John 1:19-51

David H. Linden, Action International Ministries

One goal of these notes is to bring attention to segments of this Gospel that are less familiar to many Christians. This is one such passage. Here the narrative begins. The Prologue showed that John had a very important role. John the Baptist is mentioned there and Jesus’ disciples are not. Only Matthew and Luke give the birth of Christ, but all four Gospels include the ministry of John. For a short time, he was a shining lamp in Israel (5:35). He was not the coming Light but He was sent to bear witness to that Light, Whose life is the light of men (1:4,8).

John was a witness, but what was His testimony? And what was His authority? John was one who baptized with water, but why? John had disciples, but how did he influence them? John was to introduce Christ, but what was His description of Jesus and how did he identify Jesus? (Note this Gospel does not mention that John baptized Jesus, a fact well established in the other Gospels.) These questions are answered in John 1. Other Gospels give more detail of his preaching of repentance.

Jesus called twelve men to be His apostles. Five are mentioned here, four of them by name. Two of those were disciples of John the Baptist, whose ministry was that Christ might be revealed to Israel. John gave up some of his own followers to follow Jesus, a thing this unique and humble man was glad to do (3:26-30). Before John 1 is completed the Apostle reports a number of confessions made by John and Jesus’ disciples. This fits the writer’s fervent purpose that people might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (20:31).

1:19-26 The Investigation by a Delegation from the Authorities in Jerusalem

The religious leaders must have heard many reports of John the Baptist. Naturally they would be very curious about his activities. The New Testament never tells us that John ever entered Jerusalem; the only record is of him in remote places. The delegation who came were priests and Levites. Those with the most power in Judea and Jerusalem were of the Sadducees, a priestly group. Since John practiced a religious ritual with water, they would be very interested in who he was, what his baptism meant, and under what authority he did so. Isaiah said that a man would come to be a voice in the wilderness. Yet these priests had no knowledge of John and his role, though his appearance on earth was first announced by an angel in the Temple to Zechariah, a priest and the father of John (Luke 1:5-25).

1:19 Often when the Apostle refers to “the Jews” he means the religious leaders in Jerusalem. It is this way here. Often he is critical of them, but not always. Jesus said to a Samaritan, “Salvation is of the Jews” (4:22), meaning its truth was in their tradition and Scriptures.

1:19-23 Who Are You? John the Baptist is well aware that many in his time had claimed to be the Messiah. So before he said who he was, he made clear who he was not. He was not the Christ. If he allowed any confusion there, he would destroy his mission from God. Someone else was the Christ, not John.

The priests investigating him knew the prophecy of Malachi 4:5,6 that the Lord would send Elijah prior to the great day of the Lord. So they asked John if he was Elijah. The Lord Jesus said that John was the Elijah who would come (Matthew 11:7-15, especially v.14. See also Matthew 17:12 and Mark 9:11-13). So John was an Elijah figure and he was the fulfillment of the Malachi prophecy. It is likely that John did not think of himself that way. He did know he was called to be the voice that Isaiah 40:3 predicted. Often in Scripture, disciples did not know much of who Jesus was or what would happen even when they were told. Jesus understood the significance of John’s ministry more than John did. Some thought that Elijah, who did not die but entered heaven in a chariot, would return as the same man. John denies that he is that Elijah of the OT back on earth again. Instead he came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17), thus he was not the Elijah, but he was a real “Elijah type” with a similar powerful ministry.

Then is the Baptist “the prophet”? See the box “Who is Coming?” John probably did not realize that he was the fulfillment of Malachi 4. Now he denies that he is the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:18,19.

Who is Coming? The Old Testament predicts the coming of Christ in a variety of prophecies without stating that this one Person would come in different roles. The OT texts do not refer to each other; we are to know they refer to Christ based on the content of the predictions. Some Jews thought there would be a Son of David, a Priest, and a third distinct figure, The Prophet, expecting three different persons. Only the Lord can be the priest of Psalm 110:1,4. Only the Begotten Son (the Messiah) can be the king of Psalm 2. The ultimate Prophet in Deuteronomy 18 is one who (like Moses) spoke with God face to face. So in 1:19-23, Jesus is the Christ and the Prophet, positions John did not claim for himself. Yet there was still a coming person, the Elijah figure who was not the Messiah but was sent to introduce Him. This person could not be the Christ. The Bible did not predict four persons to come but two: Christ, the Prophet, Priest and King, preceded by John, the voice calling in the wilderness.

