The rest of the first chapter continues the introductory spirit of the prologue. It records two events in John the Baptist's ministry and the choice of some men to follow Jesus.
The writer recorded John the Baptist's witness to Jesus' identity as preparation for his narration of Jesus' public ministry. He was the first of the Apostle John's witnesses to the Incarnation.
Previously the writer had mentioned that God had sent John the Baptist to bear witness concerning the light (vv. 6-8). He also mentioned what John had said about Jesus, namely that Jesus had a higher rank than he did (v. 15). Now the evangelist explained John the Baptist's witness in more detail.
1:19 This verse explains the context in which John the Baptist explained his own identity in relation to Jesus. As the Synoptics reveal, John's ministry was so influential that the Jewish religious authorities investigated him (Matt. 3:5-6). The Sanhedrin probably sent the delegation of priests and Levites. The priests were descendants of Aaron who took the leadership in matters of theological and practical orthodoxy including ritual purity. The Levites descended from Levi, one of Aaron's ancestors, and assisted the priests in their ministry mainly in the areas of temple music and security.71
"The Jews"is a term that John used 71 times, in contrast to the other evangelists who used it rarely. Usually in John it refers to Jewish people who were hostile to Jesus, though occasionally it occurs in a neutral sense (e.g., 2:6) or in a good sense (e.g., 4:22). Most often, however, it refers to the Jews of Judea, especially those in and around Jerusalem, who constituted the organized and established religious world apart from faith in Jesus. Consequently it usually carries overtones of hostility to Jesus.72
1:20 The writer stressed that John vigorously repudiated any suggestion that he might be the Messiah. "Christ"(Gr. Christos) is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew "Messiah"or "Anointed One."John's ministry consisted of pointing the Messiah out to others so they would follow Him. Therefore it would have been counterproductive to allow anyone to confuse him with the Messiah.
1:21 The leaders asked John if he was Elijah because messianic expectation was high then due to Daniel's prediction that dated the appearance of Messiah then (Dan. 9:25). Malachi had predicted that Elijah would return to herald the day of the Lord that Messiah would inaugurate (Mal. 4:5-6). When John the Baptist denied being Elijah, he was denying being Elijah himself. His dress, diet, lifestyle, and ministry, however, were very similar to Elijah's.
The prophet whom the leaders had in mind when they asked their third question was the prophet that Moses had predicted would come (Deut. 18:15-18).73He would bring new revelation from God and might lead them in a new Exodus and overcome their oppressors. They incorrectly failed to identify this prophet with Messiah (cf. 7:40-41).74John the Baptist claimed that he was not that long-expected prophet either.
1:22-23 In response to the leaders' question, John the Baptist claimed to be a prophet who was preparing the way for the Lord's coming. He quoted Isaiah 40:3, which is part of a messianic prophecy (cf. Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4). In that prophecy Isaiah predicted the manifestation of God's glory when Messiah appeared (Isa. 40:5; cf. John 1:14). Significantly John did not claim to be the Word but only a voice.
1:24 The NASB translators understood this verse to be parenthetical describing the authorities who had sent the delegation that had been questioning John. The NIV translators interpreted it as identifying some of John's questioners. Probably the NIV is correct here. It would be unusual for the writer to interrupt the narrative flow with this relatively insignificant detail, but for him to identify some of John's examiners as Pharisees makes sense. The Pharisees were the strict interpreters of the Jewish laws, and John seemed close to violating these.
1:25 Their question implied that it was inappropriate for John to baptize. The Jews practiced baptism for ritual cleansing, but in all cases the baptismal candidates baptized themselves.75There was no precedent for John baptizing other people, and the Jews did not regard themselves as needing to repent. This was something Gentiles needed to do when they converted to Judaism.76Moreover since he was not one of the prophesied eschatological figures he appeared to them to lack authority to do what he did.
1:26-27 John replied by implying that his authority to baptize as he did came from an authoritative figure who was present but who was yet unknown. John did not identify Him then. This would have exposed Jesus to the scrutiny of Israel's leadership prematurely. John only realized that Jesus was the Messiah after he said these words (cf. v. 31). John simply referred to this One and implied that he baptized in water under divine authority. He stressed the great authority of Jesus by saying he was unworthy to do even menial service for Him. Thus John bore witness to Jesus even before he identified Him as the Messiah.
