John 1:35-38

1:35 Again the next day John ¹  was standing there ²  with two of his disciples. 1:36 Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” ³  1:37 When John’s ⁴  two disciples heard him say this, ⁵  they followed Jesus. ⁶  1:38 Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, “What do you want?” ⁷  So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher), ⁸  “where are you staying?”

[1:35]  ¹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[1:35]  ² tn “There” is not in the Greek text but is implied by current English idiom.

[1:36]  ³ sn This section (1:35-51) is joined to the preceding by the literary expedient of repeating the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus being the Lamb of God (1:36, cf. 1:29). This repeated testimony (1:36) no longer has revelatory value in itself, since it has been given before; its purpose, instead, is to institute a chain reaction which will bring John the Baptist’s disciples to Jesus and make them Jesus’ own disciples.

[1:37]  ⁵ tn Grk “his”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:37]  ⁶ tn Grk “And the two disciples heard him speaking.”

[1:37]  ⁷ sn The expression followed Jesus pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one’s life.

[1:38]  ⁷ tn Grk “What are you seeking?”

[1:38]  ⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.