John

The Eternal Word; John's Witness: The True Light; The Word Becomes Flesh; A Voice in the Wilderness; The Lamb of God; The First Disciples; Philip and Nathanael

John 1:1-2

The Beginning

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

NKJV; Genesis 1:2; 1982, Thomas Nelson

John goes to the first day, before time was.  Before there was a sunrise or sunset, before the beginning.  The unbelieving world believes that there was a big bang in which all the pieces of creation fell into place.  They cannot account for what went bang or where it came from.  They have no explanation for where the pieces of creation began.  It takes a lot of faith to believe something came from nothing when nothing went bang for no reason.

An unbelieving world looks at the vastness of heavens and uses it to argue against creation.  Where did we come from.  If our sin-fallen nature rejects God, we must come up with a theory.  The bible tells us there was no bang.  It is God that was before time.  He spoke all of matter into existence, perfectly and at his command. 

Cambridge University physicist Stephen Hawking, who has been called "the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein," says in his best-selling A Brief History of Time that our galaxy is an average-sized spiral galaxy that looks to other galaxies like a swirl in a pastry roll and that it is over 100,000 light-years across—about six hundred trillion miles. He says, "We now know that our galaxy is only one of some hundred thousand million that can be seen using modern telescopes, each galaxy itself containing some hundred thousand million stars."19 It is commonly held that the average distance between these hundred thousand million galaxies (each six hundred trillion miles across and containing one hundred thousand million stars) is three million light-years! On top of that, the work of Edwin Hubble, based on the Doppler effect, has shown that all red-spectrumed galaxies are moving away from us—and that nearly all are red. Thus, the universe is constantly expanding. Some estimates say that the most distant galaxy is eight billion light-years away—and racing away at two hundred million miles an hour. Finally, the fact of the expanding universe demands a beginning, though Hawking now doubts that a Big Bang was its beginning.

Hughes, R. K. (2004). Genesis: beginning and blessing (p. 20).

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

John Haldone, a scientist, once suggested to Monsignor Knox that in a universe containing millions of planets it was inevitable that life would appear by chance on one of them. "Sir," said Knox, "if Scotland Yard found a body in your Saratoga trunk, would you tell them, 'There are millions of trunks in the world—surely one of them must contain a body'? I think they still would want to know who put it there."

Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 84).

Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

Creation

John references Genesis 1 creation account and places 'The Word' right there.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Then God said�..

NKJV; Genesis 1:1-3; 1982, Thomas Nelson

Paul confirmed the same when he wrote to the Colossians about the preeminence of Christ.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

The New King James Version (Col 1:15–17). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

Jesus was, before the world began.  The other gospels detail the genealogy of the human parents of Jesus when He was born a man.  John provided the spiritual genealogy and history.  He existed with God, as God, before time began, before anything was.  Jesus is the pre-existent One.  He didn't just come into being when he was born of the virgin Mary and placed in a manger.  Jesus was in the beginning with God, because He is God, was God and always will be God. 

John's statement and link to Genesis 1 establishes:

1. The reality of Jesus as God.  
2. The eternality of Jesus
3. The sovereignty of Jesus

There is one God, in three persons.  The Godhead exists in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  This is a concept that is hard for us to grasp.  It will remain somewhat of a mystery for now.  However, if you can't' accept that God is eternal, that He existed before anything, that all was created by Him and for Him, then you are going to struggle in your faith and belief.

4. The flood.
5. Jonah getting eaten by a fish
6. Joshua's long day
7. Daniel surviving the lion's den.
8. Daniel's friend being thrown into the furnace and surviving.
9. David killing Goliath (giant)
10. The resurrection
11. Ascension of Christ
12. Rapture of the church
13. Second coming of Jesus
14. A day of Judgment

I see Genesis 1 and the first commandment as the gatekeepers of our faith.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The New King James Version (Ge 1:1). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

You shall have no other gods before Me.

The New King James Version (Ex 20:3). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

If you can't accept these two statements, how can you work your way to a sound understanding of God and have a healthy faith?

This brings us to the place where we must say, if there is an eternal God, and if He created all things, and if He created me, and if He has spoken in the past, given His word, then the most important thing I can endeavor to do in this world is to find out what He has said.  Can there be anything more important?

The Word (Logos)

One translator wrote verse 1 this way, "Before there was a beginning, the Word had been."  It is a clear reference to Jesus.  The Greek word used is 'logos.'  This is a word that the Greeks would have easily recognized.  It wasn't just a word that meant 'word' like the word of a sentence.  But it was viewed in more of philosophical sense.  It meant 'reason' in the sense of the force that structured the universe. 

By calling Jesus "the Word," John calls him the embodiment of all God's revelation in the Scriptures and thus declares that only those who accept Jesus honor the law fully (1:17).  Jewish people considered Wisdom/Word divine yet distinct from God the Father, so it was the closest available term John had to describe Jesus. 

Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary:

New Testament (Jn 1:1–18). InterVarsity Press.

In those days, the logos was understood as truth, a statement, a reason or rationale of the universe.  Joe average wouldn't think of logos as a word of a truth coming from God.  When John wrote this, he brought a new understanding to an existing word.  He created an association of this common word in their world to the kingdom of God across the ages.  This small philosophical understanding became timeless.  The reason and rationale of the universe is found in Jesus alone.  John presents Jesus as this Word that comes from God.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

The New King James Version (Ps 33:6). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

Jesus is the ultimate means of a God's communication about Himself.  The word of God was spoken through prophets and they told of the One who would come.  Micah spoke of The One who would be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting."  Isaiah spoke of a Son that would be given; His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  He was coming to establish an eternal kingdom.  There are several hundred prophecies of the messiah that would come.  John is saying, Jesus is the fulfillment of those words.  He is the Word of God.