1:22-23 The group inquiring of John needed an answer to take back to Jerusalem. It was important to John’s calling to deny that he was the Messiah. His explanation of himself was found in Scripture in Isaiah 40:3-5. (This shows that something very important in God’s Word may appear in very few words.) Isaiah’s message in chapter 40 and following was of the salvation the Lord would bring. Their God was coming to them (Isaiah 40:9,10). In John’s day, the Lord was coming. There should be an introduction for such a great King, and John gave it. There should be a proper preparation; it was to be in the heart, in repentance of sin. The Apostle John presents Christ as the ultimate Word (1:1) who makes the Father known (1:18) while the Baptist was a voice to identify the Messiah for Israel (1:31).

1:24-27 Why Did John Baptize? Some Pharisees were in this delegation. The answer to them is given in two parts (1:26,27 & 1:29-34). In both passages John’s words turn to speaking about Christ so quickly that his reply seems to overlook their question about him. Note the reply, “I baptize with water [they knew that] but there stands One among you that you do not know!” Every genuine Christian ministry is eager to speak of Christ! John said that the Messiah was already there among them. So Jesus was in the same locality, yet unrecognized. Similar to 3:10, the leaders of Israel did not know Him.

They did not know Him, yet Jesus was born on the schedule given by the Prophet Daniel (Daniel 9), in the village identified by the Prophet Micah (Micah 5), in the line of David, as the historical book of 2 Samuel, the psalms and the prophets all affirmed (Psalm 132, Isaiah 9). The Light would shine “in the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations” (ESV) according to Isaiah 9:1, the very location where the delegation was questioning John! Jesus was there in fulfillment of prophecy though He was not yet known. The next day, John would see Jesus and identify Him as the Lamb of God (1:29) and the Son of God (1:34).

John’s previous denials fit his way of showing how very exalted Christ is above him. For a while John was the one receiving all the attention. His audience was eager to hear what he said about himself, but the Baptist described the majesty of Christ by stating how low he was in comparison. Only the most lowly servants were called upon to remove their master’s shoes. John proclaimed that Christ was so great even this task was one he was not worthy to do. When the Apostle John wrote this, he was planning to write in chapter 13 that Christ (of all people!) would be the One to wash His disciples’ feet.

1:28 The Location of this “Bethany” The Apostle John is careful to distinguish the village Bethany near Jerusalem (11:1,18) from this “Bethany” in chapter 1. The Bethany mentioned here is not said to be a village or town; thus it could be a region, and it probably was. It is to the east of the Jordan, “across” from the side where Jerusalem and the great majority of Jews lived. In Hebrew the “th,” in Bethany may easily be pronounced as a “t”. There is good reason to think that John was baptizing in Batanea, a region across the Jordan, east of the Sea of Galilee. (They had a variety of spellings of name places in the Bible.) Batanea in the OT is Bashan. In 1:43 Jesus went to Galilee, a distance He could walk in one day from Batanea, but not from other another location far to the south that has been suggested as the location of this Bethany in John 1. Furthermore, the northern location near the Sea of Galilee fits much better with the travel times related to the sickness of Lazarus in John 11. (See the notes on John 10:40-42 and John 11).

1:29 John the Baptist knew the identity of Jesus the Messiah from an earlier revelation giving John the way to identify Him. Now with the Jerusalem delegation he sees Jesus approaching and says “Behold.” John’s role was to point out Christ, turn attention to Him, and witness to His identity. There follows the first of a series of significant titles or descriptions that bring understanding about Jesus. The Baptist gives two.

