EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

John 1:1-51

John tells the Good News about Jesus

Gospel of John

Marion Adams

The author

Most people agree that John, Jesus’ *disciple, wrote the 4th *Gospel.

John’s father was called Zebedee. And John had a brother called James, who became also one of Jesus’ *disciples (Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:19-20; Luke 5:10). The family fished on Lake *Galilee. Zebedee owned a boat. He employed men to help with his business.

Jesus called John and James: the ‘sons of thunder’. Thunder is the loud noise that we hear during a storm. Perhaps he gave them this name because they became angry quickly. For example, they wanted God to destroy a village in *Samaria. This was because the people there had not wanted Jesus to enter the village (Luke 9:52-56).

Simon Peter, who was their partner in the business, became also a *disciple of Jesus (Luke 5:1-11). Simon Peter, James and John were Jesus’ special friends. They were the only *disciples with Jesus when he raised Jairus’ daughter from death (Mark 5:37). On another occasion, Jesus took Simon Peter, James and John up a mountain. There, they saw him as he talked with Moses and Elijah. They heard God’s voice. God said that Jesus was his Son. And they must listen to Jesus (Mark 9:2-12). And on the night before Jesus died, John and Simon Peter made the arrangements for the *Passover meal (Luke 22:8).

So John knew Jesus very well.

John did not refer to himself by his name in his *Gospel. However, there are many references to ‘the *disciple whom Jesus loved’. John did not mention this *disciple’s name. Many people think that this *disciple was John.

Some people think that John himself did not write the 4th *Gospel. They suggest that another person recorded John’s memories about Jesus. Most people agree that the author wrote this *Gospel about AD 85-90 but not later than AD 100. (‘AD’ refers to the years after Jesus was born. It is now AD 2006, although we do not write AD.) So AD 100 was 100 years after Jesus’ birth. John was a very old man then. It is possible that he dictated his *Gospel to another person. This was usual in the first century AD. Paul dictated some of his letters to his *churches. Someone else wrote the words for him.

Perhaps John wrote the words of his *Gospel himself. Or perhaps someone else recorded the stories that he told. It does not matter. We know that the 4th *Gospel contains John’s memories and ideas about Jesus.

The purpose of John’s *Gospel

John wanted his readers to believe ‘that Jesus is the *Messiah, God’s Son’ (John 20:31). That is why he wrote his *Gospel.

Matthew, Mark and Luke recorded many *miracles in their *Gospels. But John chose to record only 7 *miracles. He called them ‘*signs’. A *sign is something that gives evidence. The *miracles gave evidence that Jesus is God’s Son.

John also emphasised that Jesus was human. John recorded that Jesus was tired (John 4:6). John also recorded that Jesus needed food (John 4:31). Jesus was very sad when his friend Lazarus died. At that time, Jesus cried (John 11:35). On another occasion, Jesus became angry with the people who did business in the *Temple (John 2:15). And John also recorded that Jesus was *thirsty (John 19:28).

Jesus was not half human and half God. He was completely human and completely God, too.

Many people agree that John emphasised this for a particular reason. In the early *church, some people were teaching false beliefs about Jesus.

One group taught that Jesus was not really God. They said that he was just a man. They believed that the *Holy Spirit entered him at his *baptism. But before he died, the *Holy Spirit left him. Another group taught that Jesus was not really a man. They said that he did not have a physical body. They believed that he was a spirit. And they believed that he only seemed to be human. Both these groups were wrong!

John and the other *disciples had lived with Jesus for about three years. John knew that Jesus was a real man. Also John had seen the *miracles that Jesus did. John watched Jesus die on a *cross. And John had also seen Jesus after he (Jesus) had become alive again. John knew that Jesus had defeated death. And John had seen Jesus rise up to heaven.

So John knew that Jesus was a real man. But Jesus was and is also God’s Son. John wrote his *Gospel to prove this.

John and the other *Gospels

In many ways, John’s *Gospel is different from the other three *Gospels. John did not include any stories about Jesus’ birth or his *baptism. John only recorded 7 *miracles, which he called ‘*signs’. John did not include any parables (stories which Jesus told to teach something about God). But John recorded many long speeches that Jesus made.

The writer Eusebius (about AD 260-339) believed that John knew about the other three *Gospels. But when he read them, John had not yet written his *Gospel. He was still just talking to people about his life with Jesus. John agreed that the other *Gospels were true accounts.

But Jesus was already *preaching before King Herod put John the *Baptist in prison. The other *Gospels did not include an account of this. They recorded much about what Jesus did in *Galilee. Also, they recorded what Jesus did in *Jerusalem just before his death. But Jesus went to *Jerusalem at other times, too. So John provided the facts that were missing from the other *Gospels. He used information that they did not have. John’s account did not disagree with the other *Gospels. It added different information, so that we can understand more about Jesus.

