The content of Jonah's prophecy, which is described in the usual terms of ‘the word of YHWH', is depicted as being that YHWH wanted the wickedness of Nineveh to be brought to the attention of its people. We learn later that this was because He intended to destroy it (Jonah 3:2; Jonah 3:4), but was g... [ Continue Reading ]
John 1:1 ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with (face to face with) God, and what God was the Word was.' ‘In the beginning.' This undoubtedly has in mind the words of Genesis 1:1 (‘in the beginning God created'), and yet it goes back beyond the moment of creation. This is where men's... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WORD WAS GOD (JOHN 1:1). John commences his Gospel by speaking of ‘the Word' (i.e. the One through Whom God has acted and spoken'), and later he adds, ‘all things were made by Him' (John 1:3) and ‘the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us' (John 1:14). It is thus made apparent that ‘the Word' i... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the Word was with God.' ‘With God' in the Greek is ‘pros ton theon' i.e. ‘towards God', signifying close relationship. It reflects more than just being ‘with God'. We might translate ‘face to face with God in close relationship'. There was between the Word and God an inter-personal relationship... [ Continue Reading ]
‘All things were made by (or through) Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.' Note the continual twofold repetition. ‘In the beginning was the Word -- the Word was in the beginning with God', followed by ‘All things were made by (or through) Him, and without Him was not anything m... [ Continue Reading ]
‘In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.' It is now emphasised that the Word was not only the Creator but as such was the source of life, because in the beginning it was He Who created life, first the living creatures, and then man. And it was the very unique life that He gave to man (Ge... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not lay hold of it.' John now turns to the purpose of His coming. His first emphasis here is on the fact that the world is in darkness. It is ever waiting for light. And just as at creation darkness had to be brought into subjection by the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness that he might bear witness of the light that all may believe through him.' For the Word did not come unheralded. ‘A man' came (in contrast with the Word Who was God), sent from God, whose name was John (the Baptiser)... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light, which was the true light, which lights every man coming into the world.' The stress now is on the fact that John was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. He pointed away from himself to Another. He was not him... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world did not know him.' This verse reflects the different meanings of the word ‘world' in the Gospel. In the Gospel ‘the world' generally refers to the whole of mankind in contrast with God and His true people. God loved ‘the world' and w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He came to his own, and those who were his own did not receive him.' He came to His own ‘home' (ta idia - translated ‘home' correctly in Acts 21:6), and His own people received Him not. Here now it is made clear that Jesus is being spoken of. This was not just some abstract philosophical idea, but... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name.' But even in the world in its darkness there would be those who responded, and they would thereby receive the right to ‘become the children of God, by ‘believing on His Name'' th... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Who were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.' John now stresses that men can only become genuinely ‘children of God' in a spiritual sense when they have had a ‘new birth'. When they have received new life from God. So he is again stressing the dis... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.' Now John declares openly the startling and unique nature of the Christian message. It is that ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.' The greatness t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘John bears witness of him and cries, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is become before me, for he was before me'.” ' So as to leave his readers in no doubt the author now stresses again that ‘the Word' is the One to whom John the Baptiser bears witness. John, who has bee... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For of his fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace, for the Law (the Torah) was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.' The author now stresses the overflowing wonder of what Jesus, the Word, has come to do, and stresses His superiority over Moses. The instruction (the T... [ Continue Reading ]
‘No man has seen God at any time. God only begotten, (or ‘the only begotten Son') who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.' Indeed he sums up by declaring that Jesus is the final revelation of God, as the One Who alone partakes in His essence. He is ‘God only begotten', alone enjoy... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And this is the witness of John when the Judaisers sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” There were many ideas around at this time as to whom God would send to help His people. Some expected the return in bodily form of Elijah the Prophet himself (Malachi 4:5), r... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN THE BAPTISER'S TESTIMONY TO JESUS AND THE CALLING OF DISCIPLES (JOHN 1:19). The portrayal of John the Baptiser by the writer is in interesting contrast to the John the Baptiser portrayed in the other Gospels. But an examination of the text soon brings out that this difference is mainly one of e... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he confessed and denied not, and he confessed, “I am not the Christ (Messiah)”. And they asked him, “What then. Are you Elijah?”, and he says, “I am not”. “Are you the prophet?”, and he answers, “No”.' John immediately discounted any of these ideas. First he discounted the idea that he was the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘They therefore said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”. He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness - ‘Make the way of the Lord straight' - as Isaiah the prophet said”.' On being pressed he connected himself with t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they had been sent from the Pharisees'. The Pharisees were probably the most influential religious group in the eyes of the common people. They had originated from the Hasidim, the ‘separated ones', who during the time of fierce religious persecution of the Jews a century or two earlier had st... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they asked him and said to him, “Why then are you baptising if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, or the prophet?” They were puzzled by his baptism. They recognised that it must have some great religious significance but it was one they did not understand. Nor were they sure where he felt he h... [ Continue Reading ]