The Word is:

15. The law of God
16. The prophecy of God
17. The wisdom of God

All of this was personified in Jesus Christ.

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

NKJV; Hebrews 1:1-4: 1982, Thomas Nelson

The Word was with God.  Scription displays a distinction between the Father and the Son.  It also displays the unity or oneness of God when it says Jesus was God.  How can the Word be God and be with God?  Isn't that like being alone together with yourself?  That would be weird for you and I.  But for God it's not.  Jesus is God and with God.  That's the trinity?"  There is one God.  The God of the bible exists in 3 distinct persons.  Our One God is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is God, and He existed with God and has been so since before time.

John immediately establishes a solid bond.  Jesus is God.  Jesus is God's word.  He has spoken.  It's like John saying, listen close, this is what God has said.

John 1:3

John had established the presence of the Word prior to creation.  Jesus was there with God and the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.  The earth existed in some form prior to the six days of creation.  It was without form and void.  Darkness ruled.  Then, the Lord began to speak the creation into existence.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;

He lays up the deep in storehouses.

The New King James Version (Ps 33:6–7). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

John specifically points out that all things were created by God.  Nothing was outside that statement.  The Jewish audience would have already believed this.  Some Rabbi's taught that the law was the first thing to be created, others said it was wisdom

Psalm 8 is about wisdom, believed by some Jews to be the first thing created.

The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,

Before His works of old.

²³ I have been established from everlasting,

From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.

²⁴ When there were no depths I was brought forth,

When there were no fountains abounding with water.

²⁵ Before the mountains were settled,

Before the hills, I was brought forth;

²⁶ While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields,

Or the primal dust of the world.

²⁷ When He prepared the heavens, I was there,

When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,

²⁸ When He established the clouds above,

When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,

²⁹ When He assigned to the sea its limit,

So that the waters would not transgress His command,

When He marked out the foundations of the earth,

³⁰ Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;

And I was daily His delight,

Rejoicing always before Him,

³¹ Rejoicing in His inhabited world,

And my delight was with the sons of men.

The New King James Version (Pr 8:22–31). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

Jewish teachers emphasized that God had created all things through his Wisdom/Word/Law and sustained them because the righteous practiced the law. (Some even pointed out that Gen 1 declared "And God said" ten times when he was creating, and this meant that God created all things with his Ten Commandments.) Ancient Jewish teachers would have agreed with verse 3.

Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary:

New Testament (Jn 1:3). InterVarsity Press.

Jesus made it all, including all the angels.  In Him all things consist.  He holds it all together.  If He let go, the world would be obliterated into a bazillion atoms.  Scientist can't explain what holds atoms together.  They call it atomic glue.  The bible tells us it is God's Word that hold all things in existence.  We do not only exist through Him but we exist for Him.

Discover magazine ran an article on the makeup of the proton, the core of the molecule at the base structure of everything.

A proton is made of three quarks, yes, but the quarks are infinitesimal—just 2 percent or so of the proton's total mass. They're rattling around at near light speed inside the proton, but they're imprisoned in flickering clouds of other particles—other quarks, which materialize briefly and then vanish and, above all, gluons, which transmit the force that binds the quarks together. Gluons are massless and evanescent, but they carry most of the proton's energy.

The article talks with pride about what they've learned and how they could recreated it.  However, there is an interesting admission.

Brookhaven won't be able to finally answer the question of where protons come from. A central mystery will remain. Inside a proton, as gluons come and go, as quarks and antiquarks come and go in their numberless swarms, one number remains constant: There are always three more quarks than there are antiquarks. Those are the quarks that, "at the very crudest level," as Wilczek puts it, make up the proton.

The attempt to make sure the narrative fits into the theory of evolution is important to them.  Yet, when they boil it all down, they are stumped.  The article ends with this statement:

"If you really study the equations, it gets almost mystical."

The Glue That Holds the World Together | Discover Magazine

John 1:4-5

Life comes through Him and from Him.  That life is a life of light.  Life and light are the contrast to death and darkness.  Jesus is the light for all men.  Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness of mankind.  The darkness is a picture of sin and a fallen world – It is the absence of light.  The world offers false light and many counterfeits to please the flesh for a time or season.  In the end, this world that was created with light has become dark.  It is characterized by sin, pain, brokenness, sorrow and shame. 

This world offers nothing eternal, nothing to ease the conscience that God has imprinted with righteousness and eternity.  No matter how much you have or think you have, no matter how good a person you think you are, if you don't have Jesus, you have nothing.  He's written these things in our heart.  There's an eternal longing in each of us.  Deep down inside we long for that life and the light that comes from Jesus.

When we were kids, we played outside all the time.  We'd often get an intense ball game going in the back yard.  Many times, because we were so engrossed in a game, we were straining to see the ball in the darkness.  The sun had set, it had gotten dark without our even noticing.  We didn't perceive the darkness we operating in.  It was only when something happened that we were jarred us awake.  Like losing sight of a ball sailing at your face, suddenly you realize you can't see.  Suddenly you are aware you need the light.

