BEFORE THE WORLD WAS CREATED. The brief time from the Virgin Birth in Bethlehem to the Ascension from the Mount of Olives must be understood in its relationship to the WHOLE of the Son of God. Read what Paul says in 1 Timothy 3:16; Colossians 1:15-20. John shows us, that: (1) the One who appeared in... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WORD WAS THE SOURCE OF LIFE. Compare John 5:26; John 11:25. The _power_ which creates life and supports all Creation is in the Word (Hebrews 1:3). AND THIS LIFE BROUGHT LIGHT TO MEN. That _life_ reveals God to us in human terms that we can understand. Compare Matthew 4:14-17.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE DARKNESS HAS NEVER PUT IT OUT. His light drives away the darkness of ignorance and error. The darkness cannot extinguish the light!... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD SENT HIS MESSENGER. The "advance man" is now introduced. This is John the Baptist. He was appointed to this mission, even before his birth.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO CAME TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THE LIGHT. John came to lead a "spiritual renewal." But his chief purpose was to point people to Jesus. See John 1:30.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE HIMSELF WAS NOT THE LIGHT. John was not "The Man," but only the "advance man." [Some were teaching that John the Baptist was the Messiah.] John the apostle, makes it very plain!... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS WAS THE REAL LIGHT. See John 12:46. God's final message to the world is through the Son (Hebrews 1:1-2).... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD MADE THE WORLD THROUGH HIM. See Colossians 1:16. He was: in the world; God made the world through him; the world did not know him. HE CAME TO HIS OWN COUNTRY. When he became a human being, he took Jewish citizenship (see Galatians 4:4). The "world" is the whole human race. His "country" is the J... [ Continue Reading ]
SOME, HOWEVER, DID RECEIVE HIM. Many of the Jewish people did accept him as Messiah (see Acts 21:20). SO HE GAVE THEM THE RIGHT. Compare John 6:44-45. TO BECOME GOD'S CHILDREN. Everyone who believes is given the "right to become," but he must _reach out through faith to seize the sacrifice of Christ... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY DID NOT BECOME GOD'S CHILDREN BY NATURAL MEANS. Before the Cross, the Jews were God's children, by natural means. After the Cross, the New Birth (John 3:5; Titus 3:5)_ initiates_ people into _spiritual Israel._... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WORD BECAME A HUMAN BEING. The Word [Eternal Logos] took a body of flesh. One who denies this, is an Enemy of Christ [anti-Christ] (see 1 John 4:2-3). WE SAW HIS GLORY. See Luke 9:32; John 2:11. As THE FATHER'S ONLY SON. See note on John 3:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN TOLD ABOUT HIM. John _identified_ Jesus as the Messiah! See John 1:33-34.... [ Continue Reading ]
OUT OF THE FULNESS OF HIS GRACE. See Colossians 1:19. His "grace and truth" bless all who _belong_ to him. GIVING US ONE BLESSING AFTER ANOTHER. He is a _"stream of water, flowing ever deeper!"_... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD GAVE THE LAW THROUGH MOSES. The Law is contrasted with "grace and truth." Compare Hebrews 12:18-24; Romans 8:1-4. See also John 1:14.... [ Continue Reading ]
NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN GOD. See 1 Timothy 6:16. Flesh and blood cannot _look upon_ the Living God, THE ONLY ONE. See note on John 3:16. HE HAS MADE HIM KNOWN. The Old Testament painted only a partial picture of God. In Jesus the Son we see the _complete_ picture of God! See John 17:26.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JEWISH AUTHORITIES IN JERUSALEM. Our writer now skips the childhood of Jesus, and most of John the Baptist's work. He jumps to the time that Jesus, about thirty years old, begins his public career. A Council of seventy-two, called the Sanhedrin, ruled Israel. The term "Jew" often is speaking of... [ Continue Reading ]
JOHN DID NOT REFUSE TO ANSWER. He made no attempt to conceal his mission. I AM NOT THE MESSIAH. [The terms "Christ" and "Messiah" mean the same thing in the Bible. Perhaps because "Christ" has come to be used as a _personal name_ for Jesus, the TEV often prefers "Messiah" as a _translation_ of CHRIS... [ Continue Reading ]
ARE YOU ELIJAH? The Jews expected Elijah to come before the Messiah. See notes on Matthew 16:14; Matthew 17:10. ARE YOU THE PROPHET? Moses had predicted the coming of the Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15).... [ Continue Reading ]