"To get the full impact of this we must bear in mind that disciples did do many services for their teachers. Teachers in ancient Palestine were not paid (it would be a terrible thing to ask for money for teaching Scripture!). But in partial compensation disciples were in the habit of performing small services for their rabbis instead. But they had to draw the line somewhere, and menial tasks like loosing the sandal thong came under this heading. There is a rabbinic saying (in its present form dating from c. A.D. 250, but probably much older): Every service which a slave performs for his master shall a disciple do for his teacher except the loosing of his sandal-thong.' John selects the very task that the rabbinic saying stresses as too menial for any disciple, and declares himself unworthy to perform it."77
1:28 The site of Jesus' ministry was primarily west of the Jordan River. "Beyond the Jordan"then evidently refers to the east side of that river. The Bethany in view then would be a town different from the site of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus' home (11:1), which was on the west side just east of Jerusalem. Perhaps John mentioned Bethany by name because its site was known when he wrote. It is unknown now. It may be significant that John recorded Jesus' public ministry beginning at one Bethany and almost ending at the other (12:1-11). "Bethany"means "house of depression or misery."78
John the Baptist fulfilled his mission of bearing witness to the Word first by publicly declaring his submission to Jesus' authority. The veiled identity of Jesus as the Word continues from the prologue into this pericope.
John the Baptist continued his witness to Jesus' identity by identifying Him publicly as the Lamb of God. This witness is a crucial part of the writer's purpose of promoting faith in Jesus.
1:29 The very next day John saw Jesus approaching him--they had been together before (vv. 26, 32-33)--and publicly identified Jesus as the Messiah. "Behold"or "Look"(Gr. ide) is a favorite expression of John's.79Probably his questioners had returned to Jerusalem by this time. The title "Lamb of God"presented Jesus as the Lamb that God would provide as a substitute sacrifice for humankind's sin (Isa. 53:7; cf. Gen. 4:4; 8:20; 22:8, 13-14; Exod. 12:3-17; Isa. 53:12; 1 Pet. 1:19).
"It [the title "Lamb"] combines in one descriptive term the concepts of innocence, voluntary sacrifice, substitutionary atonement, effective obedience, and redemptive power like that of the Passover lamb (Exod. 12: 21-27)."80
"The question in the Old Testament is, Where is the lamb?' (Gen. 22:7) In the four Gospels, the emphasis is Behold the Lamb of God!' Here He is! After you have trusted Him, you sing with the heavenly choir, "Worthy is the Lamb!' (Rev. 5:12)"81
John spoke of sin,' not sins (cf. 1 John 1:9), by which he meant the totality of the world's sin rather than to a number of individual acts.82John seems to have had the common understanding of Messiah that his contemporaries did. This was that He would be a political liberator for Israel (cf. Matt. 11:2-3; Luke 7:19). However, he understood, as most of his contemporaries did not, that the scope of Jesus' ministry would be spiritual and universal. He would take away the sin of the world, not just the Jews.
1:30 Probably some of those to whom John addressed these words were present and witnessed his conversation with the priests and Levites the previous day. John now identified Jesus as the person he had hinted at the day before.
1:31-33 John had not known that Jesus was the Messiah before God revealed that to him even though they were relatives (cf. Luke 1:36). John learned who Jesus really was when he baptized Jesus (Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). The Apostle John did not record Jesus' baptism, which happened before the events he recorded here. John the Baptist further explained that he carried on his baptizing ministry with Messiah's public identification as a goal (cf. Mark 1:4). The symbolic descent of the Holy Spirit as a dove that remained on Jesus identified Jesus to John the Baptist as Messiah who was to baptize with the Holy Spirit (cf. Isa. 11:2; Ezek. 36:25-26; Mark 1:10).
"Two times in John the Baptist's account he made mention of the Spirit remaining' on Jesus (1:32-33). This is extremely important as a description of the Spirit's relationship to Jesus because permanence is implied."83
In the Synoptics the writers mentioned only Jesus seeing the descent of the Spirit as a dove. John is the only evangelist who recorded that John the Baptist also saw it. The purpose of the baptism of Jesus in this Gospel then is to identify Jesus as Messiah to John the Baptist so he could bear witness to Jesus' identity. Every other disciple was dependent upon a human witness for divine illumination about Jesus' true identity. Baptism with water was essentially negative symbolizing cleansing from something, but baptism with the Spirit was positive indicating the imparting of new life from God.
