ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for John 1

John 1:1–18 Prologue: The Incarnate Word. John presents Jesus as the eternal, preexistent, and now incarnate Word (vv. 1, 14). Jesus is the one-of-a-kind Son of God the Father, which means that he is God (vv. 1, 18). John says that God’s revelation and redemption in and through Jesus are the highest points in the history of salvation. This history includes God’s giving of the law through Moses (v. 17), his dwelling among his people in the tabernacle and the temple (v. 14), and the sending of John the Baptist (vv. 6–8, 15). The prologue also introduces many of the major themes developed later in the Gospel: Jesus as the life (v. 4), the light (vv. 5–9), and the truth (vv. 14, 16–17); believers as God’s children (vv. 12–13); and the world’s rejection of Jesus (vv. 10–11).

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word echoes Gen. 1:1. John identifies this Word as Jesus (John 1:14). Here he highlights Jesus’ existence throughout eternity with God. “The Word” conveys the idea of divine self-expression or speech. This idea occurs often in the OT. God’s Word is effective: God speaks, and things come into being (Gen. 1:3; Ps. 33:6; Isa. 55:10–11). By speech he relates personally to his people (e.g., Gen. 15:1). And the Word was with God indicates interpersonal relationship “with” God. And the Word was God affirms that this Word was also in essence the same God who created the universe. Some have claimed that “the Word was God” merely identifies Jesus as a god rather than identifying Jesus as God. However, in Greek grammar, the lack of an article does not necessarily indicate indefiniteness (“a god”). The context must determine the meaning, and the context clearly indicates that “the Word” is the one true God (see also John 1:6, 12, 13, 18).

John 1:3 made through him. God the Father did his work of creation through the activity of the Son (see Col. 1:16). This verse disproves any suggestion that the Word (the Son; John 1:14) was created.

John 1:4–5 The references to life, light, and darkness draw on language found in Genesis (compare Gen. 1:3–5; 14–18; 20–31; 2:7).

John 1:6–8 witness. John speaks of the first of several witnesses who bear testimony concerning Jesus (see 5:31–47; and chart).

John 1:11 John moves from his own things (see esv footnote)—that is, creation—to his own people, the Jews. The Jewish rejection of the Messiah is one of the book’s major emphases (see especially 12:37–40).

John 1:12–13 Receive him means welcoming and submitting to Jesus in a personal relationship. “Believed in” means personal trust. His name refers to all that is true about Jesus. Born, not of blood . . . , but of God makes clear that neither physical birth nor ethnic background nor human effort can make people children of God. Only God’s supernatural work can do that (8:41–47). This applies to both Gentiles and Jews (11:51–52). See also 3:3–8. to all . . . who believed . . . he gave the right to become children of God. Only through believing in Jesus can one become a member of God’s family.

John 1:14 The Word (see v. 1) became flesh does not mean the Word ceased being God. Rather, the Word, who was God, also took on humanity (see Phil. 2:6–7). He lived as God and man at the same time. dwelt among us. Literally, “pitched his tent,” a reminder of how God resided among the Israelites in the tabernacle (see Ex. 25:8–9) and later in the temple. Now God takes up residence among his people in the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. The OT refers to God’s glory when he manifests his presence in the tabernacle or the temple (e.g., Ex. 33:22; Num. 14:10; Deut. 5:22). the only Son from the Father. Jesus is the “Son of God,” not in the sense of being created or born (see John 1:3) but in the sense of being a Son who shares all his Father’s attributes, and in the sense of having a Father-Son relationship with God the Father. The Greek for “only” means “one of a kind, unique” (compare Gen. 22:2).

John 1:15 bore witness. Jesus speaks of several witnesses who bear testimony concerning him (see chart).

John 1:16–17 In the law, God graciously revealed his character and the things he required of his people. Jesus, however, is the final, definitive revelation of God’s grace and truth.

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, that is, in a full and complete way (see 6:46). the only God. Some ancient manuscripts say “the only Son” here (see esv footnote); the earliest manuscripts say “the only God.” John refers here to two different persons as “God,” as he did in 1:1. Thus John concludes the prologue by emphasizing what he taught in v. 1: Jesus is God, and he has revealed and explained God to humanity.

John 1:19–12:50 Signs of the Messiah, with Teaching about Life in Him. The first half of John’s Gospel features Jesus’ demonstration of his messianic identity through several selected “signs” (see note on 2:11). The section ends with a reference to the Jewish nation’s rejection of the Messiah (12:36b–37).