Men stand in spiritual darkness and don't even realize it.  They say, I'm fine!  What darkness!  Everything is good! Let the game go on.  We get so used to the darkness we stand in we don't even know the light is missing.  Jesus shines into that darkness of our heart.  But sinful man doesn't understand it.  Without the work of the Holy Spirit and imprint of our creator, we'd not even give Jesus a thought.  This sinful, unrefined fisherman had no capacity to understand the right of Jesus without the preparation of the Holy Spirit.

John 1:6-9

Having established the Lord's deity and His Pre-incarnate work, John introduces John the Baptists, the forerunner of the Messiah.  The Baptist is an Old Testament prophet introducing the Jesus and the beginning of the new covenant.

The Baptist was a man sent from God.  He resembled Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).  His primary mission was to call people to repentance in preparation for the kingdom to come.  John was a witness.  This is a legal word of one bringing testimony in the law.

John was a type of lampstand, his missing to bring attention to the light.  He brought testimony regarding the light in an effort to convince all men to believe.  He would get a lot of attention in doing this.  John was clear, the baptizer was not the light, but only pointing to Him.  He came as a messenger to declare the presence of a light in the world.  He came to tell a dark and dying world that there is a light coming.  "Look at the light!!" 

John 1:10-11

John was a fore runner.  When someone important in our world comes to town others arrive there ahead of time.  They post signs, billboards, as well as prepare TV and radio commercials as a means of announcing.  This is who John was, a fore runner for Jesus.  John was a reflection of the light.  Jesus, the true light of the world, was coming.

The word for 'world' there is kosmos.  This word is used to describe the universe, the earth, mankind, and also the citizens of earth.  John uses this word 77 times (interesting number).

The Creator came to walk in the midst of His creation, to be among His people.  John broke from tradition in the sense that the Jews believed they would recognize and receive their messiah.  John told us that Jesus came to His own, born a Jew.  Yet, they didn't recognize Him or acknowledge Him.

There were over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament of the One who would come.  They didn't just ignore Him, they outright rejected Him and all He taught.

John 1:12-13

John took the emphasis off of ethic descent and moved it toward rebirth.  To receive Him, by believing in His name, is to claim your right, granted to you by Him, to become a child of God.  This new birth and new life don't come by blood lines through breeding or lineage.  It doesn't come by the flesh, which will always fail at the law.  It doesn't come by men who empower themselves and make declarations.  This only happens by God.

This is the only place in the New Testament where there is a reference to receiving Christ.  This receiving is a humble acknowledgement of who He is.  Many churches preach this receiving of Jesus somewhat flippantly.  It almost creates this picture of Jesus saying, "Gosh I hope they receive me.  I really want that one.  He's pretty awesome and I want Him on my team."  That's just all wrong.  We should be focused on Jesus receiving us.  He gives us the right to become children of God.  We don't deserve it or earn it.  He doesn't have to grant it to us.  We don't come to him like we are reluctantly buying what he is selling because we have a little discontent in our life which we think He might fulfill.  He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.  We come to Him, humbled with a broken and contrite heart.  This is the picture of a broken man or woman coming to God with a boatload of cares, a list of sins a mile long, with an understanding of what we deserve and knowing that there is nothing about us that God should like.  Yet, He loves us anyway.  Jesus says, Come, follow me.

I asked you earlier to put yourself in the picture.  It's a picture of going about life when suddenly you have an encounter with Jesus and your life is changed forever.  It's the day when you turned from your old ways and stepped forward by faith into newness of life.  It's the day you set all that baggage down at the foot of the cross.  All the old life, the ugliness, shame and sin.  He already knew about it, he recognized it because he bore it while nailed to a cross to pay for all that junk you did, to pay the debt you owed God.

It may be that you don't have that picture.  That's okay, you can fix it today, now.  You can have that encounter with Jesus today.  You don't have to clean yourself up first.  You don't have to become super spiritual.  You don't have to have anything, know anything or pay anything.  You can even be an uneducated, untrained and unrefined fisherman.  But you must be looking for Him.  You must seek Him to find Him.  You must ask Him to save you.  And if you do, He will grant you forgiveness by His shed blood.  He will fill you with light and life replacing death and darkness.  He will grant you life (Zoe, a life characterized by healthiness, happiness, exuberance, along with energy and vitality.)

Celebrate Jesus in the life He gave you.

John 1:14

Greek philosophers spoke of the gods being invisible and eternal.  The Jews taught that man cannot become a god.  The separation between God and man was great.  Neither Jew nor Greek could have anticipated God becoming a man.  This is one of God's greatest miracles.  He put the fullness of Himself in a body of human flesh.  Normally the flesh of man is characterized by sin.  But God did this work in such a way that Jesus was not born into corrupt flesh.

 

It may be that John was being very specific to refute the heresies that were surfacing.   Paul spoke in a similar way:

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

The New King James Version (Col 2:8–10). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

Paul taught the Colossians about the deity of Jesus so they would not be cheated by false teachers.  Jesus wasn't kind of like God or just God-like in some way.   In Jesus is found the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

Jesus, the Son of God, through the virgin birth, became flesh and dwelt among us.  The Greek word behind 'dwelt' is to 'pitch a tent.'  This simply means that God took up residence among men.  This seems to be a connection with the Old Testament tabernacle that God instructed Moses to build.  (The KJV says, "He tabernacled among us.")   This tabernacle was the center of the camp, the center of life.  It represented the place of the law, the place where one met God, the place where God spoke to men, the place of sacrifice to dealing with sin and uncleanness.  The tabernacle was the center of worship, a holy place.  