TELL US WHO YOU ARE. "If you are not the Messiah, not Elijah, not the Prophet, who are you?... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VOICE OF ONE WHO SHOOTS IN THE DESERT. See note on Matthew 3:3. He was to get things ready for Jesus to carry out his mission.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MESSENGERS HAD BEEN SENT BY THE PHARISEES. See notes On Matthew 3:7.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHY DO YOU BAPTIZE? The fact that they are mystified shows they were unfamiliar with the rite of baptism. If John were the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet, they could understand why he would introduce a new religious rite. But if he is none of these, why does he do this? [Josephus, the Jewish his... [ Continue Reading ]
I BAPTIZE WITH WATER. John's baptism was water baptism. See notes on Matthew 3:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THIS HAPPENED IN BETHANY. On the east bank of the Jordan River.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE NEXT DAY JOHN SAW JESUS. John [_the apostle_] omits all of Jesus' personal life up to this point. Jesus is now thirty years old, and walked from Galilee to the Jordan River area where John the Baptist is doing his work (about 60 or 70 miles distance). This conversation was after Jesus' baptism ... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS THE ONE I WAS TALKING ABOUT. See John 1:26-27. BECAUSE HE EXISTED BEFORE I WAS BORN. As a human being, John was six months older than Jesus. But Jesus was the Word (John 1:1-3).... [ Continue Reading ]
I DID NOT KNOW WHO HE WOULD BE. This means John did not know Jesus would be the Messiah, until the Holy Spirit clearly identified him. [Jesus and John were relatives (Luke 1:36).]... [ Continue Reading ]
32-34. I SAW THE SPIRIT COME DOWN LIKE A DOVE. John declares what he saw with his own eyes! See notes on Matthew 3:16. God had told John what the _sign_ would be to identify the Messiah. John says that he did see it!... [ Continue Reading ]
THE NEXT DAY JOHN WAS THERE AGAIN. In John 1:19-28 we read of the visit of the priests and Levites. John 1:29-34 are "the next day." This then, is the third day after the messengers from the Sanhedrin had come, and probably the second day after Jesus had come back from the Temptation. WITH TWO OF HI... [ Continue Reading ]
HERE IS THE LAMB OF GOD! The day before, John had cited Jesus as the _"Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"_ Now he personally directs his own disciples to Jesus.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WENT WITH JESUS. John had pointed out the _source of life._ Christianity is following Jesus!... [ Continue Reading ]
WHERE DO YOU LIVE, RABBI? Their question implies their interest in Jesus. It may be they only wished to know where to find him in the future.... [ Continue Reading ]
COME AND SEE. This is an invitation, or perhaps a _call._ (Compare John 1:43.)... [ Continue Reading ]
ONE OF THE TWO WHO HEARD JOHN. Andrew was one of the first two disciples of Christ. AT ONCE ANDREW FOUND HIS BROTHER SIMON. Simon Peter. This is the true Christian spirit. MESSIAH. See note on John 1:20.... [ Continue Reading ]
YOUR NAME WILL BE CEPHAS. A Hebrew word meaning "rock." Peter is the Greek form.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE FOUND PHILIP AND SAID TO HIM. [The Philip in Acts 6:5 is a different person.] This Philip is only a name in the other Gospels. John tells us more about him (John 6:5; John 12:21; John 14:8).... [ Continue Reading ]
PHILIP FOUND NATHANAEL. He is identified as being from Cana in Galilee (John 21:2). He is named in only these two places, but he is certainly the Bartholomew who was one of the Twelve. WE HAVE FOUND THE ONE. Moses predicted the Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15). They evidently mean, the Messiah. [The Jews... [ Continue Reading ]
CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME FROM NAZARETH? Nazareth was a "hick town." The fact that the enemies of Jesus called him the Nazarene shows there was some disgrace connected with the name. COME AND SEE. "Find out for yourself!" The strongest proof that Jesus is the Messiah is Jesus himself!... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS NOTHING FALSE IN HIM. Quite a contrast to the formalism and hypocrisy of that time. This also shows that the statement of Nathanael in John 1:46 was not based on jealousy (Cana and Nazareth were rival towns, about twelve miles apart).... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW DO YOU KNOW ME? Nathanael had never met Jesus before this. WHEN YOU WERE UNDER THE FIG TREE. Johnson believes that Nathanael had some unusual experience under the fig tree, of which we are told nothing, and that he saw in what Jesus said, supernormal knowledge that both startled him and caused h... [ Continue Reading ]
YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD! YOU ARE THE KING OF ISRAEL! This is the first recorded _uninspired_ declaration of Jesus' divinity, but he could not have understood what he was saying at that time. If he had, a "human being" could have instructed Peter (see notes on Matthew 16:17),... [ Continue Reading ]
YOU WILL SEE HEAVEN OPEN. This language is based on _"Jacob's ladder,"_ (Genesis 28:12). Here Jesus makes himself that ladder, and communication between earth and heaven takes place through him. Son of MAN. See John 9:35.... [ Continue Reading ]