ”-Right up front, John made it clear, he wasn’t the Messiah.

John refused to pretend that he was more than he actually was. He is a tremendous example of a man who knew his role and place. ‘He willingly and joyfully kept himself in the background in order that all might see the only Son of God. The Baptist was what every true follower of Christ ought to be-----a servant willing to lay all the acclaim and honor given him of men at the feet of Jesus.’ (Butler p. 37)

John 1:21 ‘And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No”.’

“Are you Elijah?”-Now John did come in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17; Matthew 17:11-13). But the Jews had misinterpreted Malachi 4:5 and were under the impression that Elijah himself would return. They were asking, ‘Are you the Elijah of the Old Testament, come back from the dead?’ John was not a reincarnation of Elijah and neither was he Elijah, raised from the dead. A whole theology developed among the Jews concerning what they believed Elijah would do when he came. ‘He would settle what things and what people were clean and unclean; he would settle who were Jews and who were not Jews; he would bring together again families which were estranged. So much did the Jews believe this that the traditional law said that money and property whose owner was unknown, must wait “until Elijah comes.”’ (Barclay p. 60)

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“Are you the Prophet?”-The prophet that Moses had predicted (Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22-26). Apparently, the Jews believed that ‘the Prophet’ of Deut. 18:15 was someone other than the Messiah (see also John 7:40). ‘It was sometimes believed that Isaiah and, especially, Jeremiah would return at the coming of the Messiah.’ (Barclay pp. 60-61) See Matthew 16:14.

John 1:22 ‘They said them to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”’ ‘so that we may give an answer’-‘This delegation from Jerusalem was getting nowhere fast! Their mission thus far was a failure. John’s flat denial will not satisfy the “powers that be”. They must bring an answer or suffer censure and embarrassment.’

(Butler p. 39)

John 1:23 ‘He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’, as Isaiah the prophet said.”’

“I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness”-The other Gospels record the same information (Matthew 3:3; Luke 3:4-6). John points out that his ministry had been foretold by the prophets. The quotation is from Isaiah 40:3-5. And carefully note that John says that Isaiah did write Isaiah 40:3-5.

‘Make straight’-‘Eastern roads were not surfaced…When a king was about to visit a province, when a conqueror was about to travel through his domains, the roads were smoothed and straightened out and put in order. What John was saying is: “I am nobody; I am only a voice telling you to get ready for the coming of the King….Get yourselves ready, for the King is on the way.”’ (Barclay p. 61) ‘The Baptist is only a voice. Let them realize that the command to repent is issued by the One whom the voice represents!’

(Hendriksen p. 95) Points To Note: 1. John came to prepare the people for Jesus (Luke 1:17). John literally preached in the wilderness. 2. Notice that Isaiah says, ‘The Lord’, Jehovah. And yet, the person who came was Jesus. Just one more piece of supporting evidence that Jesus is God. 3. Morris notes that the Essences who lived in a Monastic community along the shores of the Dead Sea applied these passages in Isaiah to themselves. Their attitude was, ‘Whatever happened to people outside, they would be ready when Messiah came.

John, by contrast, understood the words as a clarion call to the nation. He was not concerned with himself and his own safety at all. He was trying to prepare the way of the Lord by getting people ready to meet Him.’ (p. 138)

John 1:24 ‘Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.’

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The above verse seems to be explaining to the reader the reason why the next question was asked. The Pharisees and not the Sadducees would have been highly interested as why he was baptizing

John 1:25 ‘And they asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”’

“Why then are you baptizing”-There is some debate as the whether the Jews of this period demanded that their proselytes undergo a ceremonial washing. Butler writes, ‘Ecclesiastical history, however, gives no clear-cut evidence that the Jews practiced proselyte baptism. To the contrary, ancient records seem to indicate that the Jews appropriated baptism to the ceremonies of making proselytes from the practice begun by John, and later from Christian baptism. (Unger’s Bible Dictionary, p. 985) (p. 41) 1.