We might note that the tabernacle was nothing special to look at from the outside.  There was nothing remarkable about it.  Yet, on the inside it was ornate, special, holy, divine and specific for God's purpose. 

Now in the new covenant we see that we are this tabernacle for Jesus.  Jesus wasn't attractive by the world's standards but the love he has for us is immeasurable.  He is the place where we see God and His perfect nature.  Jesus speaks to mankind in grace and truth.  It is through Him that sin is dealt with as He is both the sacrifice and mediator for our sin.  He is the focal point of our worship.  Jesus is the tabernacle dwelling among men, God in the flesh, residing among men. 

The Apostle John notes that 'we' beheld His glory, which was the glory of the only begotten.  John saw Him, walked with Him, ate with Him, laughed with Him, prayed with Him, cried with Him and stood in awe of Him.  All the promises of God became flesh in Jesus Christ. 

The glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

And all flesh shall see it together;"

The New King James Version (Is 40:5). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

The New King James Version (2 Pe 1:16). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—² the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—³ that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

The New King James Version (1 Jn 1:1–3). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

Many religions, denominations and scholars argue over when Jesus became the incarnation of God.  Was Jesus was born a man and then later became God? Was He filled with God on some specific day?  Some argue that Jesus was a man simply standing in the place of God among men.  In man's attempt to understand the eternal Lord and make the miraculous incarnation fit the understanding of our created mind, we create error and fallacy.

In Jesus dwells the fullness of the Godhead.  When Jesus was born of Mary, she held the being of God, the fullness of God, in her hands.  As hard as it is to grasp, it's important for us to know that Jesus was, and is, a man.  If He was simply a spirit or just God, He wouldn't qualify to be our substitute.  And with no substitutionary atonement, we are stuck in our sins and men to be most pitied.

John writes of the glory of the Lord.  This alludes to the glory of the Lord in the Old Testament.  The cloud of glory that covered the tabernacle is the same glory of the only begotten (Ex 40:34-38; Num 14:10; 1 Kings 8:10-11; Is 6:1.

The 'only begotten' shows Jesus as a perfect representation of God the Father.  Jesus is the embodiment of the Old Testament God, a reflection of The Father who is full of grace and truth.  The faithfulness of God and His unmerited favor for the His created beings was found in Jesus (Ex 34:6)

John 1:15-17

John the Baptist went before Christ to prepare the way.  Jesus, the pre-existent one was before John.  John gave witness to His coming.  His witness in no way earned him status with the Lord.  It's like saying, less of me, more of Jesus.  John the Baptist was like a sign pointing toward Jesus – don't look at the sign, look to the one the sign pointed to.

John pointed to the fullness of Jesus.  Moses gave the law and established what the righteousness and holiness of God looked like.  It was perfection.  It was by that law we look at perfection and realize we can't measure up.  The law schooled us, teaching us we were sinners.  The law taught us we were lawbreakers.  We've all told lies, we've stolen, we've not honored our parents, we've not held God first in our life and we could go on.  We deserve punishment for being a lawbreaker and not attaining the righteous and perfect standard of God.

Jesus came in grace and full of mercy, not like some countermeasure against God's perfection.   Jesus isn't a superhero to save us from The Father.  He came in the fullness of God as the completion of God's perfect plan.  He doesn't lower the standard of holiness.  He completely upholds and fulfills the just nature of God by paying all that is owed for our sin.  He took our sin and gave us His righteousness. 

This is done in His fullness.  Jesus doesn't violate the just and holy nature of God.  He is the rest of the story about God, God's plan from the beginning.  Knowing that, we can understand why John sees Jesus as the fullness of God's plan. 

By that fullness we have all received grace for grace.  Grace and truth were present in the law but the complete expression for grace and truth came through Jesus.  This is the undeserved favor piled one on another in an eternal way.  That's our Jesus.

John 1:18

This only begotten is not a son like we would think of it.  Jesus is a Son in the sense that He is the likeness of His father.  The expression of being "in the bosom" of the Father is to express the greatest possible intimacy.  This is saying Jesus remains in the closest contact possible with the Father.  When He came in the flesh He gave up nothing in regards to His relationship with the Father.  When we pear upon Jesus, it is as though we were looking upon God's glory.

This is what Moses desired to do (Exodus 33:18-23) when asked God to show him His glory.

Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." ²⁰ But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." ²¹ And the Lord said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. ²² So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. ²³ Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."

The New King James Version (Ex 33:19–23). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

When the Word became flesh the goodness of the Lord was visible to mankind.  Jesus is the Rock from which sin-fallen men can stand on to see the glory of the Lord.

John 1:19-23

The Jews that John is referring to are the unbelieving Jews – the term is a spiritual indicator rather than racial.  The primary opposition to the ministry of Jesus would prove to be the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin and the High priests (normally there was one).  The priests and Levites were the keepers of the temple and temple worship.  It was their job to investigate claims like John was making.  A delegation was sent to John the Baptist to conduct this religious investigation.  Imagine the finely dressed and refined delegation approaching this crazy dude clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 

John's ministry was in the wilderness of Judea.  It was a ministry that called for repentance – a turning from sin in preparation of the coming messiah.  The kingdom of heaven was at hand!  He baptized all those who came.  The delegation of priests and Levites came to John and inquired as to what sort of person He was.