The second century writer, Clement, from Alexandria, called John’s *Gospel a ‘*spiritual *Gospel’. In some ways, he was right. John did not record just facts about Jesus. John had thought much about what Jesus had said. And John had thought much about the *miracles that he had seen. He wanted to explain the *spiritual meaning of Jesus’ words and acts.

But John also included many physical details. For example, the loaves that Jesus used to feed 5000 people were ‘*barley loaves’ (John 6:9). He recorded the distance that the *disciples had travelled across the lake (John 6:19). And he remembered how the smell of the *perfume filled the house at Bethany (John 11:32). These details do not seem important. But they are memories of a person who was present at these events. So John’s *Gospel is not just a *spiritual book. It is the personal account of someone who had seen these events.

Chapter 1

The Text

Jesus – the *Word who has always existed 1:1-5

v1 When the world began, the *Word (Jesus) existed already. The *Word was with God. And the *Word was God himself. v2 The *Word was present with God at the beginning of all things.

v3 God made everything by means of the *Word. The *Word caused all things to exist. v4 He gave *life to everything that God created. His *life gave *light to everybody. v5 The *light continues to shine in the darkness. The darkness has never understood the *light. And the darkness has never made the *light disappear.

Verses 1-2 The *Word here means Jesus. Jesus has always existed. He existed before he was born to Mary (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38 & 2:1-7). Before he lived on the earth, he was with God. He was God.

Jesus was with God the *Father, even when God created the world. And Jesus himself is God the Son. But there are not two Gods. There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). This might seem difficult to understand. But Jesus himself said, ‘I and the *Father are One (one God)’ (John 10:30).

Verses 3-4 God created everything by means of the *Word. To create means ‘to think of something and then to make it’. This means that Jesus caused everything to exist. He gave *life to everything that God created. The word ‘*life’ is very important in John’s *Gospel. He used this word more than 35 times. In John’s *Gospel, ‘*life’ does not mean the period between birth and death. It does not mean just to have a physical body that is alive. It means that our spirits become alive too.

*Life is the opposite of death. When we *believe in Jesus as our *Saviour and our *Lord, he gives us *eternal life. Jesus lives in us now by means of the *Holy Spirit. When we die, we will not separate from him. We have *eternal life. This means that we will live with him in heaven.

But we must understand what it means to *believe in Jesus as our *Saviour and our *Lord.

1. We must believe that Jesus is God’s Son.

2. We must obey him.

3. We must believe that he died on our behalf. All of us deserve a punishment because of our *sins. But Jesus had this punishment instead of us.

4. We must confess our *sins to God.

When we believe all of this, we have his *eternal life in us.

‘Light’ is another important word in John’s *Gospel. He used it 21 times. Jesus called himself ‘the *light for the world’ twice (John 8:12; John 9:5).

We need light to see our physical surroundings. Light shows us what things are really like. But John was not writing about the physical light that comes from the sun. He was writing about *spiritual *light. This *spiritual *light shows what we are really like. We have all done wrong things. But Jesus, who is the *light, shows us how to live. We need to follow the *light. This means that we must let Jesus guide us.

Verse 5 In John’s *Gospel, darkness means everything that is evil. *Sin is like darkness. It is *spiritual darkness. It is the opposite of God’s *light, who is Jesus.

‘The darkness has never understood the *light.’ People who do not *believe in Jesus do not understand his words. They do not recognise that he is God’s Son. They cannot understand what he offers to us all. They cannot understand why they should obey him. But in order to understand about Jesus, a person must first *believe in him!

‘And the darkness has never made the *light disappear.’ There have always been evil people in the world. But nobody has been able to destroy Jesus. People *crucified him. But he became alive again. When the *disciples told this good news about Jesus, people put them in prison. But the good news spread across the world. Even today, people hurt and kill *Christians. Such people want to destroy the *church. But the *church continues to grow. More and more people are hearing the good news about Jesus. The *light of Jesus continues to shine in the darkness. The darkness will never defeat it.

John the Baptist tells people about the Light 1:6-10

v6 God sent a man. His name was John (the *Baptist). v7 He came to tell people about the *Light. He told them so that everybody would *believe in the *Light. v8 John was not the *Light. But he came to tell people about the *Light. v9 This was the genuine, perfect *Light that shines on everybody. This *Light was coming into the world. v10 God’s *Word was in the world. God had made the world by means of his *Word. But nobody recognised him.

Verses 6-7 John the *Baptist was a *prophet. A *prophet is a person who speaks God’s messages to people. Luke included the account of John the *Baptist’s birth in his *Gospel (Luke 1:5-25; Luke 1:57-66).