1:34 John fulfilled this purpose by witnessing that Jesus was the Son of God (cf. 2 Sam. 7:14; Ps. 2:7). This is a title that unambiguously claims deity. The title "Messiah"did not imply deity to many who heard it in Jesus' day. They thought only of an eschatological deliverer. Even the Twelve struggled with this. However, John the Baptist testified that Jesus was God, though doubts arose in his mind later. Son of God does not mean any less than deity. It means full deity (v. 18). This verse is the climax of John the Baptist's testimony concerning Jesus.
The event that identified Jesus as the Son of God for John the Baptist was the fulfillment of God's promise to him that he would see the Spirit's descent and continuation on Him. This was the basis of John the Baptist's witness concerning Jesus.
The writer now turned his attention from John the Baptist's witness to Jesus to record the reactions of some men to Jesus' witness. Two of John the Baptist's disciples left him to follow Jesus when they heard John's testimony about Jesus. One of them recruited his brother to join them. Jesus did not call these men to follow Him as His disciples now. That came later (cf. Matt. 4:18-22; 9:9; Mark 1:16-20; 2:13-14; Luke 5:1-11, 27-28). The Apostle John recorded a preliminary contact that these men had with Jesus.
1:35-36 Was the writer describing what happened on the same day as what he recorded in verses 29-34 or the following day? Probably the "next day"in verse 35 is the next day after the "next day"in verse 29.84It happened after John had again identified Jesus as the Lamb of God (v. 29).
1:37 Two of John the Baptist's disciples started following Jesus because of John's witness. This was perfectly proper since John's ministry was to point others to Jesus. They were not abandoning the Baptist for a more popular teacher. They were simply doing what John urged his hearers to do. They began following Jesus physically to learn from Him. They also took the first steps toward genuine discipleship. This was no tentative inquiry but a giving of themselves to Him as disciples.85
1:38 Jesus asked these two men why they were walking behind Him. Did they want something from Him?
"It appears that the Evangelist is writing on two levels. The question makes sense as straightforward narrative: Jesus asks the two men who are following him to articulate what is on their minds. But the Evangelist wants his readers to reflect on a deeper question: the Logos-Messiah confronts those who make any show of beginning to follow him and demands that they articulate what they really want in life."86
Jesus' question gave the men the opportunity to express their desire to become His disciples. However, they were not quite ready to make that commitment. They replied by asking where He was staying. This polite response implied that they wanted to have an interview with Him. The fact that John interpreted the word "rabbi"for his readers is clear evidence that he wrote primarily for Gentiles.
"Staying"translates one of the writer's characteristic words (i.e., Gr. meno, "to abide"). Here it means to reside, but often it has theological connotations of continuing on especially in an intimate relationship. These men may have already been wondering if that type of relationship with Jesus might be possible for them. This word occurs 112 times in the New Testament, and John used it 66 of those times, 40 times in his Gospel.87
1:39 Jesus responded by inviting them to accompany Him, not just to see where He was staying but to visit Him. They first had to come with Him and then they would see. This statement was also highly significant spiritually. Only by coming to Jesus could they really comprehend what they were seeking spiritually. The same thing holds true today. The two men accepted Jesus' invitation and stayed with Him for the rest of that day.
Jesus apparently issued his invitation near 4:00 p.m. John was more precise in his time references than the Synoptic evangelists (cf. 4:6, 52; 19:14).88The Jews reckoned their days from sunset to sunset, and they divided both night and day into 12-hour periods.
1:40 The writer now identified one of the two men. Andrew was important for two reasons. He became one of the Twelve, and he provided an excellent example of testifying for Jesus by bringing his brother to Jesus (v. 41). John introduced Andrew as Simon Peter's brother because when he wrote his Gospel Peter was the better known of the two. We do not know who the unnamed man was. Some students of John's Gospel have suggested that it may have been the writer himself. This is an interesting possibility, but there is nothing in the text that enables us to prove or to disprove it. He could have been anyone.
1:41 Andrew sought to bring his own brother to Jesus and was successful in doing so. Obviously both of them wanted to discover the Messiah whom the Old Testament prophets had predicted and whom Daniel's timetable encouraged them to believe would appear soon (Dan. 9:25). We should not conclude, however, that because Andrew believed that Jesus was the Messiah he also believed that He was God. He may have believed this, but all the evidence in the Gospels points to the disciples learning of Jesus' deity after they had been with Him for some time (cf. Matt. 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20). Probably Andrew thought of Jesus as a great prophet who was the messianic deliverer of Israel.