John 1:19–2:11 These verses tell of the first week of Jesus’ ministry. He is hailed by John the Baptist as “God’s lamb” (1:29, 36), is followed by his first disciples (1:37–51), and performs his first miraculous “sign” (see Introduction: Theme and Purpose), turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana (2:1–11).

John 1:19 The Jews is an expression John often uses to refer to hostile Jewish opponents of Jesus. The phrase does not mean all Jews, for Jesus, John the Baptist, and the apostles were also Jews. See esv footnote on 5:10, etc. Jerusalem. See Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus.

John 1:20–21 John the Baptist denies being the Christ or Elijah. Elijah, who never died (2 Kings 2:11), was expected to return in the end times (Mal. 4:5) to “restore all things” (Matt. 17:11). John the Baptist did resemble Elijah in his rugged lifestyle (Matt. 3:4; compare 2 Kings 1:8). And Jesus, with his deeper understanding of OT prophecy, saw John as fulfilling the prophecy about Elijah (see Matt. 11:14). John also denied being the Prophet, whose coming was predicted by Moses in Deut. 18:15, 18 (see Acts 3:22) and was expected in Jesus’ day (see John 6:14; 7:40–41; and notes on John 6:14 and John 7:40–41).

John 1:23 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. See Isa. 40:3; compare Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4. This messenger was to prepare the way for the Lord to come to his people.

John 1:24 Pharisees. A small but influential group of Jews who emphasized observance of the law and their own traditions as the path to righteousness. Many Pharisees opposed Jesus, but some followed him (3:1–5; 7:50; 19:38–40). See note on Matt. 3:7.

John 1:28 John was baptizing. Compare Luke 3:3. John’s baptism was an outward sign reflecting inward repentance (see Matt. 3:6; compare later Christian baptisms at Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:3; 1 Pet. 3:21). The Bethany across (east of) the Jordan (see John 3:26; 10:40) is different from Lazarus’s village near Jerusalem.

John 1:29 Jesus, by his sacrifice, fulfills the symbolism of the Passover Lamb and other OT sacrifices (Lev. 1:1–5:19; 14:25; 1 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 10:1–14; Rev. 5:6–13). takes away the sin of the world. See Heb. 2:17; 1 John 4:10; and notes on 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18.

John 1:31 I myself did not know him. John probably means he did not know that Jesus was the Messiah until he saw the sign mentioned in vv. 32–33.

John 1:32–34 The Spirit did not merely descend on Jesus. He remained on him, which was a sign of Jesus’ divine anointing as Messiah (Isa. 11:2; 61:1; see Luke 4:18). See note on John 1:41.

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

John 1:40 One of the two . . . was Andrew. The name of the other disciple is not stated; most likely he was John, the author of this Gospel.

John 1:41 The terms Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) both mean “anointed.” In the NT and early Judaism, “Messiah” combines many OT expectations about an “anointed one” who would lead, teach, and save God’s people (see, e.g., 2 Sam. 7:5–16; Ps. 110:1–4; Isa. 9:6–7).

John 1:42 Cephas is an Aramaic word meaning “rock” (see Matt. 16:16–18). In the Bible, God frequently changes people’s names to indicate their special calling; see Gen. 17:5; 32:28.

John 1:43 Galilee. The region west of the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee and north of Samaria.

John 1:44 Bethsaida was just northeast of where the Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee from the north.

John 1:45 Nathanael (see also 21:2) may be the personal name of Bartholomew (see Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14). The Law and . . . the prophets commonly referred to the entire OT (e.g., Matt. 5:17).

John 1:46 Nazareth. Nazareth was a town of no more than 2,000 people. See note on Luke 1:26.

John 1:48 I saw you. Jesus displays supernatural knowledge, thus confirming his identity as the Messiah. The fig tree often is a symbol for Israel. See note on Mark 11:13–14. Jesus sees Nathanael as an honest Jew.

John 1:49 Son of God designates Jesus as the Messiah predicted in the OT (2 Sam. 7:14; Ps. 2:7; see note on John 1:14). King of Israel also is an OT title for the Messiah (Zeph. 3:15).

John 1:51 Truly, truly, I say to you is a way of emphasizing the authoritative nature of what Jesus says. The expression is found 25 times in John’s Gospel. see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending. Jesus will be a greater way of access to God than the ladder on which angels traveled between God and Jacob (Gen. 28:12). The Son of Man is a messianic title referring back to the mysterious human-divine figure in Dan. 7:13–14. God gives him rule over all the nations of the earth forever (see Matt. 26:64).