John the *Baptist lived in the desert. Crowds came to hear him speak. John the *Baptist told them that the *Messiah was coming. He told them how to prepare for this event. They had to be sorry about their *sins. Then, he *baptised them in the river called Jordan. This showed that they wanted to be *clean in their *hearts. This meant that they did not want to do bad things again.

Verse 8 John the *Baptist was not God’s *light. He was not the *Messiah. In his *Gospel, John emphasised this. Like all teachers at that time, John the *Baptist had his own *disciples (John 1:35). Perhaps some of these *disciples were saying that John the *Baptist was as important as Jesus. So, in his *Gospel, John wanted to emphasise that John the *Baptist was not as important as Jesus. God sent John the *Baptist to show people who Jesus was.

John the *Baptist was not the *light. But we can say that he reflected the *light. This was because he told people about Jesus. We can reflect God’s *light, too, when we tell people about Jesus.

Verse 9 Only Jesus can show us how to live. Only Jesus can guide us. So he is the genuine, perfect *light for all people.

Verse 10 The *Word has been in the world since the beginning. The *Word caused everything to exist. It is clear that God has made the earth. He continues to look after it. We can see this in the variety of plants and animals. We can see this in the beauty of nature. It is also clear that God made us. We are able to think and to reason. We can appreciate music and art. We have a conscience. None of this happened by chance. But still some people do not recognise that God is in the world. Even when God came into the world as a man, people did not recognise him. And even today, many people do not realise who Jesus is.

The *Word becomes a man 1:11-18

v11 He came to his own place. But the people from his own nation *rejected him. v12 But some people accepted him and *believed in him. He gave to them the right to become God’s children. He gave this right to everyone who trusts in him. v13 They have been born again from God. This was not a physical birth. It did not happen because people had sex. It did not happen because people decided to have babies. God himself made them become his children.

v14 The *Word became a man and he lived on earth with us. We saw his *glory. It was the *glory of the *Father’s only Son. All God’s kindness and truth came to us by means of him.

v15 John (the *Baptist) spoke about him. He shouted, ‘This is the man! I told you that he would come! I said that he is much greater than me. I came first. But he existed before I was born!’

v16 We have all benefited from the many *blessings that he has brought to us. We do not deserve these *blessings. They are free gifts. But we have received more and more *blessings. v17 God gave us the *Law by means of Moses. But God’s kindness, which we do not deserve, and his truth came by means of Jesus *Christ. v18 Nobody has ever seen God. But his only Son is God himself. He is closest to the *Father. And he has shown us what God is like.

Verses 11-14 The *Word, who has always existed, entered the world at a particular point in time. He came to *Israel, the nation that God had chosen to be his special people. The *Jews knew all the *prophecies about the *Messiah. These *prophecies were in their *scriptures, which is the *Old Testament. The *Jews expected the *Messiah to come. They were waiting for him. But when he came, most of them *rejected him. They did not recognise him as the *Messiah. But some of them realised who Jesus was. They *believed in him. Like these people, when we trust Jesus, our spirits are born again. Then we become God’s children.

It does not matter where we are born. It does not matter where we live. God wants people from everywhere in the world to become his children. It does not matter how old or how young we are. Anyone who trusts Jesus can be born again (verse 12). When we *believe in Jesus, we join God’s family. We become new people in our hearts, our minds and our spirits. We will want to obey God. We will be calm in our minds and our hearts, even when bad things happen. We will know that God loves us. We will know that he is very close to us always.

‘We saw his *glory (verse 14).’ John and the *disciples had lived with Jesus during his time on earth. They had seen him do wonderful things by God’s power. They had seen God’s qualities in him. The *Greek word ‘saw’ means ‘to look carefully in order to understand something’. John was not writing about an idea or a dream. He had actually seen God in the form of a man.

‘It was the *glory of the *Father’s only Son (verse 14).’ All *Christians are God’s children. But there is only one person who has always been God’s Son. Jesus has a special relationship with his *Father.

Jesus was human, like us. But he had always existed, although not as a human person. He had been with God the *Father in heaven, before he was born. He showed us the truth about God. He showed us how much God loves us. God is kind to us, even when we do not deserve it.

Verse 15 John the *Baptist had told the people that the *Messiah was coming. When he saw Jesus, he recognised him as the *Messiah. John the *Baptist emphasised that Jesus was much more important than himself. Although Jesus was a man, he had always existed. John the *Baptist realised this.

Verses 16-17 When we trust Jesus, we will receive many *blessings. We cannot earn these *blessings. We do not deserve them. They are God’s free gifts to us.

God gave the *Law to Moses so that the people knew how to behave. The *Law emphasised God’s perfect moral standards. Nobody could obey all of the *Law’s rules. It was too difficult. However, Jesus emphasised that God wanted to forgive us. When we trust Jesus, God will forgive us.