Either way, it is obvious that John is doing something that is new. Even if the Jews were practicing baptism for their proselytes, John is demanding that Jews themselves submit to this baptism! Inferring that the Jews were as unclean as their Gentile neighbors in the sight of God. 2. The Pharisees probably thought, ‘Who is this man who is introducing these new customs, how dare he assume such authority.’ 3. Morris notes, ‘All Jews were prepared to accept the view that Gentiles were defiled and needed cleansing. But to put Jews in the same class was horrifying….It is true that on the basis of certain Old Testament passages (Ezekiel 36:25; Zechariah 13:1) some expected that there would be baptizing when the messianic age dawned. But John had denied being the Messiah. It was all very perplexing, and the Pharisees wanted to know more about it.’ (p. 140)

John 1:26 ‘John answered them saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.”’

“I baptize in water”-Harkrider observes, ‘John’s baptism was “for the remission of sins” only in prospect of the shedding of Christ’s blood, just like animal sacrifices had been (cf. Lev. 4:20,26; Heb. 10:4). Without Christ there would have been no forgiveness…

John baptized according to God’s will, and those who rejected him were rejecting God (Luke 7:30). Those who obeyed were cleansed by the blood of Christ which reached back to cleanse all who had been obedient to God before the cross (Hebrews 9:15; Romans 3:25).’ (pp. 6-7) ‘This should not be taken as indicating that he did not regard his baptism as important. He did. He does not depreciate it. But his baptism is not an end in itself. Its purpose is to point men to Christ (1:31).’ (Morris p. 140)

“One whom you do not know”-who they had not recognized as the Messiah. This statement also infers that the Messiah is here! He has arrived!

John 1:27 “It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” “the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie”-‘John could not have given himself a more menial office. To untie the straps of sandals was slaves’ work. There

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was a Rabbinic saying which said that a disciple might do for his master anything that a servant did, except only to untie his sandals. That was too menial a service for even a disciple to render.’ (Barclay p. 62) ‘The Eastern custom of taking the sandals from a guest’s feet and bathing his feet was delegated to the lowest of the servants.’ (Butler p. 43) Points To Note: 1.

Again, John is a tremendous example of humility. He refused to get in the way and take the glory and praise, which rightfully belonged to Jesus. He refused to use ‘religion’ as a means of building himself up in the eyes of others. 2. He knew his place and his real value (Luke 17:10). 3. John doesn’t imply that Jesus will disregard water baptism, for Jesus was baptized in water, and instructed His apostles to baptize in water (Acts 10:47; 8:36-38; 2:38; Mark 16:16). Rather, it is Jesus Who in addition will personally administer the baptism of the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). 4. While we are talking about baptism, we should remember that the Greek word rendered baptize or baptism means immersion. Butler notes, ‘Every Greek Lexicon of any repute defines baptizo as having a primary meaning of “dip, plunge, immerse, submerge”.’ (p. 42) At this point we have a wonderful way of demonstrating that when people end up wrong about a practice or teaching, the bible isn’t to blame, rather such happens when people are intent upon defending unscriptural practices. Concerning John’s baptism, Lenski writes, ‘While no one is in a position to say in just what way the Baptist proceeded, the nearest we can come is to say that he took a bunch of hyssop or a twig, dipped it into the water, and then sprinkled those who were to be baptized.’ (p. 119) The above writer would have never written such a contradictory and foolish statement, if he had been content to accept what God had said on this subject.

John 1:28 ‘These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.’

‘Bethany beyond the Jordan’-That is, a city located on the east banks or side of the Jordan river. This expression distinguishes this ‘Bethany’, from the one that is located near Jerusalem, the home town of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. The King James here reads ‘Bethabarah’. Which seems to have entered some manuscripts due to the efforts of Origin, who early in the third century visited the land of Palestine and could find no town named ‘Bethany’ on the other side of the Jordan. He does say that the manuscripts he possessed did read ‘Bethany’. A Bethabarah did exist, so he thought that the place must be Bethabarah, instead of Bethany and hence in some manuscripts the name was changed in this text. Carefully note, that when a slip entered the text, other manuscripts enable us to quickly see the mistake.

John And Jesus John 1:29 ‘The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”’

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‘The next day’-The day after the priests and Levites had questioned him. ‘saw Jesus coming to him’-Please note that in this verse Jesus is not coming to be baptized, that event has already happened (1:31-34). Rather, it appears that Jesus is returning to the scene of His baptism after being in the wilderness for 40 days and enduring the various temptations inflicted by the Devil (Luke 4:1-13).

