John 1 - NLT Student Life Application Study Bible

1:1–21:25 Seeing the Big Picture John was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, so his narrative of Jesus’ life is written with the details of an eyewitness account. John’s Gospel has a focus that is different from that of the other Gospels. It’s a thematic presentation of Jesus’ life, focused on helping readers understand who Jesus is and the significance of what he said and did. John wrote his Gospel to believers everywhere, both Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles).

1:1 What Word? When John begins by talking about “the Word,” he is using a term that was important to both Jewish and Greek thinkers. In Hebrew Scripture, the Word was the agent of creation (Psalm 33:6), the source of God’s message to his people through the prophets (Hosea 4:1), and God’s law—his standard of holiness (Psalm 119:11). So in Hebrew thought, the Word had to do with the creative and redemptive activity of the living God. In Greek philosophy, the Word was the principle of reason thought to govern the world. John is clearly applying these rich ideas to Jesus—a human being he knew and loved, but at the same time the creator of the universe, the ultimate revelation of God, the living picture of God’s holiness, and the one who “holds all creation together” (Colossians 1:17).

1:12-13 Becoming Children of God Physical birth gives us life and places us in a particular family, which isn’t something we choose or have control over. Being born of God is a spiritual life we do choose. Faith in Jesus makes us part of God’s family, and it changes us from the inside out, rearranging our mindsets, desires, and motives.

1:18 God Revealed God communicated through various people in the Old Testament, usually prophets whom he told to give specific messages (Hebrews 1:1). In a few instances, God revealed his glory, but no one ever saw God. But Jesus is both God and the Father’s unique, human Son. In him God revealed his nature and essence in a way that people could see and touch. In Jesus, God became a man who lived on earth. Jesus changed forever the way humans can know God.

1:19-28 Who’s in Charge Here? These leaders came to see John the Baptist for several reasons: (1) Their duty as guardians of the faith included investigating any new teaching or movement (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:20-22). (2) They wanted to find out if John had the credentials of a true prophet. (3) John had quite a following, and it was growing. They were probably jealous and wanted to see why this man was so popular. (For more on the Pharisees, see the chart.)

1:29 The Lamb of God Every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the Temple, symbolizing that the sins of the people were forgiven (Exodus 29:38-42). To pay the penalty for sin, blood had to be shed and a life had to be given. Through Jesus, God himself chose to provide the ultimate sacrifice. When Jesus died, the sins of the world were removed—through his sacrifice, the sins of everyone who believes in him are forgiven once and for all (1 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 10:1-18).

1:31-34 Recognizing Jesus John the Baptist and Jesus were related (see Luke 1:36), but John still needed confirmation of Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. At Jesus’ baptism, God gave John a sign to show him that Jesus truly had been sent from God. John’s faith stands in contrast to that of the many others who knew Jesus and refused to believe he was the Messiah (see, for example, Mark 6:1-3). (The story of Jesus’ baptism is told in Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; and Luke 3:21-22.)

1:42 Rock Solid Jesus saw not only who Simon was but also who he would become. That is why he gave him a new name—Cephas in Aramaic or Peter in Greek, both of which mean “rock.” Peter wasn’t very solid throughout the Gospels, but he grew into this name later, as we can see in the book of Acts. (For more on Simon Peter, see his profile.)

1:51 Connection to Heaven This is a reference to the dream Jacob had that is recorded in Genesis 28:10-15. As both God and human, Jesus was the stairway between heaven and earth. The disciples would receive spiritual insight into his true nature and purpose for coming and would understand this prediction better after Jesus’ resurrection.