John 1:22

1:22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us ¹  so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

John 4:18

4:18 for you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with ²  now is not your husband. This you said truthfully!”

John 7:34

7:34 You will look for me ³  but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come.”

John 8:13

8:13 So the Pharisees ⁴  objected, ⁵  “You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true!” ⁶ 

John 13:34

13:34 “I give you a new commandment – to love ⁷  one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ⁸ 

John 14:1

Jesus’ Parting Words to His Disciples

14:1 “Do not let your hearts be distressed. ⁹  You believe in God; ¹⁰  believe also in me.

John 18:8

18:8 Jesus replied, ¹¹  “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for ¹²  me, let these men ¹³  go.” ¹⁴ 

John 18:34

18:34 Jesus replied, ¹⁵  “Are you saying this on your own initiative, ¹⁶  or have others told you about me?”

[1:22]  ¹ tn The words “Tell us” are not in the Greek but are implied.

[4:18]  ² tn Grk “the one you have.”

[7:34]  ³ tn Grk “seek me.”

[8:13]  ⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[8:13]  ⁵ tn Grk “Then the Pharisees said to him.”

[8:13]  ⁶ sn Compare the charge You testify about yourself; your testimony is not true! to Jesus’ own statement about his testimony in 5:31.

[13:34]  ⁵ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause gives the content of the commandment. This is indicated by a dash in the translation.

[13:34]  ⁶ sn The idea that love is a commandment is interesting. In the OT the ten commandments have a setting in the covenant between God and Israel at Sinai; they were the stipulations that Israel had to observe if the nation were to be God’s chosen people. In speaking of love as the new commandment for those whom Jesus had chosen as his own (John 13:1, 15:16) and as a mark by which they could be distinguished from others (13:35), John shows that he is thinking of this scene in covenant terminology. But note that the disciples are to love “Just as I have loved you” (13:34). The love Jesus has for his followers cannot be duplicated by them in one sense, because it effects their salvation, since he lays down his life for them: It is an act of love that gives life to people. But in another sense, they can follow his example (recall to the end, 13:1; also 1 John 3:16, 4:16 and the interpretation of Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet). In this way Jesus’ disciples are to love one another: They are to follow his example of sacrificial service to one another, to death if necessary.

[14:1]  ⁶ sn The same verb is used to describe Jesus’ own state in John 11:33, 12:27, and 13:21. Jesus is looking ahead to the events of the evening and the next day, his arrest, trials, crucifixion, and death, which will cause his disciples extreme emotional distress.

[14:1]  ⁷ tn Or “Believe in God.” The translation of the two uses of πιστεύετε (pisteuete) is difficult. Both may be either indicative or imperative, and as L. Morris points out (John [NICNT], 637), this results in a bewildering variety of possibilities. To complicate matters further, the first may be understood as a question: “Do you believe in God? Believe also in me.” Morris argues against the KJV translation which renders the first πιστεύετε as indicative and the second as imperative on the grounds that for the writer of the Fourth Gospel, faith in Jesus is inseparable from faith in God. But this is precisely the point that Jesus is addressing in context. He is about to undergo rejection by his own people as their Messiah. The disciples’ faith in him as Messiah and Lord would be cast into extreme doubt by these events, which the author makes clear were not at this time foreseen by the disciples. After the resurrection it is this identification between Jesus and the Father which needs to be reaffirmed (cf. John 20:24-29). Thus it seems best to take the first πιστεύετε as indicative and the second as imperative, producing the translation “You believe in God; believe also in me.”

[18:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[18:8]  ⁸ tn Grk “if you are seeking.”

[18:8]  ⁹ tn The word “men” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The translation uses the word “men” here rather than a more generic word like “people” because in context Jesus referred only to the eleven remaining disciples who were loyal to him and were present at his arrest.

[18:8]  ¹⁰ sn A second time Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he,” identifying himself as the one they are seeking. Jesus also added, “If you are looking for me, let these men go.” Jesus successfully diverted attention from his disciples by getting the soldiers and officers of the chief priests to admit (twice) that it is only him they were after. Even in this hour Jesus still protected and cared for his own, giving himself up on their behalf. By handing himself over to his enemies, Jesus ensured that his disciples went free. From the perspective of the author, this is acting out beforehand what Jesus will actually do for his followers when he goes to the cross.

[18:34]  ⁸ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[18:34]  ⁹ tn Grk “saying this from yourself.”