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1In the beginning the Living Expression was already there.[#1:1 Most scholars consider the first eighteen verses of John to be the words of an ancient hymn or poem that was cherished by first-century believers in Christ.; #1:1 The Greek is logos , which has a rich and varied background in both Greek philosophy and Judaism. The Greeks equated logos with the highest principle of cosmic order. God’s logos in the Old Testament conveys his powerful self-expression in creation, revelation, and redemption. In the New Testament we have this new unique view of God given to us by John, which signifies the presence of God himself in the flesh. Some have translated this rich term as “Word.” Though the Greek term logos may be rendered “word,” it would be wrong to think it indicates primarily a lexical unit in a sentence. Logos is more accurately understood as a form of self-revealing or “message.” Jesus Christ is the eternal Message, the creative Word, and the Living Expression of God made visible. He is the divine self-expression of all that God is, contains, and reveals in incarnated flesh. Just as we express ourselves in words, God has perfectly expressed himself in Christ. Jesus is God’s Story.]
And the Living Expression was with God, yet fully God.
2They were together—face-to-face , in the very beginning.[#1:2 The Greek word used here and the Hebraic concept conveyed is that of being before God’s face. There is no Hebrew word for “presence” (i.e., the “presence” of God), only the word “face.”; #1:2 Both Gen. 1:1 and John 1:1–2 speak of the beginning . In Genesis Moses spoke of the beginning of time, but John speaks of eternity past, a beginning before time existed. The Living Expression is Christ who existed eternally as part of the Trinity. He has no beginning, being one with the Father.]
3And through his creative inspiration
this Living Expression made all things,
for nothing has existence apart from him!
4A fountain of life was in him,[#1:4 See Ps. 36:9. The Aramaic reads “In him were lives” (plural)—not only multiple human lives, but also spiritual life, eternal life, and life in every form. John used the word life ( zoe ) thirty-seven times in his gospel.]
for his life is light for all humanity.
5And this Light never fails to shine through darkness—
Light that darkness could not overcome!
6Suddenly a man appeared who was sent from God,
a messenger named John.
7For he came as a witness, to point the way to the Light of Life ,
and to help everyone believe.
8John was not that Light but he came to show who is.
For he was merely a messenger to speak the truth about the Light.
9For the perfect Light of Truth was coming into the world[#1:9 Or “the True [Genuine, Perfect] Light.”]
and shine upon everyone.
10He entered into the world he created,
yet the world was unaware.
11He came to the people he created —[#1:11 Or “to his own” (things or people).]
to those who should have received him,
but they did not recognize him.
12But those who embraced him and took hold of his name[#1:12 Or “those who are putting faith into his name.” To “lay hold of his name” means to believe everything he represents and put into practice what he taught in the power of his name.]
he gave authority to become
the children of God!
13He was not born by the joining of human parents[#1:13 Or “not from streams of blood” (i.e., the blood of a father and mother). Although many translations connect this verse with the children of God (v. 12), the old Latin translation as well as two church fathers, Irenaeus and Tertullian, argue that it is John’s reference to the virgin birth of Christ (also v. 14).]
or from natural means, or by a man’s desire,
but he was born of God.
14And so the Living Expression
became a man and lived among us!
We gazed upon his glory,
the glory of the One and Only
who came from the Father overflowing
with tender mercy and truth!
15John announced the truth about him
when he taught the people,
“He’s the One!
He’s the One I’ve been telling you would come after me,
even though he ranks far above me,
because he existed before I was even born.”
16And from the overflow of his fullness
we received grace heaped upon more grace!
17Moses gave us the Law, but Jesus, the Anointed One,
unveils truth wrapped in tender mercy.
18No one ever before gazed upon the full splendor of God
except his uniquely beloved Son,
who is cherished by the Father
and held close to his heart.
Now that he has come to us, he has unfolded
the full explanation of who God truly is!
19Now this was John’s testimony when some of the Jewish leaders sent an entourage of priests and temple servants from Jerusalem to interrogate him. “Who are you?” they asked him.[#1:19 Or simply, “Jews,” a metonymy for “Jewish leaders.” Obviously, not all Jews opposed John’s ministry. Some estimate that John and his disciples baptized as many as one million people. It is possible that John was a part of the Essene community of devout Jews.; #1:19 Or “Levites.”]
20John answered them directly, saying, “I am not the Messiah!”
21“Then who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No,” John replied.
So they pressed him further, “Are you the prophet Moses said was coming, the one we’re expecting?”