‘Behold, the Lamb of God’-‘Behold’-‘dramatic, pointing out Jesus, riveting all eyes upon him, opening all ears for what the speaker will say of him.’ (Lenski p. 126) ‘the Lamb of God’-The lamb that God will offer for the sins of the world.

‘takes away the sin of the world’-Which infers: 1. Even the Jews had sins! They were in need of as much forgiveness as any Gentile. 2. All the sacrifices of the Old Testament had not removed sin (Hebrews 10:1-4). 3. Jesus is the ideal sacrifice, which also infers that He is spotless, without blemish, that is, sinless (1 Peter 2:22; 1:19). 4.

Jesus would die for all men, not just the Jewish people, or some predestined group. 5.

God is going to create a relationship in which all men can participate and have fellowship with Him. 6. In contrast to popular Jewish opinion (and popular Premillennial thinking), Jesus wasn’t coming to obliterate the enemies of God and establish an utopian empire.

Jesus was coming to die, to save sinners (Matthew 20:28). 7. This statement also infers that the ‘world’ is accountable to God’s laws (1 John 3:4). The world couldn’t have any sins, unless it had been violating God’s standards. John isn’t saying that Jesus will unconditionally remove sin, rather, He will provide a way by which every man and woman can be saved, if they so desire (John 3:16). 8. This wasn’t a new concept, for even the Old Testament had described the Messiah using these same terms (Isaiah 53).

John 1:30 “This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’”

Contrary to the claims and speculations of some modern commentators, John understood what he was saying. And these words came from his mouth. John knew that Jesus was more than a mere man! The same Jesus that he had baptized, had an eternal nature. The Jesus he baptized currently possessed a higher rank than John, currently possessed an eternal nature. Jesus didn’t cease to be God, when He partook of humanity. John didn’t say, ‘He used to have a higher rank’.

John 1:31 “And I did not recognize Him, but in order that he might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”

“I did not recognize Him”-Like the Jewish leaders (1:26), there was a time when John didn’t realize that Jesus was the Messiah. We know that John and Jesus were cousins, but beyond that, we don’t know how much interaction existed between the families, or how much John knew about this cousin.

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“but in order that he might be manifested to Israel”-Therefore, one of the purposes for Jesus being baptized, was to give a public demonstration to John and others that Jesus was the Son of God.

John 1:32 ‘And John bore witness saying, “I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.”’ “I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove”-(Luke 3:22 ‘in bodily form like a dove’). Which means that the Spirit assume a visible form and this form resembled the shape and features of a dove.

Points To Note: 1.

‘It is not clear just why God chose the dove to represent the Holy Spirit. Some commentators point to the purity and the gentleness or graciousness of the dove.’

(Hendriksen p. 100) 2. Notice, that this bodily form remained for a while on Jesus and did not immediately disappear when the Spirit touched Him. 3. This was a visible demonstration that God was appointing Jesus to a specific task and that He was qualified for that task (Isaiah 61:1f; Luke 4:18f). 4. In addition, the Father also gave His own testimony, by speaking from heaven (Matthew 3:16-17).

One more event, where all three persons in the Godhead are seen working together.

John 1:33 “And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’”

“I did not recognize Him”-But God hadn’t left John in the dark. Notice that when God gives clues, He always gives very clear ones! The ‘signs’ which God gives are never mysterious (Isaiah 7:14). They are not left for some intellectual elite, rather, they are given for all.

Points To Note: 1.

From the other accounts, it appears that John perceived something about Jesus, before he baptized Him (Matthew 3:13-14). 2. But it was the descent of the Spirit which confirmed whatever suspicions which John might have entertained. It confirmed the fact that Jesus is the Messiah and placed it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

“this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit”-(Matthew 3:11). And yet, Jesus wouldn’t baptize everyone in the Holy Spirit. In fact, the text doesn’t say ‘who’ or ‘when’ Jesus would administer this baptism. From the rest of the New Testament, we find that Jesus administered this baptism upon the apostles (Acts 1:5; 2:1-4), and the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:44; 11:15-17). Please note that the ‘fire’ associated with this baptism in Matthew 3:11, is not Holy Spirit baptism, rather it is the baptism of judgment and condemnation (Matthew 3:12).

