John 1 Study Notes

1:29 On the next day, see note at 2:1-2. John the Baptist’s references to Jesus as the Lamb of God may echo the lamb led to the slaughter mentioned in Is 53:7. John may also have proclaimed Jesus as the apocalyptic warrior lamb who would bring judgment (Rv 5:6,12; 7:17; cp. Mt 3:7-12; Lk 3:7-17). Takes away the sin of the world refers to Jesus’s sacrificial, substitutionary death, which appeased God’s wrath against sin and sinners (1Jn 2:2; 4:10).

1:30 Again the fact of Jesus’s preexistence is declared.

1:31 By I didn’t know him John probably meant that he did not know Jesus was the Messiah until he saw the sign from God mentioned in vv. 32-33.

1:32-34 The Spirit did not just descend on Jesus, he rested on him (cp. 3:34)—a sign of Jesus’s divine anointing. In the OT, the Spirit came upon people to enable them to accomplish specific tasks. Isaiah predicted that Messiah would be full of the Spirit at all times (Is 11:2; 61:1; see note at Jn 5:31-47).

1:35 In 1:35-4:42 John narrated events that fell between Jesus’s baptism and the start of his Galilean ministry. On the next day, see note at 2:1-2.

1:36-37 John the Baptist shows great humility here as he recommends Jesus as the greater teacher. What exactly the disciples understood by the Lamb of God is unclear, but they did not understand it fully.

1:38 “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”) is one of six instances where John translated an Aramaic term for his readers. The others are Messiah (Christ, v. 41; 4:25); Cephas (Peter, 1:42); Siloam (Sent, 9:7); Thomas (Didymus, “Twin,” 11:16; 20:24; 21:2); and “Place of the Skull” (Golgotha, 19:17).

1:39 Giving the time of day shows that this account was based on eyewitness testimony.

1:40 Andrew was one of the two; the other disciple is not named. He was probably John, the son of Zebedee.

1:41 On Messiah . . . the Christ, see note at v. 38.

1:42 Cephas is an Aramaic word meaning “rock” (cp. Mt 16:16-18; see note at Jn 1:38). In OT times, God frequently changed people’s names to indicate their special calling.

1:43 On the next day, see note at 2:1-2. Jesus’s calling of his disciples (follow me) differed from customary practice. Usually it was a disciple who took the initiative to follow a rabbi (15:16).

1:44 Most likely, Andrew and Peter grew up in Bethsaida and later moved to Capernaum (Mk 1:29; cp. Mk 1:21), located only a few miles west. Similarly, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth (Jn 1:45), and later moved to Capernaum (Mt 4:13).

1:45 Nathanael is also mentioned in 21:2. Nathanael may be the personal name of Bartholomew (Bar-Tholomaios = son of Tholomaios), who is linked with Philip in all three Synoptic lists (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:14). Philip’s reference to the one Moses wrote about in the law may allude to predictions of a coming prophet in Dt 18:15,18 (see note at Jn 1:19-21). The expression “the Law and the Prophets” commonly referred to the OT in its entirety (Mt 5:17; 7:12).

1:46 Nathanael, who hailed from the small village of Cana in Galilee (21:2; cp. 2:1-11), used something of a double standard when he displayed prejudice toward insignificant Nazareth. Nazareth was a small town of no more than two thousand people.

1:47 Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. Note that Jacob/Israel was characterized by deceit.

1:48 Jesus displayed supernatural knowledge (I saw you), identifying himself as Messiah.

1:49 Son of God and King of Israel are both messianic titles. “Son of God” identifies Jesus as the prophesied Messiah (2Sm 7:14; Ps 2:7); “King of Israel” likewise is a common OT designation for Messiah (Zph 3:15). The two terms also appear in Mt 27:42; Mk 15:32.

1:50 Though Nathaniel had come to know who Jesus was, he had a great deal more to learn.

1:51 Truly I tell you translates Hebrew amen, amen, a solemn affirmation emphasizing the authoritative nature of Jesus’s pronouncement. The phrase appears twenty-five times in John’s Gospel. Heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending recalls the story of Jacob in Gn 28:12-15. The greatness of the Son of Man will far surpass the vision of Jacob the patriarch (Jn 4:5-6,11-12). Jesus is the “new Bethel” where God is revealed, and the “new Israel.” The expression Son of Man harks back to the mysterious figure of “one like a son of man” in Dn 7:13-14. The Son of Man would be “lifted up” by crucifixion (see note at Jn 3:14-15), provide divine revelation (6:27,53), and act with end-time authority (5:27; 9:39).