“No,” he replied.
22“Then who are you?” they demanded. “We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something about yourself—anything!”
23John answered them, “I am an urgent, thunderous voice crying out in the desert—clear the way and prepare your hearts for the coming of the Lord Yahweh !”[#1:23 As translated from the Aramaic. See Isa. 40:3. The Aramaic is clear that the preparations are for the Lord , signifying the deity of Jesus Christ. The Greek is “Make straight the way for the Lord [ kurios ].”]
24Then some members of the religious sect known as the Pharisees questioned John,[#1:24 Or “separated ones.” They were the religious leaders of the day who considered themselves separated from sin and closer to God than other people.]
25“Why do you baptize the people if you are neither the Messiah, Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26-27John answered them, “I baptize the people in this river, but the One who will take my place is to be more honored than I, but even when he stands among you, you will not recognize or embrace him! I am not worthy enough to stoop down in front of him and untie his sandals!”[#1:26–27 As translated from the Aramaic.]
28All these events took place at Bethany, where John was baptizing at the place of the crossing of the Jordan River.[#1:28 This was a different Bethany than the one near Jerusalem, commonly referred to in the Gospels. Some Greek manuscripts have the location as “Bethabara,” however, the Aramaic is clearly Bethany.; #1:28 As translated from the Aramaic. This place of crossing is likely where the children of Israel crossed into the promised land when the Jordan River parted and they passed through on dry land. See Josh. 3. This place is a powerful reminder of crossing over into a new day, a new era for Israel. God chose this place for John to baptize.]
29The very next day, John saw Jesus coming to him to be baptized, and John cried out, “Look! There he is—God’s Lamb! He takes away the sin of the entire world![#1:29 Jesus was publicly washed as the Lamb of God and proven to be without flaw or blemish, ready to become the sacrifice for all the world. Although he will become the Lion of the tribe of Judah in resurrection power, John points to him as the meek Lamb, a willing sacrifice for our sins.; #1:29 Or “lift off” (the burden). The Greek word used here is often used for “lifting up and away” an anchor from off the ocean floor.; #1:29 The Aramaic is “the sins of the universe.” To take away our sins is a figure of speech that means “he will break sin’s grip from humanity, taking away both its guilt and power from those who believe.”]
30I told you that a Mighty One would come who is far greater than I am, because he existed long before I was born![#1:30 As translated from the Aramaic.]
31My baptism was for the preparation of his appearing to Israel, even though I didn’t recognize him.”
32Then, as he baptized Jesus, he proclaimed these words: “I see the Spirit of God appear like a dove descending from the heavenly realm and landing upon him—and it remained on him![#1:32 Jesus, the Lamb, took away our sins, and the Holy Spirit, the Dove, brings to man the life of God. Jesus didn’t come to start a movement but to bring the fullness of life to us. This “Dove” points to the dove that Noah released from the ark. It found no place to rest in a fallen world. The final time Noah released the dove it flew and never returned. It flew throughout history over Abraham and the patriarchs, over the prophets and kings, finding no place to rest, until at last, there was a heavenly man who carried the life of heaven—upon him the dove (Holy Spirit) rested and remained. There was nothing that could offend heaven in the life of our Lord Jesus.]
33Before this I didn’t know who he was. But the one who sent me to baptize with water had told me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and stay on someone. He will be the One I have sent to baptize with the Holy Spirit.’[#1:33 Or “the Spirit of Holiness.”]
34Now I have seen this happen and I can tell you for sure that this man is the Son of God.”[#1:34 Some Greek manuscripts have “the Chosen One of God.” The Aramaic is clearly “the Son of Elohim.”]
35-36The next day, Jesus walked right past where John and two of his disciples were standing. John, gazing upon Jesus, pointed to him and prophesied, “Look! There’s God’s sacrificial Lamb!”[#1:35–36 To the Western gentile in the twenty-first century, the phrase “Lamb of God” evokes a fluffy pet. To John and his disciples, lambs were for sacrifice.]
37And as soon as John’s two disciples heard this, they immediately left John and began to follow a short distance behind Jesus.