‘John answered them, saying, “I baptise with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, even He who comes after me, the clasp of whose sandal I am unworthy to unloose”.' His reply was that he was baptising with water in preparation for the coming of Another, someone who was already standing... [ Continue Reading ]
‘These things were done in Bethany beyond Jordan where John was baptising'. We are now told that this took place in ‘Bethany, beyond Jordan' (v. 28). The appellation is to distinguish the village from the better known Bethany, and indeed ‘Bethany beyond Jordan' was so little known that it was soon... [ Continue Reading ]
‘On the morrow he sees Jesus coming to him and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”.' ‘The morrow, the next day'. This whole passage links a number of events over a period of days. The writer, who was present and saw what took place, could never forget those never to b... [ Continue Reading ]
‘This is He of whom I said, after me comes a man who is become before me, for He was before me.' John the Baptiser now expands on what he has said. Here was the One for whom he was preparing the way, the One who ranked before him because of His inherent superiority and who by right of that superior... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And I did not know Him, but that he would be revealed to Israel. This was why I came baptising with water.' ‘But that He would be revealed to Israel'. John had begun to preach knowing that ‘the coming One' was to follow him, and would be made known to Israel, and that he himself was preparing the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And John bore witness saying, “I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of Heaven, and it abode on Him. And I did not know Him. But He Who sent me to baptise with water, He said to me, on whoever you shall see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, the same is He who baptises with the H... [ Continue Reading ]
“And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” What he has seen now enables him to bear witness that ‘this is the Son of God'. It is possible that the Baptiser did not realise the full significance of his own words. It may be that he was thinking more of Jesus as the coming Me... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Again on the next day John was standing, and two of his disciples, and he looked on Jesus as he walked and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God”. And the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus.' The section begins with John reiterating to two of his disciples that Jesus is ‘the Lamb of God... [ Continue Reading ]
DISCIPLES BEGIN TO GATHER TO JESUS (JOHN 1:35). The great teachers of Israel would often have bands of ‘disciples' who gathered round them to learn from them, and then to pass on their teaching. Here we learn that Jesus also began to attract disciples. This passage is a deliberate way of stressing... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus turned and saw them following, and says to them, “What are you looking for?” ' The question, apparently casual, goes in fact to the very depths. What do they really want? Do they know what they are committing themselves to? ‘And they said to him, “Rabbi, (which means, being interpreted,... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He says to them, “Come, and you will see.” The subtle interchange continues, but while at the time its meaning was casual it is now more subtle. They should go with Him and see. But later they will follow Him all the way and will see clearly where He abides and will go with Him and to Him. ‘They... [ Continue Reading ]
‘One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.' In a passage where names are continually given the total silence as to the name of Andrew's companion is profoundly significant. It cannot have been forgotten. Too many remembered that day, and after all they... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He first finds his own brother Simon and says to him, “We have found the Messiah (which is being interpreted ‘the Christ')”. Andrew then seeks out his brother Simon (Peter) and declares that they have found ‘the Messiah'. Once someone has truly found Christ they cannot help but seek to tell others... [ Continue Reading ]
‘He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked on him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John, you will be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter)”.' ‘He brought him to Jesus.' What a multitude of meaning lies in those words. Humanly speaking the great Peter owed his conversion to Andrew. And i... [ Continue Reading ]
‘On the next day he determined to go forth into Galilee, and he finds Philip, and Jesus says to him, “Follow me”. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.' ‘The next day' they go to Galilee and there Jesus calls Philip to follow Him. This seems the most likely meaning. Having... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Philip finds Nathaniel and say to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses, in the Law, and the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph”.' Philip then seeks out Nathaniel (probably the same as Bar-tholomew, who is elsewhere linked with Philip (Matthew 10:3)) and tells him that they have... [ Continue Reading ]
. ‘And Nathaniel said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”. Philip says to him, “Come and see”.' Nathaniel replies with what was possibly a well known joke in Bethsaida, ‘can anything good come out of Nazareth?'. It may, however, have been a popular proverb. Alternately it may be that... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him and says to him, “Look, an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile”.' When Jesus sees Nathaniel He declares, ‘See, a true Israelite who is without guile'. The idea is taken from Psalms 32:2 - ‘blessed is the man --- in whose spirit there is no guile' - the epitome of... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Nathaniel says to him, “From where do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree I saw you”. Nathaniel is puzzled by Jesus' first statement and so he asks, ‘From where (or how) do you know me?' Jesus is claiming knowledge about him. He... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Nathaniel answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are King of Israel”.' This awareness of Jesus convinces Nathaniel that his friend Philip is right. ‘Rabbi,' he says in awe, ‘you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel' (v. 49). Notice the juxtaposition of the two phrases. It woul... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” And he says to him, “In very truth I say to you, you will see the Heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man”.' Jesus... [ Continue Reading ]