John 1 - NIV Essentials Study Bible

1:1 In the beginning. A deliberate echo of Ge 1:1 to link God’s action in behalf of the world through Jesus Christ (cf. 3:16) with his first work, the creation of the world. with God. The Word was distinct from the Father. was God. Jesus was God in the fullest sense (see note on Ro 9:5). The prologue (vv. 1–18) begins and ends with a ringing affirmation of his deity (see note on v. 18).

1:12 he gave the right. Membership in God’s family is by grace alone—the gift of God (see Eph 2:8–9 and notes). It is never a human achievement, as v. 13 emphasizes; yet the imparting of the gift is dependent on human reception of it, as the words “did receive” and “believed” make clear.

1:14 flesh. A strong, almost crude, word that stresses the reality of Christ’s humanity. made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory. The Greek verb translated “made his dwelling” is connected with the Greek noun meaning “tent/tabernacle,” which, in turn, is associated with the Hebrew word for “tent/tabernacle.” The verse would have reminded John’s Jewish readers of the tent of meeting, which was filled with the glory of God (Ex 40:34–35). Christ revealed his glory to his disciples by the miracles he performed (see 2:11 and note) and by his death and resurrection.

1:15 he was before me. In ancient times the older person was given respect and regarded as greater than the younger. People would normally have ranked Jesus lower in respect than John, who was older. John the Baptist explains that this is only apparent, since Jesus, as the divine Word, existed before he was born on earth.

1:18 the one and only Son, who is himself God. An explicit declaration of Christ’s deity (see vv. 1, 14 and notes; 3:16; see also note on Ro 9:5). has made him known. Sometimes in the OT people are said to have seen God (see, e.g., Ex 24:10). But we are also told that no one can see God and live (Ex 33:20). Therefore, since no human being can see God as he really is, those who saw God saw him in a form he took on himself temporarily for the occasion. Now, however, Christ “has made him known” (see 2Co 4:4; Col 1:15, 19; 2:9 and notes).

1:21 Are you Elijah? . . . I am not. The Jews remembered that Elijah had not died (2Ki 2:11) and believed that he would come back to earth to announce the end time. In this sense, John properly denied that he was Elijah. When Jesus later said the Baptist was Elijah (see Mt 11:14; 17:10 and notes), he meant it in the sense that John was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Mal 4:5 (see note there). the Prophet. The prophet of Dt 18:15 (see note there). The Jewish people expected a variety of persons to be associated with the coming of the Messiah. John the Baptist emphatically denies being “the Prophet.” He had come to testify about Jesus, yet they kept asking him about himself. His answers became progressively more terse.

1:23 The Baptist applied the prophecy of Isa 40:3 (see note there) to his own ministry of calling people to repent in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. The men of Qumran (the community that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls) applied the same words to themselves, but they prepared for the Lord’s coming by isolating themselves from the world to secure their own salvation. John concentrated on helping people come to the Messiah (the Christ).

1:25 the Messiah. Means “the Anointed One.” In OT times anointing signified being set apart for service, particularly as king (cf. 1Sa 16:1, 13) or priest (Ex 28:41; 29:7; 30:30; 40:13, 15). But people were looking for not just an anointed one but the Anointed One, the Messiah (cf. Mt 16:16 and note).

1:29 Lamb of God. An expression found in the Bible only here and in v. 36. Many suggestions have been made as to which “lamb” John had in mind (e.g., the lamb offered at Passover or the lamb of Isa 53:7, of Jer 11:19, of Ge 22:8 or of Rev 5:6 [see note there]). It may be that John chose this unique way of referring to Jesus’ mission to point both to the sacrificial offering that Jesus would become and to his subsequent conquest of all evil powers—the two ways by which he “takes away the sin of the world” (see 1Jn 2:2 and note).

1:32 See note on Mt 3:15 for Jesus’ baptism.

1:33 baptize with the Holy Spirit. John baptized with water, but Jesus would baptize with the Spirit—by which he would cause those who believe in him to participate in the powers and graces of the new life he came to give (see 20:22; Ac 1:5; 2:4; 11:15–16; 19:4–6; 1Co 12–14; Gal 3:5, 14; 4:6; 5:16–25; Eph 1:13; 3:16; 5:18; Php 3:3; 1Th 4:8).

1:34 God’s Chosen One. See NIV text note.

1:36 Lamb of God. See note on v. 29.

1:41 the Messiah. See note on v. 25.

1:45 son of Joseph. Not a denial of the virgin birth of Christ (see Mt 1:18, 20, 23, 25 and note; Lk 1:26–35 and note). Joseph was Jesus’ legal, though not his natural, father.

1:49 the Son of God. See vv. 14, 18, 34; 3:16 and note; 20:31. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry Nathanael acknowledged Jesus with this meaningful title; later it was used in mockery (Mt 27:40; cf. Jn 19:7). Andrew’s “the Messiah” (v. 41) and Nathanael’s “the Son of God” together match Peter’s “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16).

1:51 Son of Man. Jesus’ favorite self-designation (see note on Mk 8:31).