John 1 - NIV Quest Study Bible

This term had special meaning to both Greeks and Jews. Plato and other Greek philosophers used the term word (logos) not only to describe the spoken word but also to describe the unspoken word, the word still in the mind — the reason. When Greeks applied it to the universe, they meant the rational principle that governs all things. Jews, on the other hand, used the term to refer to God, which also implied God’s active and personal involvement in the world. Thus, John used a term that was meaningful to both Jews and Gentiles. The creation is one example: God spoke the word and the earth came into existence. In 1:1, the Word refers to Jesus the Messiah. John began his Gospel by retelling the creation story, emphasizing Jesus’ presence and his unity with God in the beginning.John the Baptist was sent for two reasons: to call the world to repentance (Mk 1:4) and to prepare the way for the coming Messiah (Jn 1:23). When God was about to do something big in the Old Testament, he often prepared people by sending a prophet to call the people to repentance (e.g., Elijah warned King Ahab about the drought, 1Ki 16:29 — 18:46). John the Baptist was the last of these prophets. Just as an “advance man” goes ahead of a king or president to clear the roads, arrange housing and prepare meals, so John called people to prepare for the arrival of Jesus the MessiahJohn is the only Biblical writer who used this phrase to describe Jesus (3:16,18; 1Jn 4:9). But the phrase is used to describe an only child (Heb 11:17). It shows the uniqueness of Jesus. Jesus, unlike any other, is God’s one and only — the divine Son of God who is the only person both fully divine and fully human.The Sanhedrin, the highest court of the Jews, was supposed to investigate individuals suspected of being false prophets. They also wanted to evaluate claims that John fulfilled Old Testament prophecy: Malachi had predicted that Elijah would make an appearance before the Messiah’s coming (Mal 4:5), and Moses had predicted that a great prophet would one day arise (Dt 18:15 – 18). However, the religious leaders were also jealous and may have been trying to limit John’s influence among the people.Jewish ceremonies included ritual washings, but normally only non-Jews who converted to Judaism were baptized. The Pharisees questioned John’s practice because he was baptizing Jews. In effect, he was treating Jews like Gentiles. His baptism symbolized repentance in preparation for the one to come who would forgive sins. John’s baptism prepared people for the coming of the Messiah. See Did John invent baptism? (Mt 3:11).God’s people offered lambs at the temple as a daily sacrifice to atone for their sins. As a symbol of innocence, these sacrificial lambs bore the people’s guilt as a substitutionary offering. Seven hundred years earlier, Isaiah had predicted that the Messiah would offer his life and be led like a lamb to the slaughter (Isa 53:7) to atone for the sins of the world. Unlike the lambs that the people needed to offer daily, Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to atone for all sins of all people for all times (Heb 10:1 – 14).The symbol of the dove is not immediately obvious. The image of a dove is often associated with Israel in the Old Testament (Ps 68:13; 74:19). But in some Rabbinic traditions, the dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. All agree that the Messiah was to be a unique bearer of the Spirit (Isa 11:2 – 4; 61:1). Thus, the Spirit coming down as a dove probably demonstrated to John the Baptist that Jesus is the Messiah, uniquely anointed by the Spirit (Jn 3:34).There may have been a few itinerant teachers whose students spent time with them beyond their formal schooling. These teachers mentored their followers as they worked, traveled and ate together. Their lifestyle and conversations were important aspects of their education.See Matthew 4:18 – 22Mark 1:16 – 20Luke 5:1 – 11.Some see their immediate response as a model of Christian discipleship. Others think Simon and Andrew may have followed Jesus in a limited sense before this incident. If this was the case, they had already seen Jesus’ power and were ready when he asked them for a more complete commitment.Nathanael had good reason to question the credentials of a man from Nazareth who was touted as the Messiah. Nazareth was an obscure town never mentioned in the Old Testament. It had also become a place of barracks for Roman troops who brought their foreign gods with them, as well as their sins and oppression of the Jews. These factors made it seem improbable that Nazareth could be the hometown of the Messiah (see Map 11 at the back of this Bible).