The Lamb of God This is an expression not found in the OT. And the added words “Who takes away the sin of the world” are not the specific language of a sacrifice bearing sins. Yet John connects the description of Christ as a lamb with the removal of sin. Sometimes in John (as in 11:50) there is a record of words that are much closer to the gospel than the person meant who spoke them. John the Baptist was a prophet of God, so whatever he said is truth, but like OT prophets (1 Peter 1:10-12) the revelation could be truth beyond the understanding of the person speaking. The Greek word for lamb is not the same word used in the LXX for the Passover lamb, nor is the Greek word for take away/remove the same verb that means to bear sin, as would more clearly be the language of sacrifice. Some Jews in that time thought of the Messiah as a Warrior Lamb (similar to Revelation 6:16) Who would cleanse the world of sin. The Baptist could be speaking for those who had that understanding of the Messiah. He might then mean, “Here in your sight is that true Lamb of God Who removes sin.” The Greek word for lamb in 1:29 is the same one used in Isaiah 53:7 where the Messiah/Servant of the Lord is led like a lamb to death so that He could remove sin. After the cross we see how well these words describe the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice. Jesus is the Lamb of God sent, provided, and accepted by the Father.

Like other places in this Gospel, the outlook is the entire world, a word that appears 79 times in the Gospel of John, but only 23 times total in the Synoptics. John draws attention to people who are not Jews. When it is suggested by some that Jesus takes away the sins of each person in the world, that is not in fact what He did. Many have since gone to hell in their sin, because sin was not removed from them (8:24). Jesus’ death was for all without distinction but not for all without exception. He is not the Savior of Israel only (Romans 10:12) but of sinners in all the world (1 John 2:2).

1:30 With puzzling words, the Baptist made people wonder what he meant. Then when they realized, it would remain in their memories. Jesus was both after and before John. He was later than John in human birth as Luke 1 makes clear, but before him as Eternal Lord. Because the one Who came after John on earth was the Lord Himself, His pre-existence shows His rank as God. He was with the Father from the very beginning (1:1,2).

1:31 The mothers of Jesus and John were cousins, but we are not told if Jesus and John ever met. God called John to be a prophet and used an event to signal to him Who the Messiah was, so that Christ might be revealed to Israel. Baptism was not an arbitrary sign. It was an obvious act of cleansing, a ritual that pointed to Christ’s saving work and man’s sinfulness. Thus at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, God emphasized that the Messiah’s work included saving sinners from their sin (Luke 19:10). The water illustrates cleansing and implies that such cleaning was needed. The Spirit remaining on Jesus identified for John that Jesus was the One, the Savior Who would do the cleansing.

1:32,33 God told the Baptist he would see the Spirit descend on Christ and remain. Then John knew Whom to announce as the Lord. When he told Israel to prepare a way for the Lord, he meant a way for Christ. This shows that Jesus is Christ the Lord. (In Isaiah 40:3 Lord in Hebrew is the Divine Name, Yahweh or Jehovah). The Spirit would rest on the Messiah (Isaiah 11:1,2). John witnessed this specific fulfillment when he saw the Spirit coming on Jesus and remaining (Isaiah 42:1). Later Jesus announced that the Spirit was upon Him when He read in Isaiah 61 and said He was the fulfillment of that prophecy! (See Luke 4:16-21). Christ not only received the Holy Spirit for His ministry, He the One Who gives the Spirit.

Baptism with Water vs. with the Spirit
The Baptism by John	The Baptism by Jesus
with water	with the Holy Spirit (not by the Spirit)
It is a ritual, a sign of cleansing.	It is the reality of spiritual cleansing.
Water has no permanent result.	Fire brings permanent change ( Matthew 3:11).
The baptizer is man, never Christ Who does not perform mere ritual (John 4:1,2).	The Baptizer is Christ Whose baptism is salvation.
The receiver may or may not have the reality.	The receiver of this baptism has been saved.
Christian baptism with water is a ritual performed by men signifying spiritual cleansing by Christ.

1:34 If the delegation was still around to hear more, John said he did more than baptize. He had not only seen the Spirit remain on Christ, He has been witnessing (I have borne witness) since then that Jesus is the Son of God or the Elect of God. His oral witness identified the Messiah.