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John 1:34 “And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” Observe that John didn’t say, ‘This is a son of God’, or that this is a good and righteous man. The expression ‘Son of God’ is being used to mean one who is of the same nature as the Father (Mark 14:61-62).

The First Disciples John 1:35 ‘Again, the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,’ John 1:36 ‘and he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” John 1:37 ‘And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.’

Points To Note: 1.

‘Again we marvel at the self-denial of John….Did he not know that once he pointed out the Messiah he invited disaster to his own popularity? Did he not realize that once he proved Jesus of Nazareth to be the anointed One that his disciples would be likely to leave him…? Certainly he did; and yet he pointedly showed Jesus to his disciples! There is nothing harder than to willingly take second place when one has enjoyed first place.’ (Butler pp. 49-50) 2. But let us also commend these two disciples, for it appears that some of John’s disciples didn’t make the switch to Jesus (Matthew 9:14). Consider the quick and prompt obedience implied in the verse!

John 1:38 ‘And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”’

‘Jesus turned’-Jesus didn’t allow people to just follow Him aimlessly. He challenged them to examine their own hearts and motives (Luke 14:25f). Some leaders don’t care why people support them, just as long as they do. But Jesus did care! (John 6:26f)

“What do you seek?”-a good question that everyone needs to answer. ‘Why are you a Christian, or why are you reading the Bible, why do you attend worship services?’ ‘What are you seeking?’ Are you seeking a relationship with God? Or are you seeking popularity, comfort, instant happiness and so on? Are you hungering and thirsting for God or are you hungering for an easier life? Barclay notes, ‘It would be well if every now and again in life, we were to ask ourselves: “What am I looking for? What am I trying to extract from life? What’s my aim and goal? If I am honest, what, in the depth of my heart am I really trying to get out of life?”’ (p. 70)

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“Rabbi (which translated means Teacher)”-God knew that this Gospel would be read by people who might not understand certain Jewish terms. So much for the idea that the Bible cannot be understood because of some supposed ‘cultural barrier’.

“where are You staying?”-Their counter-question, in a sense does answer Jesus’ question. They respond, ‘We are seeking, and we wish to know where you are staying so we can come and visit you for the purpose of learning more.’ We desire your presence and some uninterrupted conversation.

John 1:39 ‘He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” They came therefore and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.’

“Come, and you will see”-The very first words that John records Jesus as speaking in this Gospel, are ‘What do you seek?’ and ‘Come, and you will see’. This God that became flesh is accessible! (Matthew 11:28-30) This God encourages and assists those who want to find Him. This God takes time for mankind, and not just for the crowds or the multitudes, but individuals.

‘about the tenth hour’-10 a.m. according to Roman time or 4 p.m. if John is using Jewish time.

John 1:40 ‘One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.’

‘One of the two’-the other disciple isn’t mentioned by name, and is probably the writer Himself, the apostle John.

‘Andrew’-While Peter will become more prominent, it was Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus! We might not have five talents, but we can bring people to Jesus who will be five talent people! Christians need to realize that the person they might bump into tomorrow or have a class with, could be one of the most effective workers for God in this generation!

John 1:41 ‘He found first his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).’

‘Found first his own brother Simon’-The words of John and their personal interview with Jesus, had convinced Andrew, that Jesus was the Son of God, the long promised Messiah. And he couldn’t keep this knowledge to himself! ‘Andrew is our great example in that he could not keep Jesus to himself.’ (Barclay p. 74) See also, John 12:22.

“We have found the Messiah”-Imagine what that sounded like to Peter when he first heard it! In our time, it would have been the equivalent of saying, ‘We have found life on another planet, we have found a living dinosaur, and so on.’

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‘which translated means Christ’-‘Messiah’ is the Hebrew term for ‘Christ’ in the Greek language. Both terms mean ‘anointed’. Jesus is the anointed of God. It was the practice to anoint priests and kings in the Old Testament prior to their serving. Jesus is our High Priest and King (Zechariah 6:12-13).

John 1:42 ‘He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which translated means Peter).’

‘He brought him’-The Greek word translated ‘brought’ seems to suggest that Andrew had to coax Peter into coming.

‘Jesus looked at him’-indicating a searching gaze (Luke 22:61).

