Search for Truth

Biblical study should not be used as a substitute for the Bible but instead as a tool to use alongside it. Read along in The Word as you read through the analysis, or save the analysis for afterwards.

Introduction to The Book of John

The book of John is one of the four gospels which tell of the life of Jesus Christ and his disciples. This one in particular was written by the disciple John (one of the twelve), who walked alongside Jesus as they traveled and performed the works of God. This means this is a firsthand account rather than secondhand accounts as shown in Mark and Luke. The evidence and validity that this was truly written by John will be discussed in another writing as this is not the focus of this text.

John refuses to directly refer to himself many times in his own gospel, opting instead to use terms such as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. The gospel takes place across many eastern religions such as Jerusalem, Palestine, Galilee, Samaria and Judea from approximately A.D. 29 to A.D. 33. This is important for piecing together a clear timeline of events throughout the gospel.

The Divinity and Qualities of Christ (Verses 1-5 and Verses 9-18)

In the beginning of his gospel, John refers to “the Word” and their divine attributes. For a new reader, “the Word” seems to be simply another title for God (since verse 1 states “the Word was God”). The text states, however, that this section is explicitly referring to Jesus. How do we know this to be true?

By skipping ahead slightly, we can prove it. Jesus is explicitly stated to be the Word in verse 14 where it states:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

Throughout the Bible, Jesus is explicitly referred to as the Son of God (notably from God directly in Matthew 3:17 and Matthew 17:5). It also refers to the Word as having taken on flesh. Jesus, likewise, was human. Verse 16 also states the Word brought “grace upon grace”.

“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” – John 1:16

Christ is then described in verse 17 with this phrase:

“….Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” – John 1:17

Christ is both described as the bringer of grace and the fullness of the Word, directly making him the Word incarnate. So, by textually proving that the Word refers to Christ, we can piece together the qualities of Jesus as described by John in this introductory section.

Jesus is referred to as having the following qualities in the first few paragraphs alone:

• He literally is God (Verse 1)
• He was with God in the beginning (Verses 1 and 2)
• Nothing was made without him (Verse 3)
• Within him is the life and the light (goodness incarnate) (Verse 4)
• It clarifies the darkness has not overcome the light of Christ and that the light overpowers the darkness (Verse 5).
• He is the grace and truth to accompany the laws given through Moses (Verse 17)
• At the Father’s side, equating the Son (Jesus) with the Father (Verse 18)

Despite the text outright and explicitly referring to Jesus as God, some people argue this is not the case. They like to reference verse 18 from this same chapter, which states:

“No one has ever seen God….” – John 1:18

Why does this verse indicate, then, that God has not been seen? Assuming Jesus is God, how can that be true (since Jesus walked alongside his disciples)? Well, we know, biblically, this statement is easily rectified. No man has seen God in his full, divine form. Though some verses refer to God being seen in the Old Testament, this was never his full incarnate form (which would be incomprehensible to us) since Exodus 33:32 establishes that man cannot physically see God without perishing. This shows that, while there are many examples where God was seen, his power was enacted to prevent a person from perishing by taking on a more comprehensible form.

• Appearances of God: Genesis 18:1-2, Genesis 32:30, Exodus 24:10-11, Exodus 33:18-23, Isaiah 6:1, Ezekiel 1:26-27, etc.

Even without that explanation, Jesus through his earthly life is both fully man and fully God (Colossians 2:9). This makes him someone we can visually comprehend since he took on an earthly body (indicated earlier in verse 14).

Not to mention, after all this, the same verse (18) states directly after (with the full verse included for context):

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” – John 1:18

Two different people are referred to as God in this verse. There is no basis for any argument; John states Jesus is God. The first paragraph, therefore, establishes that Jesus is divine in nature and fully God. He does not lose his divinity because he “became flesh” (verse 14). He is both fully man and fully God, a divine and incomprehensible act of sovereignty.

The Voice in the Wilderness (Verses 6-8 and Verses 19-28)

The second paragraph of John 1 introduces John. This John is not the same John who wrote the gospel, rather it is referring to John the Baptist, the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3-5.

“A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of The Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a pain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of The Lord has spoken.’” – Isaiah 40:3-5

Verses 6-8 imply this, but it is highlighted directly starting in verse 19 where John the Baptist is approached by Jewish priests and Levites from Jerusalem (in Bethany, across the Jordan, established in verse 28). He receives questioning from these leaders as to who he is, since his influence had been growing amongst the Jewish people (Matthew 3:5-6, Luke 3:15, Mark 1:5). His influence had even become so great that people even believed he could be the Christ. Thus, John felt the need, in verse 20, to establish that he is not the Christ.