Which is it, Son of God or Elect of God? The best early Greek manuscripts say Son, yet there is good reason to think that the original was Elect. The scribes who copied these texts by hand were human. To copy that Jesus is the Son would be very familiar to them, but to write that He was the Elect of God would be quite unfamiliar. They would be very unlikely to change Son to Elect, but more likely to change Elect to Son. It would also be quite a surprise to call One Who is the Lord, “Elect!” A number of manuscripts do read “Elect”. Further, the Father said of Christ, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him…” Isaiah 42:1. When the Baptist explained his role he referred to Isaiah 40. That the Spirit would remain on Christ fits Isaiah 11:1. Jesus receiving the Spirit ties to His being “my Chosen” (i.e., the Elect One) in Isaiah 42:1. So with all this Isaiah influence, there is good reason to think that the original word may well be “Elect”. If so, this fits the pattern in 1:19-51 of the Apostle reporting a variety of titles for Christ.

1:35-37 John the Baptist directed the attention of two of his disciples to Jesus. (One was Andrew and the other was probably John the Apostle, who never named himself in the Gospel he wrote.) They understood Who he meant when John again called Christ the Lamb of God. Telling people to prepare the way for the Lord was John’s exhortation. Joining baptism to his preaching was his method. Identifying Jesus as the Messiah and seeing people follow Him (including his own followers) completed the mission of the Baptist on earth.

1:38,39 They began to follow. Jesus asked what their purpose was for doing so. In their reply they called Him “Rabbi”, which means teacher. Calling Jesus Rabbi meant they wanted Him to teach them. To ask where He was staying was a way of asking if they could join Him, since disciples in that time often lived with their masters. The tenth hour is probably ten hours after sunrise, so it would be late afternoon. The two disciples would spend the evening with Him.

1:40-42 Andrew went and found his brother Peter. (Peter was a fisherman and the Sea of Galilee was nearby.) Andrew’s word to Peter that Jesus was the Messiah was probably the effect of the Baptist’s witness to Andrew. Many knew John was a prophet from God (Matthew 21:26). This prophet from God was informing those who listened that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus had the Spirit and He was the Lamb of God Who would take away sin. So Andrew had good reason to go find his brother. Peter was later to be the leader of the others. Jesus gave him a name that means rock. [Peter is from the same Greek word petra from which the word petroleum comes; petroleum is oil from rock.] When Jesus said that Simon would be Peter, this was more than giving him an additional name. The Lord was announcing His purpose to turn Simon into a rock of a man.

The Apostle John wanted the readers of this Gospel to understand. He used Greek to write it, not his native language. More people throughout the world spoke Greek than any other language. So in vv.38,41,42, John translated for them. It is a wonderful Christian tradition to spread the message of Christ in the language of all people. This tradition is seen in the way the Apostle John wrote.

1:43,44 The next person was Philip. Philip & Andrew had Greek names; in the NT there is no Jewish name for them. They lived in Bethsaida in Galilee of the Gentiles (See Matthew 4:12-16). Most or all of Jesus’ disciples came from Galilee, and most of His time was spent there. Since two disciples had Gentile names, we get an early hint that the gospel will spread among Gentiles. The Lord did not call the educated elite in Jerusalem to be His apostles. In this Gospel there is a keen interest in the whole world. What began in Galilee of the Gentiles would spread to all the earth.

1:45-49 Next is Nathanael who had a real Hebrew name. (His other name is Bartholomew, Mark 3:18.) Philip found him. The Apostle wants us to see that the message about Christ spread from friend to friend. Evangelism is not always institutional. True evangelism always speaks of Christ in affirmations. In John 1, men who discovered who Jesus was, quickly spread the word to others and called Him: Lamb of God, Messiah, and “Him of whom Moses in the law and prophets wrote”. To have evangelism, there must be truth about Christ confessed, so hearers may know Whom to trust. The ministry of the word is to gain the knowledge of the Son of God, so that all will grow up into Christ (Ephesians 4:13-15).