‘Cephas’-which is Aramaic for ‘rock’. ‘Peter’ is the Greek equivalent, which means a detached fragment of the ledge.

Points To Note: 1.

The reader should be aware that the Church is not founded upon Peter (Matthew 16:18). While Peter is a rock. The word for rock in Matthew 16:18 is a different word which means, ‘a massive ledge of rock’. The foundation which the Church rests upon is the fact that Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 16:16; 1 Corinthians 3:11). 2. These initial conversations with Jesus take place before Jesus officially calls these men to follow Him on a permanent basis (Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11). Therefore, these men didn’t give up their jobs on a whim, rather they had clear evidence that Jesus was the Messiah.

More Disciples John 1:43 ‘The next day He purposed to go forth into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”’ ‘purposed to go forth into Galilee’-The northern most providence in Palestine. He will arrive there in 2:1.

‘He found Philip’-It appears that Philip, whose name means ‘a lover of horses’, knew Andrew (John 6:6; 12:21). He may have already heard about Jesus, but unlike the previous day, when disciples found Jesus, Jesus finds this man. Be impressed that God has never had a problem in getting the truth to those who are looking for it.

John 1:44 ‘Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.’

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‘Bethsaida’-(beh SAY ih duh). The located is somewhat uncertain, but many feel that this city was located northwest of the Sea of Galilee, near Capernaum (John 6:17) in the Province of Galilee (John 12:21). The name means, ‘house of fishing’.

John 1:45 ‘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.”

‘Philip found Nathanael’-It seems that Nathanael is the same person who is called in the other Gospels, Bartholomew. 1. Bartholomew is never mentioned in the Gospel of John, and Nathanael is never mentioned in the other three Gospels. 2. In John, Philip and Nathanael are placed together, while in the other Gospels, it is Philip and Bartholomew (Matthew 10:3).

“We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote”-This statement reveals a number of truths: 1. Even unlearned Jewish fishermen had access to the Scriptures! Philip knew the prophecies in the Old Testament, such passages as Deut. 18:15 and so on. 2. This also means that one will never understand the Old Testament, until they see the prophecies which He fulfilled (Luke 24:32,44; John 5:39,46; Acts 3:18,24; 7:52; 10:43; 13:29; 26:22,23; 28:23; 1 Peter 1:10).

“Jesus of Nazareth”-Not that Jesus was born in Nazareth, but that this was the town in which he had spent most of his earthly life.

”the son of Joseph”-Which was the common view of the time. Carefully note that there isn’t even a hint that people thought that Jesus was illegitimate, as the atheists claim.

John 1:46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”’

“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”-1. Nothing in the Old Testament had foretold that the Messiah would come from Nazareth. 2. In addition, Nazareth was kind of an obscure place. Tenney notes, ‘Evidently he felt Philip’s declaration that the Messiah was Jesus of Nazareth was a distinct anticlimax, for it was inconceivable to him that the profligate caravan town of Nazareth should produce the Messiah.’ (p. 81) Some writers think that Nathanael was caught up in the small town rivalry that might have existed between Nazareth, and his home town of Cana, located some 3 miles distant. But Nathanael appears to be a man who was above such things (1:47).

“Come and see”-What a wonderful response! Philip doesn’t even try to argue with him, he simply says, ‘Come and see for yourself.’

John 1:47 ‘Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said to him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”’

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“an Israelite indeed”-‘a true son of Israel’ (Bas). 1. Jesus knew the inward character of Nathanael, thus manifesting His Divine ability to read the hearts and thoughts of men (1 Kings 8:39). 2. But many of the physical descendants of Jacob (Israel), were far from being true Israelites (John 8:44; Romans 2:24f). Here is a man who was living up to the name, he was a Jew on the inside as well as on the outside. 3. Carefully note that Nathanael manifested a good and honest heart by overcoming his doubts and preconceived ideas concerning anyone from the city of Nazareth.

“in whom is no guile!”-(Psalm 32:1-2). Jesus saw the true inward character of this man. Note that it is possible to live a sincere and honest life, to have no ulterior motives.

Some say that everyone has an angle and there isn’t any person who is completely honest.