The title "Messiah"means "anointed one."The anointed one in Israel was originally any anointed priest or king who led the people. As time passed God gave prophecies of a coming Davidic king who would liberate the Israelites and establish God's rule over the whole earth (e.g., 2 Sam. 7; Ps. 2; 110). Thus the idea of a coming anointed one chrystalized into the title "Messiah."
1:42 Jesus knew what Peter would become in the history of the church by God's grace. He may have had previous contact with him and known Peter's reputation since both men lived only a few miles apart in Galilee. Simon was a common Jewish name, probably derived from Simeon. Jesus gave him a nickname that expressed his character, which was not uncommon. It is interesting that Simon Peter originally had the same rash and impulsive character as his ancestor Simeon, the second son of Jacob. Cephas is Aramaic, the common language of Palestine, and means "Rock."Peter is the Greek translation of Cephas. As the record of Peter unfolds in the Gospels, he appears as anything but a rock; he was impulsive, volatile, and unreliable. Yet Jesus named Peter in view of what he would become by the power of God.
"In bringing his brother Simon Peter to Christ, no man did the church a greater service than Andrew."89
Every time we meet Andrew in this Gospel he is bringing someone to Jesus (cf. 6:8; 12:22).
The disciples of John were not the only men who began following Jesus. Andrew continued to bring other friends to Jesus. This incident preceded Jesus' formal appointment of the Twelve, but it shows Him preparing those who would become His disciples.
1:43-44 The next day appears to be the day after John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Lamb of God and two of his disciples, one of whom was Andrew, started following Jesus. John was evidently baptizing in Perea and Judea around the Jordan River (cf. Matt. 3:1, 5-6; Mark 1:5).90Now someone--the subject is absent in the Greek text--purposed to head north into Galilee. Probably this person was Andrew rather than Jesus. There are two reasons for this conclusion. Everyone else in this chapter who came to Jesus came on the invitation of someone other than Jesus. Moreover John seems to have been stressing the importance of witnessing for Jesus.
Andrew found Philip (a Greek name meaning "lover of horses") somewhere along the way or, most likely, in Galilee. Philip was from Bethsaida Julius in the region of Galilee (12:21). Having come to Jesus on Andrew's invitation, Philip accepted Jesus' invitation to follow Him. Andrew and Peter had also lived in Bethsaida evidently before they moved to Capernaum (Mark 1:21, 29). These men were all undoubtedly friends before they became Jesus' followers.
1:45 Philip then brought his friend Nathanael (meaning "God has given"or "given of God,"modern Theodore) to Jesus. Some commentators identify Nathanael with Bartholomew (cf. Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14). However there is no good reason to equate these two men. The witness continued to spread through the most normal lines of communication, namely friend to friend, as it still does.
The prophecies to which Philip referred may have included Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Isaiah 53; Daniel 7:13; Micah 5:2; and Zechariah 9:9. These and others spoke of the Messiah. This suggests that the early disciples understood messiahship in the light of the Old Testament background rather than only in a political sense.91Philip described Jesus as Joseph's son, which is how people knew Him before they learned that He was the Son of God (v. 49).
"In one sense it is legitimate to view Jesus' disciples in the gospel of John (with the exception of Judas Iscariot) as believers in Him from near the beginning of His public ministry. In another sense, however, it is also clear that the disciples' faith in Jesus grew and developed as they observed the progress of His public ministry. The course of this development may be traced in the gospel of John."92
1:46 Nazareth had an insignificant reputation, at least for Nathanael, who came from Cana, a neighboring town (21:2). Nathanael doubted that the Messiah could come from such a lowly place as that. He did not yet understand Jesus' condescension. Philip wisely did not argue with him. He just invited him to "come and see"Jesus (cf. v. 39). John doubtless intended that the repetition of this invitation would encourage his readers to witness similarly. People just need to consider Jesus. Many who do will conclude that He is the Son of God (cf. v. 12).
"Honest inquiry is a sovereign cure for prejudice."93
1:47 Jesus declared that Nathanael was an Israelite in whom there was no deceit. Nathanael was the opposite of the original Israel, namely Jacob, who was very deceitful (Gen. 27:35-36; 28:12; cf. John 1:51). Therefore Jesus virtually said that Nathanael was an Israelite in whom there was no Jacob. Jesus evidently knew about Nathanael before Philip brought him to Him as He knew the other men whom He later formally called to be His disciples.