Jesus did not come to replace the *Law. He came to make it complete. Before he came, people followed a set of rules. But we follow a person, Jesus. We have a relationship with him. He guides us to do the right things. He shows us how to please God. And also he gives us the power to obey God. This is because he lives in us by means of his *Holy Spirit.

Verse 18 God had spoken by means of Moses and the *prophets. But nobody had ever seen God. People knew only partly what God was like. However, by means of his Son, God had come down to earth.

John the *Baptist tells people about Jesus 1:19-28

v19 Some priests came to John (the *Baptist). They came with their assistants who helped in the *Temple. The *Jewish leaders in *Jerusalem had sent them. They came to ask John, ‘Who are you?’ v20 John was careful to speak the truth. He did not deny the message that God gave him. So John answered clearly, ‘I am not the *Messiah.’ v21 They asked him, ‘Who are you, then? Are you Elijah?’ He answered, ‘No, I am not Elijah.’ They asked him, ‘Are you the *Prophet?’ ‘No’, he answered.

v22 Finally, they asked him, ‘Tell us who you are. Then we can give an answer to the people who sent us. Tell us about yourself!’

v23 John answered with the words of the *prophet Isaiah.

‘I am only someone who shouts in the desert.

I shout, “Get the road ready for the *Lord!” ’

v24 The *Pharisees had sent these men. v25 They asked him, ‘Do you have a right to *baptise people? You say that you are not the *Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the *Prophet.’ v26 John answered, ‘I use water to *baptise people. But there is someone in this crowd whom you do not recognise. v27 I came first. He will come after me. But I am not good enough to be his slave!’

v28 This happened at Bethany. Bethany was a village to the east of the river called Jordan. John was *baptising people in the river there.

Verse 19 John the *Baptist was an unusual man. He lived in the desert. He wore clothes that he had made from camels’ hair. He ate strange food (Matthew 3:4). His father Zechariah was a priest. Before John was born, an *angel had appeared to Zechariah. *Angels are God’s servants. They live with him in heaven. They bring messages to people from God. This *angel had told Zechariah that he would have a son. This son would do special work for God. He would have the *Holy Spirit in him from the time that he was born.

John the *Baptist was not a political leader. But he was a powerful man, because many people listened to his message. He told them to *repent and to receive *baptism. They saw that God had given authority to him. Therefore, they obeyed him. The people recognised that he spoke God’s instructions to them.

So when the *Jewish leaders heard about John the *Baptist, they sent some priests to him. These priests were very important, and they came with their helpers. The priests worked in the *Temple in *Jerusalem. The *Temple was the important place where the *Jews came to *worship God. The priests made *sacrifices and offered gifts to God on the people’s behalf. The priests had a very important job, so the people respected them.

Probably, the priests came to see John the *Baptist for several reasons. They were the leaders of the *Jewish religion. So perhaps they wanted to know if John the *Baptist was teaching wrong beliefs. They needed to know if he was a genuine *prophet. Also, perhaps they were jealous because John the *Baptist was popular with the people.

Verse 20 The *Jews were eager for the *Messiah to come. Most *Jews expected him to be a great military leader. They expected him to lead *Israel’s armies and to defeat all their enemies. Sometimes, men would pretend to be the *Messiah. They would persuade men to join them and to fight against the *Roman rulers. But the *Roman rulers always overcame them and punished them.

John was a very popular man who had God’s authority. So it was natural to think that he might be the *Messiah. But immediately, John said that he was not the *Messiah.

Verses 21-22 Elijah was a great *prophet. We can read about him in 1 and 2 Kings in the *Old Testament. Elijah had not died naturally. God had taken him up to heaven in a strong wind (2 Kings 2:11). The *Jews believed that Elijah would return. Then he would tell people that the *Messiah was coming soon. This was John the *Baptist’s message. But John the *Baptist told them that he was not Elijah.

God had promised to send another *prophet to the *Jews. This *prophet would be even greater than Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). This would be the greatest of all *prophets. The *Jews referred to this person just as ‘the *Prophet’.

Verse 23 The priests wanted to know who John the *Baptist was. But instead, John the *Baptist emphasised why he had come. He spoke a *prophecy from the Book of Isaiah (40:3). John the *Baptist called himself merely ‘someone who shouts in the desert’. He wanted people to concentrate on his message, not on himself. He wanted them to think about the *Messiah, not about John the *Baptist.

Verses 24-25 The *Pharisees were a group of *Jews who were experts on the *Law. They believed that people had to obey every part of the *Law. The most important *Jewish teachers had added many new rules to the *Law. This was so that people had rules for every situation. The *Pharisees said that these new rules were just as important as God’s rules in the *Law.