1. What authority he had.
2. What his role and ministry might be. 

They were convinced he was not qualified to talk about God based on his appearance and the fact they did not know, or control him.   We see a man that God called and qualified.  John the Baptist was pointing to Jesus.  He was not looking for approval of the religious establishment of that Day.

 The questions of the Jewish contingent were messianic in nature.  It is possible that rumors were being circulated about John.  He was careful to point out that he wasn't claiming to be the messiah.  These priests and Levites were probably scared of John.  He had the people's attention and he looked like an Old Testament prophet.

The prophet Elijah had miraculously ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11).  Since then, it was believed he would be a forerunner of the messiah. 

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet

Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

And he will turn

The hearts of the fathers to the children,

And the hearts of the children to their fathers,

Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

 

The New King James Version (Mal 4:5-6). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

John certainly looked like Elijah.  It may have eased their mind when John quickly denied that he was Elijah. 

They moved on to ask if he was 'the' prophet.  This was a specific prophet. 

"The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, ¹⁶ according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.'

¹⁷ "And the Lord said to me: 'What they have spoken is good. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. ¹⁹ And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.

The New King James Version (Dt 18:15–19). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

 

They expected a prophet like Moses.  This was seen in the Qumran community also.  Again, the baptizer was quick to point out he wasn't the expected prophet like Moses. 

They were stumped.  Who was this guy?  They needed to provide answers to those who sent them.  They were obvious a representative contingent, not those who held the power and authority.    Imagine the look on the face of those guys when this 'wild eyed, locust eating man of the wilderness began to quote their prophet Isaiah.  Here's what the Isaiah passage says (40:3-8):

³The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Prepare the way of the Lord;

Make straight in the desert

A highway for our God.

Every valley shall be exalted

And every mountain and hill brought low;

The crooked places shall be made straight

And the rough places smooth;

⁵The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

And all flesh shall see it together;

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

⁶The voice said, "Cry out!"

And he said, "What shall I cry?"

"All flesh is grass,

And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

⁷The grass withers, the flower fades,

Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;

Surely the people are grass.

⁸The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God stands forever."

John the Baptists said he was the one that Isaiah wrote of.  He was the one crying out.

John 1:24-25

John points out that this contingent was of the Pharisees.  They were not only concerned with John running around preaching repentance but also by the fact that he was baptizing people.  John's act of baptism was a ritual act of cleansing, a means of demonstrating repentance as they anticipated the coming of the Messiah.  As far as this delegation was concerned, baptism was something done by the religious leaders.  Baptizing was the act of purification.  It was normally only non-Jews who were baptized. 

John the Baptists was stepping on toes.  They may have looked at this baptizing as an act of blasphemy, or at the very least, disrespectful.  As far as they were concerned unless he was the messiah, Elijah or the prophet, he had no business baptizing folks.

John 1:26-28

There was someone they didn't know.  John's baptism was just preparation of a greater baptism.  If they were offended by John, things were about to get worse. 

Normally, the one who comes after is the disciple of the first.  In this case, John is clear, he is a disciple of the One who would follow.  He was simply preparing the way.  He is the preferred One who the baptizer didn't even count himself worthy to be loose his sandal (an act of a slave).  This was the humility of the baptizer.  He felt unworthy to perform even a menial task for Jesus.  This coming One already stood among them.  That had to make them nervous.

John provides the location of Bethany.  Bethabara was a known location across the Jordan that translators assume is the place.  This isn't the Bethany near Jerusalem, though.  If it is not Bethabara but another Bethany, it is unknown. 

It's not so important for us to know exactly where this is but just to know this is the place where the Lord called John to minister and make his declaration.  This was John's mission field.  Our mission fields are rarely where we expect and what we might think they should be.  John was called to wander a wilderness, eat locust and wild honey, preach repentance and baptize in a place that today no one knows for sure where it is.

John 1:29-31

Introduction

Was John the Baptist an Essene?  Was he part of the community at Qumran?  Some believe this to be true.

• The supposed site of Qumran is close to the Jordan Valley where John began his ministry.  Luke 1:80 tells us that John "was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel."
• Like the Essenes, John the Baptist separated himself from Jewish society. It appears the Essenes isolated themselves for ascetic reasons believing society would defile them.  They also had apocalyptic reasons.  They saw themselves as preparing the way for the Lord.  They believed in His soon coming after the great prophet predicted by Malachi.  John separated himself from the religious establishment and walked out his prophetic role as predicted in Isaiah 40"
• As evidenced by the caves of Qumran, the Essenes saw themselves as the keepers of the word of God and preservers of the Jewish heritage and traditions.  They were characterized by the idea of being the "one voice in the wilderness" – a manifestation of Isaiah 40:3.  

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Prepare the way of the Lord;

Make straight in the desert

A highway for our God.

NKJV: Isaiah 40:3; 1982, Thomas Nelson

The bible indicates that John received his message straight from God and not the community (Matt 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23).  John the baptizer was the fulfillment of the "voice in the wilderness" prophecy.

• The Qumran community were ascetical (self-denial) as well as eschatological view.  They believed in the soon coming of the Lord.   They were also famous for their water rituals.  This was not just the daily purifications, but they also had a baptismal ritual.  As a new member of the community, you had to partake in the baptism ritual.  They also taught repentance.  John's baptism was a little different though, it was a one-time preparation for the Messiah's coming. 

