John 1:38

1:38 Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, “What do you want?” ¹  So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher), ²  “where are you staying?”

John 8:12

Jesus as the Light of the World

8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, ³  “I am the light of the world. ⁴  The one who follows me will never ⁵  walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 11:31

11:31 Then the people ⁶  who were with Mary ⁷  in the house consoling her saw her ⁸  get up quickly and go out. They followed her, because they thought she was going to the tomb to weep ⁹  there.

John 12:26

12:26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow ¹⁰  me, and where I am, my servant will be too. ¹¹  If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

John 18:15

Peter’s First Denial

18:15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed them as they brought Jesus to Annas. ¹²  (Now the other disciple ¹³  was acquainted with the high priest, and he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard.) ¹⁴ 

John 21:20

Peter and the Disciple Jesus Loved

21:20 Peter turned around and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. ¹⁵  (This was the disciple ¹⁶  who had leaned back against Jesus’ ¹⁷  chest at the meal and asked, ¹⁸  “Lord, who is the one who is going to betray you?”) ¹⁹ 

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

[1:38]  ² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[8:12]  ³ tn Grk “Then again Jesus spoke to them saying.”

[8:12]  ⁴ sn The theory proposed by F. J. A. Hort (The New Testament in the Original Greek, vol. 2, Introduction; Appendix, 87-88), that the backdrop of 8:12 is the lighting of the candelabra in the court of women, may offer a plausible setting to the proclamation by Jesus that he is the light of the world. The last time that Jesus spoke in the narrative (assuming 7:53-8:11 is not part of the original text, as the textual evidence suggests) is in 7:38, where he was speaking to a crowd of pilgrims in the temple area. This is where he is found in the present verse, and he may be addressing the crowd again. Jesus’ remark has to be seen in view of both the prologue (John 1:4, 5) and the end of the discourse with Nicodemus (John 3:19-21). The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.

[8:12]  ⁵ tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.

[11:31]  ⁵ tn Or “the Judeans”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the friends, acquaintances, and relatives of Lazarus or his sisters who had come to mourn, since the Jewish religious authorities are specifically mentioned as a separate group in John 11:46-47. See also the notes on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 8 and “the Jewish people of the region” in v. 19.

[11:31]  ⁶ tn Grk “her”; the referent (Mary) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:31]  ⁷ tn Grk “Mary”; the proper name (Mary) has been replaced with the pronoun (her) in keeping with conventional English style, to avoid repetition.

[11:31]  ⁸ tn Or “to mourn” (referring to the loud wailing or crying typical of public mourning in that culture).

[12:26]  ⁷ tn As a third person imperative in Greek, ἀκολουθείτω (akolouqeitw) is usually translated “let him follow me.” This could be understood by the modern English reader as merely permissive, however (“he may follow me if he wishes”). In this context there is no permissive sense, but rather a command, so the translation “he must follow me” is preferred.

[12:26]  ⁸ tn Grk “where I am, there my servant will be too.”

[18:15]  ⁹ tn The words “them as they brought Jesus to Annas” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify who Peter and the other disciple were following. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[18:15]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “that disciple.”

[18:15]  ¹¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[21:20]  ¹¹ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[21:20]  ¹² tn The words “This was the disciple” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied for clarity.

[21:20]  ¹³ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:20]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and said.”

[21:20]  ¹⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.