If a person wanted to become a *Pharisee, he had to make a special promise in front of three witnesses. He had to promise to obey the *Law. And he also had to promise to obey all the extra rules, in addition to the rules that God had made.

However, many *Pharisees became proud. They thought that they were better than other people. Both Jesus and John the *Baptist argued with them. This was because the *Pharisees obeyed the *Law for the wrong reasons. They wanted to impress other people. And the *Pharisees wanted people to think that they (the *Pharisees) were clever and important. They wanted people to think that they were very good. But they did not really care about God or about other people.

They wanted to know why John the *Baptist was *baptising *Jews.

Verse 26 John the *Baptist used water to *baptise people after they had *repented. They washed their bodies to show that they wanted to be *clean inside their hearts and minds. This did not mean that God had forgiven their *sins.

But the person who could forgive their *sins was coming soon. Actually he was among them, in the crowd. But they did not recognise their *Messiah.

Verse 27 Later, Jesus said that John the *Baptist was the greatest of all the *prophets (Luke 7:28). But John the *Baptist said that he was not good enough to be Jesus’ slave! We should be humble like John the *Baptist. Nobody is good enough to be Jesus’ slave. Jesus is God’s Son. We should always remember this when we serve him. We should never be proud. We should not think that we are important. However, Jesus calls us his friends, not his servants! (See John 15:14-15.) This is so wonderful.

Verse 28 John referred to two places called Bethany in his *Gospel. This Bethany was a village near to the river called Jordan. The other Bethany was near to *Jerusalem (John 11:18).

John says that Jesus is God’s Song of Solomon 1:29-34

v29 The next day, John the *Baptist saw Jesus. Jesus was coming towards him. John the *Baptist said, ‘Look! This man is God’s *Lamb who takes away the *sins of everyone in the world! v30 I told you about this man. I said, “Somebody will come to you. He is much greater than me. I came to you first. But he existed before I was born.” v31 Before now, I did not know that this was the man. But I came to *baptise you with water so that everyone in *Israel would see him.’

v32 This was what John the *Baptist declared. ‘I saw the *Holy Spirit come down on him, like a dove (a white bird) from heaven. And the *Holy Spirit remained on him. v33 Before this, I did not know who this man was. But God sent me to *baptise with water. And he told me, “You will see the *Holy Spirit come down on somebody. Then the *Holy Spirit will remain on that man. He is the man who will *baptise with the *Holy Spirit.” v34 I saw this happen to Jesus. So I am telling you that he is God’s Son.’

Verse 29 When John the *Baptist saw Jesus, he called Jesus ‘God’s *Lamb’. This is a very special name. It helped to explain why Jesus had come to the earth. Probably, John the *Baptist used this name for two main reasons.

Every morning and evening, the priests *sacrificed a *lamb in the *Temple. The *lamb was a *sacrifice for the people’s *sins (Exodus 29:38-42). Their *sins deserved punishment. So the *lamb died on their behalf. But the priests had to offer this *sacrifice twice daily, because people *sin all the time.

However, God provided the perfect *sacrifice: his Son, Jesus. When Jesus died on the *cross, he received the punishment for everybody’s *sins, for all time. People do not need to *sacrifice animals because Jesus was ‘God’s *Lamb’. If we believe this, we can ask God to forgive us. And if we are sincere, God will forgive us.

Also, John the *Baptist was probably thinking about the *Passover. At the *Passover, the people remembered the night that the *Israelites had left the country called Egypt (Exodus 12:11-13). God had told each family to kill a *lamb. Then, he told them to spread the blood on the entrances to their houses. That night, all the Egyptians’ oldest sons had died. (Egyptians were the people who lived in Egypt.) But the *Israelites’ oldest sons had lived. God had seen the *lambs’ blood on their houses, so he protected them. The *lambs’ blood had saved them from death.

In the same way, Jesus’ blood saves us from death. When we *believe in him, we will live in heaven after our death. Also, the blood of Jesus, God’s *Lamb, protects us from bad things. When the devil attacks us, we can have this protection. We need just to pray that the blood of Jesus will protect us.

Verses 30-34 Jesus was John the *Baptist’s relative (Luke 1:36). So John the *Baptist had probably known Jesus since they were children. But at that time, John the *Baptist did not understand that Jesus was the *Messiah. However, after Jesus’ *baptism, John the *Baptist did understand who Jesus really was.

The other *Gospels describe Jesus’ *baptism (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). But John did not record it. Perhaps he knew that people were already familiar with this story. So instead he wanted to emphasise the meaning of Jesus’ *baptism.

Jesus never *sinned. He was always good. So he did not need *baptism to show that he had *repented. But at Jesus’ *baptism, something special happened. John the *Baptist saw the *Holy Spirit come down from heaven. And he realised that Jesus was the *Messiah, God’s Son. The *Holy Spirit was like a white bird. The *Holy Spirit stayed with Jesus.