“He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’” – John 1:20

The leaders continue their questioning, such as asking whether he was a prophet, Elijah, etc. (verse 21). Elijah was a man expected to return for the end times, as established in 2 Kings 2:11 and Malachi 4:5.

John confesses in verse 23, however, that he is the “voice of one crying out in the wilderness” as cited previously in Isaiah. The Jewish questioners (explicitly described as being sent from the Pharisees in verse 24) seem to downplay his role by questioning why he baptizes in verse 25.

“They asked him ‘Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’” – John 1:25

Who the Pharisees were is directly related to how they speak to him here. The Pharisees were a small but highly influential group of leaders who believed in complete observance of God’s law to obtain righteousness. Their questioning of John was intended to discover whether he was breaking any religious law. John, rather than arguing against the leaders, lessens himself and emphasizes the coming of the Christ (verses 26-27).

“John answered them, ‘I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’” – John 1:26-27

This directly and clearly portrays the coming messiah as a figure far beyond the worthiness of normal humans (although this is to be expected). John clarifies he baptizes with water here because this is not the case for Jesus (as described in next section).

The Arrival of The Son and Spiritual Baptism (Verses 29-34)

Verse 29 begins a new moment in which Jesus approaches John the Baptist. This occurs a day after the previous event with the Jewish leaders. Once John sees Jesus coming toward him, he directly confesses Jesus to be the Christ (verses 29-30).

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ This is he of whom I said ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’’” – John 1:29-30

John asserts the reason he knows that Jesus is the messiah in verses 31 through 34.

“‘I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John bore witness: ‘I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and bore witness that this is the Son of God.’” – John 1:31-34

This event which John is referencing is highlighted in the three other gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and occurred after John baptized Jesus (where the Holy Spirit descended upon him). Matthew and Mark indicate it occurred as Jesus came up out of the water (Matthew 3:16 and Mark 1:9-10), while Luke states it occurred while he was praying (Luke 3:21-22). These accounts are easily rectified with the idea that Jesus prayed after his baptism occurred. This conclusion isn’t unlikely whatsoever and is the reasonable lens to view these supposedly differing accounts.

John chose to emphasize the point that he (John) baptized with water (in verse 26) because Jesus baptizes with the spirit (as shown in verse 33). Mark’s gospel also shares about the baptism of the Spirit in Mark 1:8. For elaboration, the Baptism of the Spirit is the granting of The Holy Spirit to those who have faith (John 7:37-39, Acts 11:17, Galatians 3:2-14, Ephesians 1:13-14, Luke 11:13, 1 Corinthians 12:13, John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit empowers believers in various ways according to God’s will.

• Boldness and Witness: Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49, Acts 4:31, 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
• Obedience and Inner Strength: Ephesians 3:16, Romans 8:13, Galatians 5:16, Galatians 22-23, 2 Timothy 1:7
• Gifts for Ministry: 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Romans 15:19

By this point in time (around 30 A.D.) no one had received the fullness of the Spirit besides Jesus (since the glorification and sacrifice had yet to be fulfilled). The Spirit, however, had already been upon many people at various points (just not in fullness).

• The Spirit Prior to The Resurrection: Luke 1:41, Luke 1:15, Luke 1:67, Luke 2:25
• Fullness of the Spirit Not Yet Entering Believers: John 7:39, Acts 2:1-4

In verse 34, the term “Son of God” is used to describe Jesus. This directly ties into the introduction of John (verse 14). Some would argue that Jesus being referred to as “Son of God” means he cannot be God. This argument is rooted in a misunderstanding of The Holy Trinity (which will be saved for a separate writing). The Bible often refers to the Father specifically with “God” as a general term. This does not mean Jesus is not God; Especially when you account for all the other verses indicating his divinity.

• Jesus Referred to as God (outside of John 1): John 20:28, Romans 9:5, Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1, 1 John 2:50, Hebrews 1:8
• The Divine Nature of Jesus: Philippians 2:6, Colossians 2:9, Hebrews 1:3, Matthew 1:23
• Jesus Proclaims His Divinity: John 8:58, John 10:30-33, Revelation 1:17-18, Revelation 22:13
• Divine Works and Prerogatives of Christ: Colossians 1:16-17, Mark 2:5-7, John 14:13-14, John 14:9
• Worship Given To Christ (Without Rebuke): Matthew 14:33, Matthew 28:9, Matthew 28:17, Revelation 5:13-14

This concludes the first encounter in John 1 between Jesus and John the Baptist.

