John 1 - King James Version Bible Commentary

Jn 1:1. In the beginning. This opening statement is a repetition of the opening statement of the Bible (Gen 1:1). When time began, the Word was already in existence. Was the Word. This unique name for Christ (Gr logos) occurs only four times in the New Testament as a name (Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14; I Jn 1:1; Rev 19:13) and is utilized only by John the apostle. Since words reveal the thoughts of one person to another, Christ as the Eternal Word is a revelation of God to man.

And the Word was with God. The words translated with God (Gr pros ton theon) could be rendered “face to face with God.” Two important thoughts emerge from this statement. First, the Word is a distinct person. Second, the Word was enjoying communion and fellowship with another distinct person, God the Father. And the Word was God. Lest the reader assume that the Word as a distinct person is less than God, John concludes the verse with an emphatic statement that the Word was completely God. To lend the greatest possible emphasis to the importance of this statement, it literally reads “and God was the Word.” The subject and predicate are reversed to underline the deity of the Word.

Jn 1:2. The same was in the beginning with God. This verse simply summarizes the deep theological truths revealed in the first verse.

B. The Word in Creation.John 1:3

Having established the eternality of the Word, John now describes His involvement in creation.

Jn 1:3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. This verse establishes Christ as the subject of creation and not the object of creation. He was the Creator, not the created. One scholar translates the latter part of this verse as follows: “and apart from him not a single thing that exists came into being” (William Hendriksen, The Gospel of St. John, p. 71).

Jn 1:4. In him was life. This verse opens with the preposition (Gr en), which means “in.” Life is not from Him, or through Him, or by Him, but life is in Him. The life (Gr zo¯e¯ spoken of is not life in a physical sense but rather in a spiritual sense. John uses life fifty-four times in his gospel and first epistle to refer to the spiritual realm. And the life was the light of men. Christ is the Light shining in contrast to the darkness of this sinful world.

Jn 1:5. And the light shineth in darkness. In the previous verse both verbs are in the Greek imperfect tense denoting a past action. However, the tense of the verb “shineth” (Gr phaino¯) is the Greek present tense. Christ, who was the Light, continues to shine as the Light. And the darkness comprehended it not. The darkness referred to here is the unbelief and sin of mankind (Jn 3:19). It is the antithesis of the Light. The verb used here (Gr katalambano¯) means to “grasp, comprehend, put out, seize with hostile intent” (W. Wilbur Gingrich, Shorter Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 111). This implies a hostility between the Light and the darkness with the darkness unable to put out the Light.

Jn 1:6-8. These verses contrast Christ and John the Baptist. A review of the descriptive statement is given concerning John. First, He was not the logos, but rather a human individual. Second, he was sent from God. John was commissioned by God; he was not God Himself. Third, John was a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. John’s purpose was to give testimony concerning Christ that would lead persons to a saving faith in the Light. Fourth, John was not that Light. The ministry of John the Baptist is similar to the ministry of Christians today. We are to give personal witness and testimony concerning the Light so that others might believe.

In the following verses John elaborates on the theme of Christ the Light. He studies the Light in a series of relationships: to the world in general (Jn 1:9-10); to the Jewish people (Jn 1:11-13); and to the disciples (Jn 1:14).

Jn 1:9-10. That was the true Light. Christ is the true, or genuine, or real Light. Which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Christ is the one who gives to every man the light of reason and conscience. The result of this revelation was that the world knew him not. The verb used here (Gr gno¯sko¯) means to acknowledge or recognize. The world rejected Him.

Jn 1:11-12. There is a very strong play on the words his own (Gr idios). In their first occurrence, they refer to what was His own, namely His own world (see vs. Jn 1:10, and compare the same expression in Jn 19:27 where it refers to a man’s home). In their second occurrence, the Greek gender has changed and the reference is to His own people, who by their rejection show Him to be truly despised (cf. Isa 53:3; Lk 19:14).

There are two actions delineated in verse Jn 1:12: the action of man and the action of God. Man’s action is to receive and to believe. To receive means to accept for one’s self, and to believe means to place one’s trust in. Both of these concepts are a part of salvation. God’s action is to them gave he power to become the sons of God. The word power (Gr exousia) means the right or authority to become the sons of God.

Jn 1:13. The spiritual birth spoken of in the previous verse is not of blood. It is not on the basis of lineage or Jewish heritage. It is nor of the will of the flesh or a carnal desire. It is not of the will of man or human in its origin. It is of God. This birth is supernatural.

Jn 1:14. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The verb translated “dwelt” (Gr ske¯noo¯) means to tabernacle or live in a tent. The author testifies that we beheld his glory.

II. THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF CHRIST A. Christ Proclaimed by Individuals.John 1:15-51

In the remaining verses of chapter Jn 1, Christ is proclaimed as Messiah by several individuals including John the Baptist, Andrew, Simon, Philip, and Nathanael.