Jesus disagrees. God expects Christians to be without guile (1 Peter 2:1-3). Hendriksen notes, ‘The employment of trickery for selfish advantage characterized not only Jacob himself (see Genesis 30:37-43) but also his descendants (Gen. 34).’ (p. 110) In other words this man had an honest and good heart (Luke 8:15). In contrast, ‘Many of the Jews of Jesus’ day had no scruples against cheating and deceiving in their business transactions.’ (Butler p. 55) Statements such as the above contradict the idea that man is born depraved and opposed to all good. In fact, in the parable of the Sower, people are said to have ‘good hearts’ even before they become Christians.

John 1:48 ‘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.”’

“How do You know me?”-Nathanael doesn’t pretend and neither does he display a false humility. We can know the current condition of our heart, we can know if we are presently acting and thinking in a honest manner.

“when you were under the fig tree”-Under or in the shade of a fig tree was one of the favorite places for a Jew to sit, meditate and pray (1 Kings 4:25). We should remember that Jesus still sees everything that we do and think (2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 4:12-13). The above statement also reveals that Jesus hadn’t learned such information from Philip. Jesus had seen Nathanael, even before He had met Philip.

John 1:49 ‘Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”

“You are the Son of God”-Nathanael realized that he was in the presence of someone who possessed knowledge beyond that of mankind. ‘Such knowledge was no merely human intuition.’ (Tasker p. 54) Notice how quickly an honest man accepts the truth when he is confronted with it. Jesus didn’t expect Nathanael to believe without any evidence. The evidence which is found in the Bible (John 20:30-31) is the evidence that will convince an honest man or woman. Nathanael’s only conclusion was that such a man that could read the hearts and minds of other men---there is only one explanation, this must be the Messiah, the Son of God. From the Old Testament, it was clear that the Messiah would be the Son of God (Psalm 2; 110). Carefully note that this sincere 15

Israelite understood his Old Testament better than many of the highly educated religious leaders. While Nathanael immediately recognized Jesus, some professed Christians today want to tone down the term ‘Son of God’, and simply say that Jesus merely had an exceptional relationship with the Father.

“The King of Israel”-He also knew that the Messiah would be a King (Zechariah 6:12-13; Psalm 110:1-4). Later on he would discover that Jesus is not only the King of Israel, but also the King over the whole world (Matthew 28:18).

John 1:50 ‘Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.”’

“You shall see greater things than these”-Which would include the various miracles that Jesus would perform, and one will be performed in the near future (2:1f).

Tenney writes, ‘Jesus, however, did not let him lapse into self-satisfaction over what he might consider to be a greater revelation than Jacob had. He challenged Nathanael with the progressive possibilities of belief.’ (p. 82)

John 1:51 ‘And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”’ “Truly, truly”-this expression occurs 25 times in the Gospel of John. In our language it is simply a double ‘Amen’. Jesus is speaking the truth and you can bank on it!

“and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man”-of course, the ‘Son of Man’, is Jesus.

Points To Note: 1.

This appears to be a clear reference to what is known as ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ in the Old Testament (Genesis 28:10-22). Jesus is saying that He is the antitype of Jacob’s ladder. He will reveal to Nathanael the Way to heaven (John 14:1-6). Jesus is the sole Mediator and avenue between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). He is the perfect Mediator, because He is the Son of God (Deity) and the Son of man (experiencing and sharing in man’s humanity). 2. Nathanael will also see the perfect relationship that exists between Jesus and Heaven, him and others will see that no bar exists between the Father and Jesus. Jesus will be that perfect link that exists between heaven and earth. 3. While on the earth, the angels of God were at His command (Matthew 26:53). 4. ‘He now learns that Jesus is the real ladder by which the gulf between earth and heaven is bridged. In Him the glory of heaven has come down to earth, made visible in One who is Himself man; and through contact with Him earthbound man is lifted up to heaven.’ (Tasker p. 54) 5.

‘Nathanael I can do far more than read your heart. I can be for you and for all men the way, the ladder that leads to heaven.’ (Barclay p. 78) 16

Conclusion In this chapter Jesus had been called: The Word, God, the light of men, the true light, the only begotten from the Father, a greater than John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the only begotten God, the Lord, the Lamb of God, he that baptizeth with the Holy Spirit, the Son of God, Rabbi, the Messiah, He of whom Moses and the Prophets wrote, the Son of Man and the King of Israel.

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