1:48 Nathanael acted surprised that Jesus knew who he was. Evidently they had not met previously. Jesus explained that He had seen Nathanael under a fig tree where he had been before Philip had called him to come and see Jesus. Some commentators have interpreted Jesus' reference to this fig tree figuratively as an allusion to Nathanael's house. Ancient Near Easterners sometimes referred to peaceful habitation figuratively as resting under one's vine and fig tree (1 Kings 4:25; Isa. 36:16; Zech. 3:10). However there seems to be no good reason to prefer a figurative over a literal meaning here.
1:49 Jesus' simple statement elicited the most dramatic reaction from Nathanael. He concluded that the only way Jesus could have seen him when he was under the fig tree was if Jesus had supernatural knowledge. Evidently Nathanael knew that he was completely alone and that no one could see him when he was under the fig tree.
Nathanael's reaction appears extreme at first since even prophets had knowledge of things other people knew nothing about. Why did Nathanael think Jesus was the Son of God and not just a prophet? The answer seems to be that even the title "Son of God"did not mean deity to all the Jews in Jesus' day. It meant that the person in view bore certain characteristics of God (cf. Deut. 3:18; 1 Sam. 26:16; Ps. 89:22; Prov. 31:5; Matt. 5:9; John 17:12). Nathanael appears to have regarded Jesus as the Messiah who had supernatural knowledge (cf. v. 45; 2 Sam. 7:14; Ps. 2:6-7; Isa. 11:1-2). However, Nathanael spoke better than he knew. Jesus was the Son of God in a fuller sense than he presently understood.
"In recording this estimate John is adding to the evidence accumulated throughout this chapter that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. Nathanael expresses this truth differently from the others, but the essential meaning is the same . . . Nor should we overlook the fact that Nathanael has just been called an Israelite."In calling Jesus King of Israel' he is acknowledging Jesus to be his own King: he is submitting to him."94
1:50 Jesus replied that Nathanael had not seen anything yet. This demonstration of supernatural knowledge was small compared to what Nathanael would see if he continued to follow Jesus as his rabbi (v. 49). This straightforward Jew had believed that Jesus was the Messiah because of very little evidence. Jesus would give him a more solid basis for his faith in the future (cf. 20:29). John did the same for his readers by recording several of these "greater things"in the chapters that follow.
1:51 Jesus then made a very important statement that He identified as such with the phrase "Truly, truly, I say to you"or "I tell you the truth"(Gr. amen amen lego humin). This phrase occurs 25 times in John's Gospel, and it always introduces a specially important affirmation.
Jesus used the imagery of Jacob's dream at Bethel to describe the greater revelation that Nathanael and his fellow disciples--the "you"in the Greek text is plural--would receive. The opening of the heavens pictures the insight that people on earth receive into what God is doing in heaven (cf. Acts 10:11; Rev. 4:1; 19:11). Jesus would reveal heavenly things, a theme that John developed throughout this Gospel. The angels of God are His agents that assist humans by taking their communications up to God above and by bringing knowledge of divine things down to them (cf. Heb. 1). The role of the Son of Man, Jesus' favorite title of Himself that He used over 80 times (Dan. 7:13), was to make this contact possible.95Similarly a staircase makes travel and communication between two physical levels possible. Jesus was promising Nathanael that He would prove to be the key to access to God and communication with God (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5). God had revealed Himself to Israel, the man and the nation, in a dream at Bethel previously. Now God would reveal Himself to a true Israelite, Nathanael, to all Israel, and to the world, directly through Jesus.
This first sub-section in the body of the fourth Gospel (vv. 19-51) contains the prelude to Jesus' public ministry. John stressed John the Baptist's witness to Jesus' identity, first in a veiled manner and then openly. Then he recorded the response of some of John's disciples, which was to follow Jesus. Philip's witness resulted in Nathanael's declaration of faith in Jesus, limited as it was, and Jesus' claim to be the revealer of God and the way to God. The "greater things than these"that Jesus promised (v. 50) follow providing an even more solid foundation for faith in Him (cf. 20:31).
At least 16 different names and titles of Jesus appear in chapter one: the Word (vv. 1, 14), the light (vv. 7-9), the only begotten of the Father (v. 14), Jesus Christ (v. 17), the only begotten God (v. 18), the Lord (v. 23), the Lamb of God (vv. 29, 36), a man (v. 30), the Son of God (v. 34), Rabbi (Teacher, vv. 38, 49), Messiah (v. 41), Jesus of Nazareth (v. 45), the son of Joseph (v. 45), the Son of God (v. 49), the King of Israel (v. 49), and the Son of Man (v. 51).