The Calling of Disciples Andrew, John and Peter (Verses 35-42)

Verse 35 begins the second encounter in John 1 between John the Baptist and Jesus. This takes place a day after the previous encounter. It begins by stating that John was alongside two of his disciples. We get a clear assertion by verse 40 that one of these disciples is Andrew (brother of Simon Peter). The other, however, is left unnamed throughout the section. It is almost certain that this second disciple is the author of the gospel, John. His lack of direct inclusion would align with his tendency to do so (mentioned in the intro).

• John Indirectly Referring to Himself: John 13:23, John 18:15-16, John 19:26, John 19:35, John 20:2, John 20:3-4, John 20:8, John 21:2, John 21:7, John 21:20, John 21:24

John the Baptist, in front of his disciples, once again refers to Jesus by a messianic title (verse 36) which alerts the disciples. They begin to follow after Jesus to hear from him (verse 37) and so Jesus questions them in verse 38.

“Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, ‘What are you seeking?’ And they said to him ‘Rabbi’ (which means Teacher), ‘Where are you staying?’ He 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.” – John 1:38-39

The two disciples sought the knowledge of Jesus due to his messianic identity. Jesus, always open, invited them to come and spend time with him (verse 38). The text implies that they spent the entirety of daytime with him (verse 39), explicitly stating that it takes until “about the tenth hour”. The tenth hour, as referred to here, does not refer to the time system used today (such as 10 AM). Rather, most scholars suggest that it is indicating 4:00 PM in modern time. This is because the Jewish timekeeping present during the era had the day split into 12 “hours” instead of our usual 24. Though John never clarifies what system is used, the verse implies they would have spent good time with him, and general consensus agrees it is likely the Jewish timekeeping system.

• See Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, on John 1:39, who concludes that “the weight of the argument seems, on the whole, to be in favor of the Jewish method,” i.e., about 4:00 PM cf. Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, ad loc., which likewise inclines to Jewish reckoning; and Adam Kubiś, “Roman versus Jewish Reckoning of Hours in the Gospel of John,” Biblical Annals 11/2 (2021), which argues comprehensively for Jewish time throughout John’s hour references.

What was discussed between Jesus and his disciples is not made clear, though I would pay great amounts to know.

After John and Andrew spend time with Jesus, Andrew seeks his brother Simon Peter and implores him to come meet Jesus, referring to him as the messiah (verse 41). They are stated to be sons of John (different John from the Baptist and the disciple, verse 42) also known as Jonah (Matthew 16:17) from the city of Bethsaida (verse 44). The reason for the difference is due to the fact that Matthew keeps the Aramaic form (“Bar-Jonah”) while John gives the Greek patronymic. The two forms could be considered interchangeable or semitic equivalents. The “issue” only arises due to textual/language variants. Despite what other translations state, “Son of John” is the proper name translation for John 1:42.

• See the NET Bible, tc note on John 21:15, which judges “son of John” to be better attested in John and views other translations with “son of Jonah” as an assimilation to Matt 16:17; cf. Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, on John 21:15 (“For ‘Jonas’ read John … as in John 1:42”), and Ellicott’s Commentary, ad loc. For the onomastic issue, see ISBE, “Bar-Jonah,” which allows either contraction (Iōnas ← Iōanēs) or dual naming; compare Calvin, Commentary on John (on John 1:42).

Once Andrew tells Simon, he brings him to Jesus. Jesus immediately identifies who Simon is simply by looking at him.

“He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas’ (which means Peter).” – John 1:42

The text does not clarify whether Jesus would have been told this prior, but due to his divinity (as established throughout the introduction of this chapter and elsewhere) this is to be expected that he could identify Simon without introduction (verse 42).

Simon Peter is given his name Peter here and is what he will be referred to as throughout most of the New Testament. Cephas (Peter) is an Aramaic word which translates to “rock”. In the book of Genesis, God changed names to better establish a shift or their calling. This change, likewise, is emblematic of Peter’s role as a foundational rock of the church (Matthew 16:18).

• God Changing Names (Outside of John 1): Genesis 17:5, Genesis 32:28

Some may argue that there seems to be a contradiction since Matthew 16:16-18 seems to state that Peter was given the name during an entirely different time. This is easily reconciled though; The event in Matthew is not the initial naming event. Rather, it is an emphasis and statement on the importance of the name.

The rest of the encounter between Peter and Jesus is not established, though it is made clear that Peter was called to be a disciple.