While there are likenesses that hint at a connection, we can't know for sure.  John's father, Zechariah, was a priest serving in the temple.  Had John separated from his parents in this way, or were the Essenes within the larger community?  There is dispute whether there ever was a community at Qumran.  Josephus indicates there were multiple communities of Essenes.  This may indicate they existed within the wider community of Judaism.

John the Baptist and Jesus were cousins.  They probably grew up playing as kids.  Yet, it was likely that moment when Jesus was coming toward him that he became aware that the Lamb of God was Jesus, his cousin and friend.  Up to that point, the baptizer didn't know Him as the Lamb of God or Messiah.  John prepared the way, knowing he was coming.  He was probably surprised to see it was Jesus.  Even after this encounter, John had concerns.  When in prison, he sent a message to Jesus through his disciples asking if He was the One, or if they should look for another (Luke 7:19).

As John introduces the Lamb of God, He introduces the Messiah and moves toward the beginning of His public ministry.  The name 'lamb of God' is also the beginning of a list of titles given to Jesus in this chapter and part of the larger list formed through the gospel. 

• Lamb of God (1:29, 36)
• Elect One (the most likely variant of 1:34),
• Rabbi (1:38, 49),
• Messiah/Christ (1:41),
• Son of God (1:49),
• King of Israel (1:49),
• Son of Man (1:51)—
• The one Moses wrote about in the law (1:45)

The 'Lamb of God' is an allusion to the Old Testament Passover lamb.  The lamb slaughtered first on the night of the exodus from Egypt prior to the final plague.  The blood was put upon the doorposts to protect the family inside from the death angel.  The blood of the lamb protected them from the curse of death and opened the way for their trip to the promised land.  The blood of Christ was first shed in prayer in the garden as the weight of the sin of the world ascended up on Him.  His blood was shed when the crown of thorns was smashed upon His head and His back was opened up by the whips used to tear the flesh away.  His blood was shed when the nails were driven through his hands and feet.  This is incredible act of love is that of our Lord, the Lamb of God that can take away the sin of the world.

Jesus is presented as the Lamb.  He is the ultimate fulfillment of every Passover lamb.  Every year thousands of lambs were slain in commemoration of the Passover.  Those in Egypt were protected by the blood of the lamb opening the way to their exodus and ultimate entrance to the Promised Land. 

In the same way, He is the Lamb whose blood would atone for sin, once and for all.  Every day at the tabernacle and temple for hundreds of years, a lamb was sacrificed in the morning and evening.  On top of that, lambs were sacrificed during the feasts or as part of purification.  All these prior lambs pointed forward to Jesus, He fulfilled and completed the requirements of the law for all who would believe in Him.

He was the One John referred to.  He was coming after the baptizer, yet He was the greater and the baptizer was following Him. 

John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."

NKJV; Luke 3:16-17; 1982, Thomas Nelson

John 1:32-34

John baptized Him and testified to seeing the Spirit descend from heave like a dove.  As the Spirit testified to Jesus being the Lamb of God, the Father also testified at the baptism that Jesus was the One who would baptize in the Holy Spirit.  John's testimony joined that of the Father and the Spirit – Jesus is the Son of God!

John again said he didn't know Him.  The baptizer was utterly amazed that the One stepping forward after his preparation was none other than Jesus, his cousin.  John's confirmation came from the Spirit descending on Him.  God the Father sent John to baptize with water told him that the one on whom he saw the Spirit descend was the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

***

Paul Harvey told about a raw winter night on which a farmer heard a thumping sound against the kitchen door.  He went to a window and watched as tiny, shivering sparrows, attracted to the warmth inside, beat in vain against the glass storm door.  The farmer bundled up and trudged through fresh snow to open the barn for the struggling birds.  He turned on the lights, tossed some hay in a corner, and sprinkled a trail of saltine crackers to direct them to the barn.  But the sparrows hid in the darkness, afraid of him.  He tried various tactics: circling behind the birds to drive them toward the barn, tossing crumbs in the air toward them, retreating to his house to see if they would flutter into the barn on their own.  Nothing worked.  He had terrified them; the birds could not understand that he was trying to help them.  He withdrew to his house and watched the doomed sparrows through a window.   As he stared, a thought hit him like lightning from a clear blue sky: If only I could become a bird—one of them—just for a moment, then I would not frighten them so.  I could show them the way to warmth and safety.  At the same moment, another thought dawned on him: He had grasped the whole principle of the incarnation.

The farmer suddenly understood incarnation in a more meaningful way.  Incarnation is when God became a man.  He came to be one of us.  Yet, a man becoming a bird to lead other birds to warmth is nothing compared to God becoming a man to lead mankind to salvation.  God became man to come and save us from the wages of our sins, from eternal death.  Mankind's response is much like the birds, they hide in the darkness.  And in many cases mankind calls the darkness light and goes on about their business, ignoring the problem.  While the birds could not understand, it's not that way with mankind.   Man can understand, but won't.

John was told Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit.  This is likely speaking of a fulfillment of scripture:

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ²⁸ Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

NKJV; Ezekiel 36:25-28; 1982, Thomas Nelson

28"And it shall come to pass afterward

That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your old men shall dream dreams,

Your young men shall see visions.

29And also on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

NKJV; Joel 2:28-29; 1982, Thomas Nelson

John 1:35-36

We know that John the Baptist had many disciples.  These were followers, men who listened to the preaching of John the Baptist, who were baptized by him and were repentant.  These were disciples of John who longed to be disciples of Jesus.  John made it clear his ministry was never about him.  He wasn't building a following.  At the revealing of Jesus, John's mission was fulfilled.  John looked at Jesus and declared the Lamb.  At this, John began to fade and Jesus began to ascend to His earthly ministry.

