John
Chapter 1
Overview
John begins before history itself, presenting the Word as God’s eternal self-expression and the source of life and light. The scene then moves down to earth, where John is immersing people in the Jordan River and preparing Israel for someone far greater. Religious leaders question him, Jesus appears, and the first followers begin gathering around him. The chapter moves from the creation of everything to a handful of curious people asking where Jesus is staying—a rather grand doorway leading into an ordinary room.
1In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2He was with God in the beginning.
3Everything came into being through him. Apart from him, not even one thing that exists came into being.
4In him was life, and that life was the light of humanity.
5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6A man named John was sent by God.
7He came to speak about the light so that everyone might believe through his message.
8John himself was not the light. He came to speak about the light.
9The true light, which gives light to every person, was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not recognize him.
11He came to what was his own, but his own people did not welcome him.
12But to everyone who welcomed him and trusted in him, he gave the right to become God’s children.
13They were born not through human ancestry, physical desire, or a man’s decision, but from God.
14The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the Father’s unique Son—full of generous kindness and truth.
15John spoke about him and called out, “This is the one I meant when I said, ‘The one coming after me has taken a place ahead of me because he existed before me.’”
16From his limitless fullness, all of us have received one gracious gift after another.
17God’s Law was given through Moses; generous kindness and truth came through Jesus the Messiah.
18No one has ever seen God. The unique one, himself God, who is closest to the Father, has made God known.
19This is what John said when the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent priests and temple assistants called Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”
20John answered openly and did not deny the truth. He declared, “I am not the Messiah.”
21They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” John replied, “I am not.” They asked, “Are you the Prophet people are waiting for?” He answered, “No.”
22So they said, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23John replied with the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice calling out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare a straight road for the Lord.’”
24The men questioning John had been sent by the Pharisees, a Jewish religious group known for strict attention to the Law.
25They asked him, “Why, then, are you immersing people in water if you are not the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet?”
26John answered, “I immerse people in water, but someone you do not know is standing among you.
27He is coming after me, and I am not worthy even to untie the strap of his sandal.”
28This happened at Bethany, across the Jordan River, where John was immersing people.
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! Here is God’s sacrificial Lamb, who takes away the world’s sin.
30John continued, “This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who has taken a place ahead of me because he existed before me.’
31I did not know who he was, but I came immersing people in water so that he could be revealed to the people of Israel.”
32John also reported, “I saw God’s Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and the Spirit remained on him.
33I did not know who he was, but the one who sent me to immerse people in water told me, ‘When you see the Spirit come down and remain on someone, he is the one who will immerse people in the Holy Spirit.’
34I have seen this, and I declare that this man is God’s chosen one.”
35The next day John was standing there again with two of his students.
36When he saw Jesus walking past, John said, “Look! God’s Lamb!”
37The two students heard John say this, and they followed Jesus.
38Jesus turned, saw them following, and asked, “What are you looking for?” They replied, “Teacher, where are you staying?”
39Jesus told them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.
40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
41The first thing Andrew did was find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah”—a title meaning “the Anointed One.”
42Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked closely at him and said, “You are Simon, John’s son. You will be called Cephas”—the Aramaic name translated as Peter, meaning “Rock.”
43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
44Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.
45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the man Moses wrote about in the Jewish Law and the prophets also wrote about: Jesus, Joseph’s son, from Nazareth.”
46Nathanael asked him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip replied, “Come and see.”
47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here is a true Israelite with nothing false in him.”
48Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
49Nathanael replied, “Teacher, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!”
50Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.”
51Jesus continued, “I tell all of you the solemn truth: you will see heaven opened and God’s angels going up and coming down upon the Son of Man—the Human One.”