38Jesus turned around and saw they were following him and asked, “What do you want?” They responded, “Rabbi (which means, Master Teacher ), where are you staying?”[#1:38 This is the first recorded saying of Jesus in the Gospels. It is a question that every follower of Jesus should be asked: “What do you want in following me?” Do we want something only for ourselves? A ministry? Answers to prayer? Or do we simply want to be with him? Their answer, “Where are you staying?” shows that they were seeking only him. The first question God asked Adam and Eve was, “Where are you?” The first words of the God-man were, “What do you want?”; #1:38 The parenthetical words are added by the author, John. Rabbi is an honorific term that means more than teacher. The Aramaic word is best translated “Master,” or “Master Teacher.”; #1:38 Or “Where do you abide?” This is the same word used in ch. 15:4 where it refers to life-union, to be joined to Jesus as the living vine. Jesus wants everyone to come and discover where he “abides” in life-union with his Father. See Song. 1:7.]
39Jesus answered, “Come and discover for yourselves.” So they went with him and saw where he was staying, and since it was late in the afternoon, they spent the rest of the day with Jesus.
40-41One of the two disciples who heard John’s words and began to follow Jesus was a man named Andrew. He first found his brother, Simon Peter, and told him, “We have found the Anointed One!” (Which is translated, the Christ.)[#1:40–41 Andrew means “brave.”; #1:40–41 Or “Messiah.” The word messiah is taken from the Hebrew verb, “to anoint with oil.” In the Old Testament, both priests ( Lev. 21:10) and kings ( 1 Sam. 15:1) were anointed. In the New Testament, Jesus is the Anointed One ( Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38) to deliver, to save, and to reconcile us back to God.]
42Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. When he gazed upon Andrew’s brother, he prophesied to him, “You are Simon and your father’s name is John. But from now on, everyone will call you Cephas” (which means, Peter the Rock).[#1:42 The Aramaic can also be translated “You are Simon, son of the dove.” Simon means “one who hears.”; #1:42 The Aramaic word is keefa , which means “rock.” It is anglicized as “Peter.” This parenthetical statement is not found in the Aramaic, but only in Greek manuscripts. It appears that the Greek text is admitting it is a translation from the Aramaic.]
43The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee, where he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Come and follow me.”
44(Now Philip, Andrew, and Peter had all grown up together in the village of Bethsaida.)[#1:44 Bethsaida means “place of fishing,” and was a village on Lake Galilee.]
45Philip went to look for his friend , Nathanael, and told him, “We’ve found him! We’ve found the One we’ve been waiting for! It’s Jesus, son of Joseph from Nazareth! He’s the One whom Moses and the prophets prophesied would come!”[#1:45 Nathanael means “gift of God.” Most scholars agree that he is the same one as the Bartholomew mentioned as one of Jesus’ apostles. Almost every time Philip’s name is listed as an apostle, it is followed by Bartholomew.]
46Nathanael sneered , “Nazareth! What good thing could ever come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and let’s find out!”[#1:46 Jesus and his disciples were Galileans and spoke the northern dialect of Aramaic. Galileans were considered somewhat backward. Isaiah called that region “the land of the gentile peoples, those surrounded with great darkness.” Yet this was the region where the Messiah’s light would shine forth. See Isa. 9:1–2; Matt. 4:15–16.]
47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said, “Here comes a true son of Israel—an honest man with no hidden motive!”
48Nathanael was stunned and said, “But you’ve never met me—how do you know anything about me?”
Jesus answered, “Nathanael, right before Philip came to you, I saw you sitting under the shade of a fig tree.”
49Nathanael blurted out, “Teacher, you are truly the Son of God and the King of Israel!”
50Jesus answered, “Do you believe simply because I told you I saw you sitting under a fig tree? You will experience even more impressive things than that!
51I prophesy to you eternal truth: From now on, you all will see an open heaven and gaze upon the Son of Man like a stairway reaching into the sky with the messengers of God climbing up and down upon him!”[#1:51 As translated from the Aramaic. John records Jesus using this phrase twenty-five times. The Greek is “Amen, amen I say to you.”; #1:51 As translated from the Aramaic.; #1:51 Or “you [plural] will spiritually see.” This is a promise for every believer today.; #1:51 “Son of Man” is a messianic term pointing to Christ, not as the son of a man, but the Son of Man (humanity). He is not Joseph’s son, but the Son of God.; #1:51 The “stairway into the sky” is an obvious reference to “Jacob’s Ladder” as the fulfillment of his dream found in Gen. 28:10–22. Jesus Christ is that stairway that joins earth to heaven and brings heaven to earth. The word for “angels” can also be translated “messengers” and could be humans given access into the heavenly realm through the blood of Jesus. Jesus, as the stairway, was both in heaven and on earth as he spoke this to Nathanael. What mysteries surround him!; #1:51 Or “next to.”]