A Week at the Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry

Day 1 The Delegation from Jerusalem meets with John.

Day 2 (“the next day”) John sees Jesus and calls Him “the Lamb of God,” 1:29.

Day 3 (“the next day) John points two of his disciples to Jesus, 1:35. They join him about 4:00 PM and go to where He stayed. Because of this time factor, probably Andrew finding and bringing Peter to Jesus was on the following day.

Day 4 Andrew finds Peter and brought him to Jesus, 1:40-42.

Day 5 (“the next day) Jesus went to Galilee and meets Philip & Nathanael, 1:43.

Day 6 There is no record of anything that happened on this day.

Day 7 The wedding in Cana of Galilee is on the third day after Jesus met Philip & Nathanel (2:1). The third day would be their way to refer to the time beginning with Day 5. Day 5 is the first; Day 6 is the second, so the third day, the day of the wedding, is Day 7.

The Apostle sets out this week deliberately, stating some activity on six of the seven days, with Jesus acquiring disciples. In it there is confession of Who Christ is. Later John will give a week at the end of Jesus’ ministry beginning six days before the Passover (12:1); the Passover is Day 7. That week had much to do with His disciples privately, (John 13-17) including mention of their more mature confession of Him: “They …have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me, ” (17:8). These two accounts serve as inclusios to mark a section of this Gospel by reporting a week at the beginning and one at the end.

1:45 The witness from Philip is simple, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote.” It shows the Biblical focus in His witness. He did not say, “Let me tell you how Jesus has made me a better person.” He brought Nathanael’s attention to Christ as He was presented in Scripture. This Gospel often shows a basis for faith in the words of Scripture (7:38; 10:35). Later when Jesus spoke of Himself, He said the Scriptures “bear witness about Me,” (5:39) and Moses in the OT wrote of Him (5:46). When we wonder what kind of strategy to use in evangelism, we can always use this one used by the Lord and His apostles! The Word of God was not only a guide to life and thought among Jesus’ disciples, it was their message. Peter could say in his preaching, “To him all the prophets bear witness [in Scripture] that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name,” (Acts 10:43). This is the kind of thinking demonstrated in Philip’s words to Nathanael.

When Were the Disciples Really Called to Be Jesus’ Disciples? In Matthew 4, Mark 1 and Luke 5, some of these same men mentioned in John 1 were called to be Jesus’ disciples. It was a different occasion. He said in the Synoptics that He would make them fishers of men. Some say this shows that the Bible has its facts wrong! They say that the other report of the disciples’ call leaves disagrees with John 1. Something supposedly is wrong.

The way the men responded immediately in Matthew, Mark, & Luke indicates that they must have known something about Him. This implies that the moment Jesus called them in Matthew, Mark, & Luke was not the first time they had known of Him. John 1 refers to the first encounters with Jesus while some were still disciples of John the Baptist. Later men, who had been introduced to Christ earlier, were called to follow. In John 1 Jesus said only to Philip, “Follow Me” (v.43). In the Synoptics He said, “Follow Me” to Peter, Andrew, James, and John (and later Matthew). A possible explanation is: Some were looking to see Who Jesus was at first, and later they committed to being His disciples.

1:46-49 Nathanael’s Cautious Response Perhaps Nazareth lacked a good reputation. When Nathanael heard a claim of a Messiah from Nazareth, it provoked a serious question in him. In that time there were many false messiahs. How would he know if Jesus is just another one? Philip did not demand that Nathanael must believe immediately; he invited him to “Come and see.” We invite people to explore whether Christ is true. Faith is not possible without knowledge, and certainty is never based on anything irrational. It takes time to consider the gospel. Jesus did not chide Nathanael for his questions but rather spoke favorably of Nathanael, a man without deceit. One can be an unbeliever and honestly wonder if the gospel is true. Honest doubts result in honest inquiry. In Acts 17:10-12, some checked what the apostles said with the Scriptures to see if their message was true. We should encourage honest questions. True faith is not gullible.