John is like this transitional character bringing us from the Old Testament to the New.  He looked and sounded like one of the Old Testament prophets.  He seemingly came out of nowhere, out of several hundred years of silence, pointing to the 'not too distant' future and saying, the messiah is coming.

But now, the baptizer had seen Him, he'd baptized Him.  Now, John was looking right at Him.  The messiah was no longer coming but had arrived!  He declared Jesus to be the Lamb.  No one was looking for a messiah that would be a lamb, they desired a lion – a warrior to deal with Rome. 

Did John have inside information?  Did he really understand that Jesus had to die to take away the sins?  Did he really realize all those lambs for all those years that had been killed in the temple were really all just a picture of Jesus?  Had any of them really understood that those lambs were a picture of the One lamb that would come and offer the one sacrifice for all men?  It is possible John had seen his messiah in the suffering servant of Isaiah.

John 1:37-39

John the Baptist saw Jesus and called Him the lamb.  Two disciples heard him and understood Him to be the messiah.  They left John and they followed Jesus, probably cautious and unsure.   They didn't want to lose sight of him as they wanted to know more.  I can imagine these guys following, afraid to approach Jesus but not willing to let him go.  Then, at some point, Jesus turned around and confronted them.  What do you seek?  Imagine that moment.  The God of the universe looking in your eyes and saying, "What do you seek?"

With two different methods of timekeeping, this is either 10am or 4pm.   The context prefers 4pm toward the end of the day.  The question about where he was staying may have been about hospitality, possibly to invite Jesus to stay with one of them.  Either way, it is a strange answer to the question about what they seek.  Jesus responded with his own hospitality to "come and see."  The term rabbi is a term meaning teacher but it is a term of profound respect.  A rabbi was typically the teacher of the law.  This title is an acknowledgement by these guys that Jesus is the Master.

These two went home with Jesus.  How incredible would that be?  They presumably examined Him more closely, asking questions, trying to figure it all out.  I wonder if they expected?  Were they looking for the finest chariot parked out front?  Did they anticipate servants waiting on him?  Were they looking for things fitting of a king?

Note that as of yet, these two are unidentified.

In the synoptic gospels Jesus finds Peter and Andrew in their fishing boat.   The ministry of Jesus seems to be in full swing, in the midst of miracles and changed lives.  John, however, shows a more private introduction of these first two.  They are portrayed as disciples of the baptizer.  Both could be true, the introduction seen in John and subsequent calling by Jesus.  In one case we see the disciple seeking Jesus, in the other Jesus seeking the disciples.  One displays the call upon the disciple's life while the other focuses on the personal decision to follow Jesus. 

In both cases Jesus knows the character and heart of those before him.

I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

NKJV; John 10:14; 1982, Thomas Nelson

John 1:40-42

Now we find out that one of the disciples that followed Jesus home was Andrew.  Andrew was changed that day and he ran home to evangelize his family, staring with his brother Simon (Peter).  He told Peter and then brought Peter 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).  Along with a new heart, Jesus gives Peter a new name.  The word for stone is one that implies bedrock, a stable place, a place that could be built on.  It's not Peter's ability to do great works that makes him a rock, it's his trust in Jesus.  We get to see Peter's flaws and inadequacies throughout the New Testament.

Names are a fascinating thing to watch in the scriptures.  We often seen name changes to accompany a transition from the old ways to following God.  Nicknames were common and teachers often rewarded their students with names to accompany accomplishments. 

Andrew was initially a disciple of John the Baptist that came to Jesus.  The best speculations determine that the other apostle is the author, John, the son of Zebedee.  We have no way of knowing.  However, with John's knowledge and testimony regarding John the Baptist and all that was said and done, it makes sense. 

John 1:43-45

Things are changing daily since Jesus was introduced.  The next day He was enroute to Galilee where he 'found' Philip.  This was obviously not a chance encounter, Jesus was looking for the Philip who didn't know he was lost, till he was found by Jesus. 

Philip was from Bethsaida, a fishing community on the Northeast shore of Galilee in the territory of Gaulantis which was controlled by tetrarch Philip (as opposed to Capernaum and other sections of Galilee under Herod Antipas).  We don't know much about Philip and his work as an apostle. 

Philip's first action was to tell his friend Nathanael about Jesus.  He told Nathanael that they had found Jesus (more appropriately, Jesus had found them).  He said Jesus was the One that Moses and the prophets wrote about.  His name was Jesus and He was from Nazareth.

Philip was always paired with Bartholomew in the synoptic gospels.  It is believed that Bartholomew's given name was Nathanael. 

Verse 44 tells us that Andrew and Peter were also from Bethsaida.  The synoptic gospels tell us Peter's home was in Capernaum.  What seems to be a contradiction might be accounted for by understanding Bethsaida as the town in which one grew hope and the other as to where he had currently called home.  John may be showing a more detailed knowledge of Peter's life than that revealed synoptics.

John 1:46

Nathanael had a low view of Nazareth.  To us this may sound snarky.  Can anything helpful come out of a place like that?  It was an honest concern from a man who knew His scriptures.  Once commentator put it this way:

One of the things you need to understand about this text is that ancient peoples believed that geography, gender, and generation are what determined a person's character. That is, where they came from, who their daddy is, and what gender they were determined who they were. Jews were not expecting a messianic figure to come from Nazareth. If they knew their OT prophecy from Micah, they would have expected, presumably, Bethlehem. Nazareth was a one-stoplight town, anyway, up in Galilee; no one was looking for a Galilean messiah from Nazareth.

