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Tuesday, March 24, 2020

From the New Testament Book of John

I urge you to open your Bible and read the scriptures for yourself.  Pray for guidance in His word and let the Holy Spirit lead you.  If you would like to share, add your thoughts on this passage of scripture in the comments.

John Chapter 1

This will be a breakdown of the chapter that you can use to help break down the passage.  The book of John has some lengthy chapters and commenting on every single verse would make for a long post.  However, feel free to comment at the bottom any thing you got out of the passage.

Verses 1-2

John expresses the divinity of Jesus Christ, distinguishes the Godhead, and shows the unity and fellowship of the Father and the Son for all eternity. “Word” as used in verse 1 is Jesus.

Verse 3:

Jesus was present with God during creation.

Verses 4-5:

Jesus is salvation. “Comprehended” as used in verse 5 means apprehended or seized.

Verses 6-8:

Refer to John the Baptist the son of Zechariah and Elisabeth.  The forerunner of Christ.

Verses 9-14:

Refers back to the “Light” and the “Word” which is Jesus.

Verses 5 and 12 speak of the opportunity to receive salvation.

Verse 15: John was born about 6 months prior to Jesus, but Jesus existed for eternity prior to John’s birth.  Jesus existed from the beginning as we see in verse 1. Jesus incarnate came after John’s birth. John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus’ authority over him.  The word preferred is used multiple times in chapter 1.  The word preferred refers to authority. Jesus had the authority to save, John the Baptist had the responsibility to point others to Jesus.

Verse 16 & 17: God’s unmerited favor.

Verse 18: No man has seen God in full essence, but man could see God through Jesus.

Verses 19-28: Some thought John to be Elijah or the prophesied Messiah – Christ. He denies being either and points out the coming of Jesus.

Verse 29-34:  John (the Baptist) points others to Jesus and baptizes him.  All four gospels give some account of Jesus’ baptism from the perspective of the individual writer. (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21&22) One account is not any more accurate than the other. They should all be considered together as four different people looking on from four different locations. Word usage also depends on the individual and their intended audience.

“Lamb of God” relates to the Passover lamb used as a sin offering foreshadowing Jesus dying on the cross to pay our sin debt.

Verses 35-45: The First Disciples of Jesus.  John the Baptist pointed others directly to Christ. Notice the process of one “believer” leading another to “believe.”

Verses 46-49: Nathanael believes – Jesus references a time that Nathanael was under a fig tree to show his deity.  It was a practice to sit under a fig tree in meditation as we might sit in one certain place when we want a moment of peace. Guile means deceit. Jesus was saying Nathanael was sincere but not naïve.  

Verses 50&51: Belief allows one to see great things.