John the *Baptist said that Jesus would *baptise with the *Holy Spirit. After Jesus had returned to heaven, he sent the *Holy Spirit to the *disciples and other *believers (Acts chapter 2). The *Holy Spirit filled them and he gave them power to tell people the good news about Jesus. Also many other *believers received the *baptism in the *Holy Spirit (for example, Acts 10:44-48).

Jesus *baptises *believers in the *Holy Spirit still. We have only to ask him. When we receive the *Holy Spirit, we will also receive *spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). The *Greek word ‘to *baptise’ can mean ‘to flood’. When Jesus *baptises us in the *Holy Spirit, the *Holy Spirit fills us completely, like water in a flood.

Jesus and his first *disciples 1:35-42

v35 The next day, John the *Baptist was in the same place. Two of his *disciples were with him. v36 Jesus walked past them. John the *Baptist said, ‘Look! There is God’s *Lamb!’ v37 John the *Baptist’s two *disciples heard him say this. And they went with Jesus.

v38 Jesus turned. He saw that they were following him. He asked, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi, where are you staying?’ (The word ‘rabbi’ means ‘teacher’.) v39 Jesus said, ‘Come and see.’ So they went with him. They saw the place where he was staying. The time was about the 10th hour. So they stayed there for the rest of the day.

v40 Andrew was one of the two men who had been with John the *Baptist. Andrew had heard what John the *Baptist had said. Then, Andrew had followed Jesus. Now, Andrew’s brother was Simon Peter. v41 Immediately, Andrew went to find his brother, Simon. He told Simon, ‘We have found the *Messiah!’ (The *Hebrew word ‘*Messiah’ means the same as the *Greek word ‘*Christ’.) v42 Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. When Jesus saw him, he said, ‘You are Simon, John’s son. But people will call you “Cephas” (which means “a rock”. The *Greek word “Peter” means this too).’

Verses 35-37 Two of John the *Baptist’s *disciples left him and they followed Jesus instead. John the *Baptist expected this to happen. He had emphasised that Jesus was greater than himself. Then, he pointed out Jesus again to these two *disciples. But John the *Baptist was doing the work that God had sent him to do. He was pointing out who Jesus was. He wanted people to follow Jesus, not himself.

Verse 38 Jesus asked the two *disciples a very important question. He asked, ‘What do you want?’ It is a question that Jesus asks us, too. Some people want to get a lot of money. They want to buy a lot of things. Some people want to have an important job. Some people want to have power over other people. Some people want to have security.

But other people want to know God. They want to serve him and to obey him. They want to have the *peace that only he can give. They want this more than anything else. And they realise that a right relationship with God matters more than anything else.

However, the two *disciples did not answer Jesus’ question. Perhaps they did not really know what they wanted at that time. Instead, they asked him where he was staying.

Verse 39 Jesus answered, ‘Come and see.’ He invited them to spend time with him and to learn from him. He invited them to become his *disciples.

‘The time was about the 10th hour.’ The *Jews counted time from 6 o’clock. So many Bible teachers think that John means 4 o’clock in the afternoon. However, the *Romans said that the day started at midnight. So other Bible teachers think that John means 10 o’clock in the morning here.

Verse 40 Andrew was one of these two *disciples. The author did not name the other *disciple. It is likely that the other *disciple was John, the author of the *Gospel. This passage contains many details, such as the time when the *disciples met Jesus (verse 39). Also, John was writing in *Greek. But he recorded several words in *Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke. Perhaps he wanted to record the exact words that he had heard. When he met Jesus, everything changed for him. So he would remember everything about that wonderful day.

Verse 41 Andrew was very happy that he had found the *Messiah. Immediately, he wanted to tell this good news to his brother. But Andrew did not just tell Simon about Jesus. He brought Simon to meet Jesus. We should be like Andrew. If we know Jesus, we want other people to know him too. So we must tell people about him. We must introduce them to Jesus.

Verse 42 Jesus gave a new name to Simon. He said that people would call Simon ‘a rock’. Jesus meant that Simon’s *faith would be very strong. People would trust him. He would support people and he would help their *faith to increase. But Simon did not have all these qualities when he first met Jesus. Jesus was not describing Simon as Simon was then. Jesus was describing the kind of person that Simon would become. To emphasise this, Jesus did not often call Simon by the name ‘Peter’. In fact, we read about this only once during Jesus’ life on earth. But when Simon became a leader of the *church in *Jerusalem, everyone called him ‘Peter’.