Witherington, B., III. (2014). NT221 The Wisdom of John:

A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Johannine Literature.

Lexham Press.

The truth was that Nazareth was never mentioned as a prophetic place at all.  It was in the tribal land of Zebulun and of no reputation or no significance.  It was the backwater place, not on map as the top places to visit when you come to visit Galilee.

At Nathanael's question about Nazareth contributing to Israel Phillip doesn't hesitate but invites him to come and see for himself. 

The gospel of Matthew details that Jesus settled into Capernaum after leaving Nazareth.  He said this was a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy (9:1-2):

¹⁵"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles:

¹⁶The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,

And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death

Light has dawned."

NKJV; Matthew 4:15-16; 1982, Thomas Nelson

John 1:47-49

At seeing Nathanael come to Him, Jesus used play to welcome him.  Israel was the name given to Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes.  His name implied he was deceitful (think about how he stole Esau's blessing from his father Isaac).  Jesus calls Nathanael an Israelite – a son of Jacob – in who there is no deceit.  Maybe the question about whether anything good could come out of Nazareth was extended to the idea of could anything good come from Jacob?  Since Nathanael was of no deceit then perhaps something good might come out of Nazareth.

We should also see the contrast of John using the term 'Jews' in a negative connotation for the close-minded religious Judaizers, including the leadership of the nation.  Then, calling a seeking like Nathanael a true Israelite.

Nathanael didn't understand how Jesus knew him.  Jesus was aware of Nathanael before Philip made him aware of Jesus.  He saw him under the fig tree.  Apparently, the law was known to be studied with the rabbi under the fig tree.  The phrase "under the fig tree" came to be known in rabbinical literature to describe meditation on the law.  To be "under the fig tree" was to be someone meditating on the scriptures.  In those days it would have been what we know as the Old Testament, particularly the first 5 books. 

In meditating on the law and prophets, Nathanael had been meditating on Jesus before he knew His name.

Nathanael was sufficiently impressed.  It was a quite a turnaround, from a scoffer to a believer.  Can anything good come from Nazareth?  Apparently so!  Nathanael declares Jesus to be the Son of God and the King of Israel.  This is the first recorded confession of a disciple of Jesus' divine role as Messiah. 

John 1:50-51

Jacob, the original Israelite, fled his home after deceiving his father and stealing the blessing intended for his brother Esau.  He came to a place that night and laid his head upon a stone there to sleep.  His dream was of a ladder set upon the earth and its top reached the heaven.  Upon this ladder, the angels of God were ascending and descending.  The covenant of his fathers was renewed to him.

 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." ¹⁷ And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"

NKJV; Genesis 28:16-17; 1982, Thomas Nelson

Nathanael was impressed with Jesus' knowledge of him.  Jesus said he would come to see greater things.  In verse 51 Jesus added Him firm promise and assurance:

Most Assuredly – NKJV

Verily, Verily – KJV

Truly, truly – ESV

Very truly – NIV

Each of these are an attempt to translate, "Amen, Amen."  The word means sure and trustworthy.  The word came to be used to express hearty agreement.  In the synoptic gospels it is always used singularly.  In John's gospel it is always duplicated.

Nathanael would see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.  You can't help but speculate that Nathanael was studying what we know as Genesis 28.  Nathanael was the new Israelite who now stood before the Jesus.  The Lord was the rock on which he might lay his head and He was the ladder connecting heaven and earth.  Jesus was that way to heaven and it was by Him that all the angels ascended and descended.

Nathanael could have accurately spoken the words of Jacob,

Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." ¹⁷ And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"

This is another picture of the incarnation of Jesus.  God, coming as a man to save men.  And we've seen and talked about several who came to Jesus.  The apostle John, John the Baptist, Andrew, Simon, Philip and Nathanael, all average folks called by God.

God called all mankind to Himself.  Yet, He doesn't force you to accept the remedy for your sin.  Your sin requires death, but it doesn't have to be yours.  Jesus died for you.  But you must seek Him.  Remember Jesus turned to the two men and said what do you seek?  When the Son of God looks at you and asks, "What do you seek?" how would you answer?

Don't run away and hide in the darkness.  What would you say?

The ultimate fulfillment of Jacob's vision is the second coming of Christ. 

¹¹ Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. ¹³ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. ¹⁵ Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶ And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

NKJV; Revelation 19:11–17; 1982, Thomas Nelson.

We started with the picture of a famer with little birds.  Peter shows us a similar picture.  We were all like sheep having gone astray.  And our Father who loves us became a little lamb.  The lamb who takes away the sin of the world.  He became like you to save you, to show you the way to salvation, that we, having died might live. 

Maybe it's time for you to spend the afternoon with Jesus.  Do you seek Him?  Instead of following Him home, why don't you take Him home.  If you do, here's what you can count on.  Like Nathanael, Jesus knew you before you knew him.  He knows you and your sin and He calls you anyway because He loves you.  He calls to you and He asks, "What do you seek?"  Do you seek the love and forgiveness He offers you?  If so, that comes by agreeing with God that you are a sinner, turning from your sin and trusting Him with the rest of your life.

�2005, 2009, 2013, 2023 DOUG FORD