The Lord Jesus was willing to show this honest man something that would indicate that Philip’s witness about Him was true. Jesus told Nathanael that He saw and knew of him under the fig tree. Nathanael needed and wanted to know truth. The Lord surprised him and met his need. In some way the Lord will do the same for anyone willing to believe and obey (John 7:16-18).

This Gospel does not explain the mystery of how Jesus knew many things. He was more than human, since He was always God. He was still fully human, thus He could learn the way others did (9:35). Then when it suited God’s purpose, the Person Jesus (with two natures) could as a man know something God knows (1:47,48)!

Nathanael’s confession: King of Israel. Christ as King is one aspect of His role as Messiah. Nathanael made a major confession when the Lord revealed Himself to him. Since John wrote only very brief highlights, we do not know what Scriptures (v.45) they might have discussed. Those Scriptures (v.45) speak of the Messiah as King in the line of David. For Nathanael to confess Christ was not a rash remark; it was his new conviction.

Confessing Christ with Titles The Lord Jesus is described in John 1:19-51 with a number of titles. Some were confessed by future disciples of Jesus, in addition to what John the Baptist said. This Gospel reports early confession of Christ. Except for the last one (“Son of Man”) all are made by new believers. Surely the Apostle John wants to encourage an early confession of Christ among all believers. In the examples that follow, the apostle does not assume that they understand well what they are saying. When they called Jesus the Messiah, they had much to learn about what kind of Messiah He would be. Even in the last year of Jesus’ ministry, Peter resisted the idea of Jesus being crucified (Matthew 16:21-23). They were slow of heart to believe (Luke 24:25). Many things they understood later (13:7) after His resurrection (2:22). Note: “His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him,” 12:16. If we wait till we understand fully what we confess about Christ, we will never speak at all! One way all Christians can confess Christ is to affirm titles that describe Him. Six of the following are titles*.

1. *The Lamb of God vv.29;36.

2. *The Elect of God v.34; this is disputed; see the notes at v.34 above.

3 Rabbi vv.38, 49 … a term of respect used for many teachers.

4. *The Messiah v.41.

5. Him of whom Moses in the Law and Prophets wrote v.45.

6. *The King of Israel v.49.

7. *The Son of God v.49.

8. *The Son of Man v. 51. (This title Jesus applied to Himself.)

1:50,51 The Promise to Nathanael Nathanael quickly accepted the evidence Jesus provided. The Lord then told him much more was to come. The miracle of Jesus knowing Nathanael’s private life was only the beginning of what Nathanael would see of the Son of God, the King of Israel (v.49). Jesus referred to the experience of Jacob when heaven was opened for him (Genesis 28:11-17). In Jesus a greater than Jacob was on earth, and Jesus promised Nathanael and (switching to a plural) the others that they too would see heaven opened. The angels would ascend and descend on Jesus Christ the Son of Man. This shows that Christ is the link between heaven and earth, and thus between God and man. Jacob later became Israel, the father of the nation. Jesus is the true Israel (Isaiah 49:3) and Israel’s eternal King (v.49).

The first disciples had not yet seen a miracle; the first one would occur two days later in Cana. Many glorious things would amaze them. They would see His mighty works and hear His words of life. They could not imagine that Christ would be crucified for them, and then they would see Him in His resurrected body. By knowing Christ they would see the Father (14:6-9). They too would see heaven opened. Later Jesus would promise them that they would even do greater works than He did (14:12) because Christ would ascend to His Father.

Son of Man For the first time in this Gospel, Jesus called Himself the Son of Man. Except for a question to Him (12:34), it is always a description He used of Himself. The other titles like King of Israel and Messiah were more familiar to the people, but when Jesus used Son of Man, He took a rare title in Daniel 7:13,14. The Son of Man is a man, or such a title would not be used of Him. However, in Daniel it is clearly used of a King Who will reign forever, and all people will serve Him. Jesus was claiming to be that King! Jesus rarely said He was the Christ (Matthew 16:13-20 & Luke 24:25-27). In Matthew 26:64 Jesus referred to Daniel 7. The Lord’s most frequent title for Himself was the Son of Man.