Jesus knows the kind of person that we could become. But, like Simon, it takes time for us to become that person. God will allow us to have troubles and difficulties. We may be weak and we may fail often. We may make wrong or foolish decisions. But God will work for our benefit. He will teach us, and he will guide us. We must let God do this. We must give ourselves to him completely. We must allow him to rule over every part of our character and our circumstances. Then we will become the kind of person that God wants us to be.

Philip and Nathanael 1:43-51

v43 The next day, Jesus decided to go to *Galilee. He found Philip there. Jesus said to Philip, ‘Follow me.’ v44 Philip was from a town called Bethsaida. Andrew and Simon Peter were from Bethsaida, too. v45 Philip found Nathanael. Philip told him, ‘We have found the person that Moses and the *prophets wrote about! He is Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.’

v46 Nathanael said, ‘Nazareth! Certainly nothing good can come from Nazareth!’ Philip answered, ‘Come and see.’

v47 Jesus saw Nathanael as he was approaching. Jesus said, ‘Here is a genuine *Israelite. He is a completely honest man.’

v48 ‘How do you know about me?’ asked Nathanael. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you before this. I saw you before Philip found you. You were sitting under the *fig tree.’

v49 Then Nathanael said, ‘Teacher, you are God’s Son! You are the King of *Israel!’

v50 Jesus answered, ‘I said that I saw you under the *fig tree. That is why you believe these things about me. But you will see greater things than that!’ v51 Jesus added. ‘You all will see heaven open. And God’s *angels will go up and come down on the Son of Man. I am telling you the truth!’

Verses 43-44 John the *Baptist *baptised Jesus near Bethany which was in *Judea (a *province). Afterwards, Jesus decided to leave *Judea and to travel to *Galilee (the northern *province). He met a man called Philip there. Philip became Jesus’ *disciple. Philip was probably Andrew and Simon’s friend. They were all from Bethsaida, a town in *Galilee. Like Andrew, Philip wanted to tell the good news about Jesus to other people. So Philip went to find his friend called Nathanael.

The other *Gospels do not mention a *disciple called Nathanael. But they do mention a *disciple called Bartholomew, who was Philip’s friend. John did not mention Bartholomew. So it is likely that the names Nathanael and Bartholomew refer to the same person. Bartholomew was really a second name, which meant ‘Ptolemy’s son’. So probably Bartholomew’s first name was Nathanael.

Verses 45-46 Philip was very excited because he had found the *Messiah. But Nathanael was surprised that Jesus was from Nazareth (a town in *Galilee). Nathanael was from Cana, a town near to Nazareth. We do not really know why Nathanael insulted Nazareth. Perhaps the *Jews did not like the town because some *Roman soldiers were staying there. Or perhaps Nathanael thought that the *Messiah would come from a more important place than Nazareth.

However, Philip did not try to argue with Nathanael. Instead, he invited Nathanael to see Jesus for himself. We can learn from this. We cannot persuade people to become *Christians. We can argue with them about religion. But it is better just to tell the good news about Jesus. We can tell people what Jesus has done on our behalf personally. We can tell them that we know Jesus as our friend. He gives us *peace, whatever may happen to us. We can invite them to *believe in him. Then, they will know his power and his love. He will be their friend, too.

Verse 47 Jesus had never met Nathanael. But Jesus knew about him. He knew Nathanael’s character and attitudes. Jesus knows everything about us, too. He knows the good things and the bad things about us. We cannot hide anything from him. But still he loves us. Still he wants us to be his friends and to follow him.

Verses 48-50 *Fig trees have many leaves, so they provide much shade. People often sat under a *fig tree. There, they would think about God and the *scriptures. This was a common custom. Probably, Nathanael was doing this before Philip found him. Nathanael was surprised that Jesus knew this. It convinced Nathanael that Jesus was God’s Son and *Israel’s king. But Jesus said that Nathanael would see greater things than this. In fact, all the *disciples would see greater things. They would see how God would mend the relationship between himself and people. God would do this by means of Jesus’ death.

Verse 51 This strange description may be a reference to Jacob’s dream (Genesis 28:12). In this dream, Jacob saw a ladder that reached from earth to heaven. God’s *angels were going up and down on this ladder. Jesus is like this ladder, because he connects people to God. He opened the way to God. He did this by means of his *sacrifice of himself. But Jesus did not mean that *angels would actually climb on him. *Angels take messages to and from God. So Jesus meant that we can speak to God only by means of himself. Jesus is the only real connection between heaven and earth.

People’s *sin has ruined their relationship with God. And, since the first people, everyone has *sinned. But Jesus, by his death, would mend the relationship between people and God. Jesus does this for everyone who trusts him.

