John 1
1
The Word Became Flesh
1 #
Gen. 1:1; [
Col. 1:17; 1 John 1:1; Rev. 1:4, 8, 17; 3:14; 21:6; 22:13 ] In the beginning was #Rev. 19:13; [Heb. 4:12; 1 John 1:1] the Word, and #1 John 1:2; [ch. 17:5] the Word was with God, and #Phil. 2:6the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3#ver. 10; Ps. 33:6; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4#ch. 5:26; 11:25; 1 John 1:2; 5:11 In him was life,#1:4 Or was not any thing made. That which has been made was life in him and #ch. 8:12; 9:5; 12:46the life was the light of men. 5#[ch. 3:19]The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6There was a man #ver. 33; ch. 3:28; Mal. 3:1 sent from God, whose name was #Matt. 3:1; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:2John. 7He came as a #ch. 3:26; 5:33 witness, to bear witness about the light, #Acts 19:4that all might believe through him. 8#ver. 20He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 #
Isa. 49:6; 1 John 2:8 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet #[ch. 16:3; 1 John 3:1]the world did not know him. 11He came to #Matt. 21:38 his own,#1:11 Greek to his own things; that is, to his own domain, or to his own people and #ch. 13:1 his own people#1:11 People is implied in Greek #ch. 5:43; [ch. 3:11, 32]did not receive him. 12But to all who did receive him, #See 1 John 5:13 who believed in his name, #1 John 5:1 he gave the right #1 John 3:1; [Matt. 5:45] to become #[Gal. 3:26]; See ch. 11:52children of God, 13who #James 1:18; [ch. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:3] were born, #1 Pet. 1:23 not of blood #ch. 3:6nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And #ver. 1 the Word #Rom. 1:3; 8:3; Gal. 4:4; Phil. 2:7, 8; Col. 1:22; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 4:2; 2 John 7; [ch. 6:51] became flesh and #Rev. 7:15; 21:3 dwelt among us, #ch. 2:11; Luke 9:32; 2 Pet. 1:16, 17; 1 John 1:1; 4:14 and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son#1:14 Or only One, or unique One from the Father, full of #See ver. 7 grace and #[ch. 14:6]truth. 15(#See ver. 7 John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, #ver. 27, 30; See Matt. 3:11‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16For from #Eph. 1:23; 3:19; 4:13; Col. 1:19; 2:9 his fullness we have all received, #[Matt. 25:29]grace upon grace.#1:16 Or grace in place of grace 17For #ch. 7:19; Ex. 20:1 the law was given through Moses; #ver. 14; [Rom. 5:21]grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18#ch. 5:37; 6:46; Ex. 33:20; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 John 4:12, 20; [ch. 12:45] No one has ever seen God; #ver. 14; See ch. 3:16 the only God,#1:18 Or the only One, who is God; some manuscripts the only Son who is at the Father’s side,#1:18 Greek in the bosom of the Father #[Matt. 11:27]; See ch. 3:32he has made him known.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
19And this is the #ch. 3:26 testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, #[ch. 8:25]“Who are you?” 20#ver. 8; ch. 3:28; Acts 13:25; [Luke 3:15]He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21And they asked him, “What then? #[Matt. 11:14; 16:14] Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you #See Deut. 18:15, 18the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23He said, “I am #Cited from Isa. 40:3; See Matt. 3:3the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight#1:23 Or crying out, ‘In the wilderness make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25They asked him, #Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3, 7“Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26John answered them, #Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:7, 8; Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5; 13:25“I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27even #ver. 15, 30he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Behold, the Lamb of God
29The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, #ver. 36; Ex. 12:3; Isa. 53:7; Acts 8:32; 1 Pet. 1:19; [Gen. 22:8; Rev. 5:6] the Lamb of God, who #1 John 3:5; [Heb. 10:4, 11] takes away the sin #[ch. 3:16, 17; 4:42; 12:47; 1 John 2:2; 4:14]of the world! 30This is he of whom I said, #ver. 15, 27‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31I myself did not know him, but #Luke 1:17, 76, 77for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32And John #See ver. 7 bore witness: #Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22 “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and #[Isa. 11:2; Acts 10:38]it remained on him. 33I myself did not know him, but #ver. 6; Luke 3:2 he who sent me to baptize #[ch. 3:5] with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, #Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5this is he who baptizes #[ch. 3:5] with the Holy Spirit.’ 34And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son#1:34 Some manuscripts the Chosen One of God.”
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
35The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, #See ver. 29the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, #ch. 18:4, 7; 20:15 “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, #ver. 49; ch. 3:2, 26; 6:25; [ch. 20:16; Mark 10:51]“Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.#1:39 That is, about 4 p.m. 40#For ver. 40-42, [Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:2-11]One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus#1:40 Greek him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found #ch. 4:25the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of #ch. 21:15-17 John. You shall be called #1 Cor. 1:12; 3:22 Cephas” (which means #Matt. 16:18Peter#1:42 Cephas and Peter are from the word for rock in Aramaic and Greek, respectively).
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 # [ver. 35; ch.
2:1
] The next day Jesus decided #[ver. 28]to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44Now #ch. 12:21Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found #ch. 21:2 Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom #See Luke 16:16; 24:27 Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus #See Matt. 2:23 of Nazareth, #ch. 6:42; Luke 3:23the son of Joseph.” 46Nathanael said to him, #[ch. 7:41, 52]“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, #Ps. 73:1; Rom. 9:4, 6 an Israelite indeed, #Ps. 32:2; [Zeph. 3:13; Rev. 14:5]in whom there is no deceit!” 48Nathanael said to him, “How #ch. 2:24, 25do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49Nathanael answered him, #See ver. 38 “Rabbi, #[ch. 6:69; 11:27; 20:28] you are the Son of God! You are the #ch. 12:13; Zeph. 3:15; Matt. 27:11, 42; [Zech. 9:9]King of Israel!” 50Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,#1:51 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse you will see #Ezek. 1:1; Matt. 3:16; Luke 3:21 heaven opened, and #[Gen. 28:12] the angels of God ascending and descending on #See Dan. 7:13the Son of Man.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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