The Calling of Disciples Philip and Nathanael (Verses 43-51)

The day after Jesus meets Peter, Jesus heads into Galilee and finds Philip from Bethsaida (the same city as Andrew and Peter, verses 43-44). Jesus calls Philip very directly.

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’” – John 1:43

Philip accepts (though not directly stated, obvious implication since he is one of the twelve disciples) and seeks Nathanael (implied to be his friend). Nathanael, one of the twelve, is named Bartholomew in Matthew, Mark and Luke. This is likely due to Bartholomew being a surname, making his full name Nathanael Bartholomew.

After Philip finds Nathanael, he tells him about the Christ.

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’” – John 1:45

Of course, this statement does not mean Jesus was not the Son of God. Joseph was his earthly father, husband of Mary (mother of Jesus). Jesus grew up in the town of Nazareth (Luke 4:24) so he is referred to as being from Nazareth.

Jesus is referred to as “him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote” because much of what he did (and is) was prophesied.

• Moses Referencing Jesus (The Messiah): Genesis 3:15, Genesis 12:13, Genesis 49:10, Numbers 24:17, Deuteronomy 18:15, Deuteronomy 18:18
• Other Prophets Referencing Jesus (The Messiah):
  2 Samuel 7:12-13, Psalm 2:7-8, Psalm 22:16-18, Psalm 110:1, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-2, Isaiah 53:4-6, Isaiah 61:1-2, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Daniel 7:13-14, Micah 5:2, Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah 12:10, Zechariah 13:7, Malachi 3:1

Nathanael’s response echoes a common sentiment about Nazareth (verse 46) which showcases the reputation of that town at the time.

“Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” – John 1:46

It was looked down upon for being a small town with (seemingly) no influence and less than 2,000 people. This would be similar to how people look down upon low-income neighborhoods in the modern day.

Nathanael accepts (again, implied) Philip’s invitation to “come and see” (verse 46) and so Philip brings him to see Jesus. Similar to Peter, Jesus knows Nathanael without anyone telling him anything.

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to him, ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered him ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’” – John 1:47-48

Jesus directly calls Nathanael “an Israelite indeed” because of his faithful observance of the ninth commandment (Exodus 20:16) regarding dishonesty. Nathanael reacts with shock at Christ’s knowledge, questioning him. Jesus references an event we do not directly see in the Bible in which Philip was under a fig tree, likely calling out or praying to God (verse 48). The knowledge of this event is enough to convince Philip, who immediately cries out and calls Jesus the “Son of God” and “King of Israel” (verse 49), proclaiming his messianic status. Jesus proceeds to call out this great faith in verse 50.

“Jesus answered him, ‘Because I said to you ‘I saw you under the fig tree’, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’” – John 1:50

Nathanael had yet to see any physical miracles and had immediately confessed Jesus to be the Christ because of his wisdom alone. This contrasts him with people such as the disciple Thomas, who needed to firsthand witness physical miracles to believe (John 20:24, John 20:27-29). The “greater things” Jesus refers to in verse 50 is, unsurprisingly, referencing the many miracles Jesus will perform over the course of his life. Nathanael will be there to witness many as one of the twelve. Jesus continues with a specific example.

“And he said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” – John 1:51

The “you” stated in verse 51 (regarding witness) is plural in the original Greek, meaning Jesus is not speaking to only Nathanael but also Philip (and perhaps the other disciples indirectly). Jesus references his glorification (referring to himself as the Son of Man, a messianic title) through verse 51. The “ascending and descending” directly references the story of Jacob (Genesis 28:10-25) in which Jacob names Bethel (Genesis 28:16-19) due to him having a dream of the heavens in that very spot (with the same picture of ascending and descending angels). Similarly to how Jacob established that place to represent the “gate of heaven”, Jesus establishes the true gate to Heaven through his blood. Essentially, Jesus is the “New Bethel” similar to the New Jerusalem (Revelation 3:12, Revelation 21:2).

John 1 concludes, therefore, with the calling of Nathanael. Throughout this chapter, we were introduced to the divinity of Jesus, John the Baptist as the voice to proclaim Jesus as the messiah, and the calling of disciples Andrew, John, Peter, Philip and Nathanael.

Timeline of John 1

—— 1 Day Later ——

—— 1 Day Later ——

—— 1 Day Later ——

Other Sources

• ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), used throughout for study notes and background; see Crossway’s publication details. OpenBible.info, “Topical Bible—Bible Verses by Topic,” used as a research tool for surfacing verses on specific topics; see also the site’s technical/methodology notes.