Jesus often referred to himself as ‘the Son of Man’. He did not explain what this meant. But the name has more than one meaning. It could refer to ‘the Son of Man’ in the book of the *prophet Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14). Daniel had a vision (a dream that God gives to a person when they are awake). He saw ‘someone like the Son of Man’ who ‘came with the clouds of heaven’. God gave this ‘Son of Man’ the power and authority to rule over everything in the world.

But ‘the Son of Man’ meant usually just ‘a human person’. Already Nathanael had called Jesus ‘God’s Son’ (verse 49). Just after this, Jesus called himself ‘the Son of Man’. It reminds us that Jesus was God. But he was also human.

disciple ~ a person who wants to do the same things as another person and to learn from them. Jesus had disciples. John the Baptist had disciples, too.
Baptist ~ a person who baptises people.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church and what Christians should believe.
Emperor ~ the chief Roman ruler.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.

baptise/baptism ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; it is to show that the person wants to obey God. Christians receive baptism as a sign that they want to follow Jesus.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Passover ~ an important holy day for the Jews. They eat a special meal on this day every year. This is to remember that God freed them. Before God freed them, they were slaves in the country called Egypt. This happened at the time of Moses. So Passover became an important holiday. At the time of Jesus, the Jews came to Jerusalem to pray in the Temple. And families shared a special meal together.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city of Israel. It was the place where Israel’s early kings ruled. Later, the kings of the southern kingdom called Judah ruled in Jerusalem.
temple ~ a building where people went to worship God. Jesus referred to his body as a temple. This was because God was living among people in his Son, Jesus.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews went to worship God.
Israel ~ name of the land that God gave to Jacob (who is also called Israel) and his sons (Genesis chapter 35). Also refers to the Jews, the group of people whom God chose to belong to him in a special way.
kingdom ~ a place or country that a king rules. God’s kingdom is where God rules. God is the king of all Christians and all Christians are in his kingdom.
worship ~ to give thanks and honour to God and Jesus. To show to him that we love him very much.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ name for the special servant of God. It means the person whom God sent to save people from the results of their sins. Jesus is the Messiah.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
miracle ~ wonderful works that only God can do by his power. A wonderful event that shows that a person’s message is from God.
sign ~ the word that John often uses in his Gospel to mean a miracle. A sign gives evidence and it points to something beyond itself.
Gospel ~ one of the 4 books at the beginning of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They record Jesus’ life.
miracle ~ wonderful works that only God can do by his power. A wonderful event that shows that a person’s message is from God.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church and what Christians should believe.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
temple ~ a building where people went to worship God. Jesus referred to his body as a temple. This was because God was living among people in his Son, Jesus.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews went to worship God.
worship ~ to give thanks and honour to God and Jesus. To show to him that we love him very much.
Jerusalem ~ the capital city of Israel. It was the place where Israel’s early kings ruled. Later, the kings of the southern kingdom called Judah ruled in Jerusalem.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
Israel ~ name of the land that God gave to Jacob (who is also called Israel) and his sons (Genesis chapter 35). Also refers to the Jews, the group of people whom God chose to belong to him in a special way.
kingdom ~ a place or country that a king rules. God’s kingdom is where God rules. God is the king of all Christians and all Christians are in his kingdom.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.

'thirst/thirsty ~ when someone wants or needs a drink.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.'baptise/baptism ~ to put a person into water, or to put water on a person; it is to show that the person wants to obey God. Christians receive baptism as a sign that they want to follow Jesus.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together. Roman soldiers fixed people to crosses in order to kill those people as a punishment. Jesus died on a cross. The cross is now the sign of the Christian church.
Roman ~ a person from Rome. Rome was an important city. The Emperor and the government lived in Rome. Roman describes everything that belonged to Rome.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Emperor ~ the chief Roman ruler.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
preach ~ to tell people the good news about Jesus Christ. Jesus preached about who he was and about God’s kingdom.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah.
kingdom ~ a place or country that a king rules. God’s kingdom is where God rules. God is the king of all Christians and all Christians are in his kingdom.
Greek ~ a person from Greece; the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ name for the special servant of God. It means the person whom God sent to save people from the results of their sins. Jesus is the Messiah.
Christian ~ a person who *believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about the things that he taught. It is also about the church and what Christians should believe.
Jew ~ a person who is born from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see the Book of Genesis); a person who follows the religion of the Jews.
sin ~ not to obey God. Sins are the wrong things (or evil deeds) that we do against God and other people.
Saviour ~ someone who will bring us back to God from the bad things that we have done. Jesus is the only person who can save us from the results of our sins. However, sometimes people used the word ‘Saviour’ as a title (name) for rulers or false gods.
Lord ~ the name for God or Jesus in the Bible. It means that he is above all other things.
church ~ (1) All Christians everywhere. (2) The members of a local group of Christians.
Baptist ~ a person who baptises people.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on the earth. It is about the things that Jesus did. And it is about th

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