Jn 1:15. The writer again discusses the witness of John (Jn 1:7). Although Jesus comes after John, yet he was before him; He existed in eternity.

The verses are interjected into the testimony of John the Baptist and describe the personal testimony of the author.

Jn 1:16. Of his fulness. This fulness is expressed in verse Jn 1:14 and the writer now claims that of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace (lit., grace upon grace).

Jn 1:17. Continuing the thoughts of verse Jn 1:14, a sharp contrast is made between the law of Moses and Jesus Christ. The law was given by Moses. The law had its place in revealing man’s condition (Gal 3:24). However, the law did not provide grace and truth. Grace was to forgive and pardon the sinner and the truth (or the reality) was that which the sacrifices pointed to. These are found only in Jesus Christ.

Jn 1:18. God is a Spirit and cannot be seen by man (I Tim 6:16). The only begotten Son … he hath declared him. Christ has declared (lit., exegeted; Gr exe¯geomai) or revealed God to man. The expression, the only begotten Son, has excellent manuscript evidence to support translating it, “the unique God.”

Jn 1:19. And this is the record of John. The author now returns from a note of personal testimony to the record of John. This culminates in verse Jn 1:34 with the words of John the Baptist. The Sanhedrin is alarmed at the ministry of John the Baptist, and so they send a delegation of theologians to ask him the question, Who art thou?

Jn 1:20-21. John denies that he is the Christ. He also denies being Elijah, whom the Jews expected to precede the Messiah (Mal 4:5). John did minister in the spirit of Elijah (Lk 1:17) and was even called Elijah by Christ (Mt 17:12), but he was not literally Elijah. John also denies being that prophet (Deut 18:15-18) or Christ Himself.

Jn 1:22-23. Unsatisfied with John’s negation of their questions, they ask, What sayest thou of thyself? John answers with the words of Isaiah 40:3. He was simply a voice to make straight the paths or prepare the way of the Lord.

Jn 1:24-28. The investigating committee now becomes concerned with John’s baptizing. Why baptizest thou then? John replies by stating that there is a vast difference between what he is doing with water, which is only a sign, and what the Messiah will do with the real thing, the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit (Mk 1:8). Concerning Him, John states that he is unworthy of even untying His sandal straps. These events took place in Bethabara beyond Jordan.

Jn 1:29. John seeth Jesus. The day after the committee investigates John, Jesus Himself appears on the scene. John makes the now familiar statement, Behold the Lamb of God. Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament lamb (Ex 12, Ex 13; Num 28:4; Isa 53). Which taketh away. This is a Greek present participle which means “is taking away.” What the Old Testament lamb could not do, the Lamb of God is doing. The sin of the world. The Lamb of God was not limited to the Jewish people but rather He reaches the entire world.

Jn 1:30-32. The message of John seemingly centered around this theme (Jn 1:15, Jn 1:27). The apostle assumes that the reader is familiar with the Synoptics since the Spirit descending like a dove occurred at the baptism (Mt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-10; Lk 3:21-22).

Jn 1:33-34. And I knew him not. The value of John’s testimony to Christ is that God revealed it to him at the baptism of Jesus. Until that time John knew him not. This section relating John’s testimony to Christ concludes with the statement that this is the Son of God.

Jn 1:35-37. In the latter portion of this chapter, Jesus is revealed to certain disciples. These verses are the transition between the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Christ. John the Baptist is with two of his disciples (Andrew and John, the author), and after pointing to the Lamb of God, they followed Jesus.

Jn 1:38-39. Jesus then asks an important question. What seek ye? In response to this question, the disciples ask with another question, where dwellest thou? They were interested in close communion and fellowship with Christ. Christ invites them to Come and see and They came and saw.

Jn 1:40-41. The true response of one who has found Christ is to bring others. Andrew tells his brother Simon, We have found the Messiah. Messiah (Gr Messias) means the Anointed One; it is the transliteration of the Hebrew Mashiach, which is often translated by the Greek Christos which is then transliterated into English as “Christ.”

Jn 1:42. Simon comes to Christ and gets a new name, Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Jn 1:43. The day following. This is the test of four successive days discussed in chapter Jn 1. Christ now does the finding and commands Philip to Follow Him.

Jn 1:44-46. Philip immediately findeth Nathanael and states, We have found him. Nathanael responds with doubt that Nazareth could produce the Messiah. But Philip gives the invitation, Come and see.

Jn 1:47. Jesus sees Nathanael coming and addresses him as an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile. This is a compliment to the honesty and sincerity of Nathanael.

Jn 1:48-49. Nathanael responds, Whence knowest thou me? Then Jesus reveals the penetrating eye of deity by telling Nathanael that even before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. In a previous moment of quiet devotion, Jesus had seen Nathanael. Nathanael then proclaims Christ as the Son of God and the promised Messiah.

Jn 1:50-51. This verse is more of a promise than a question. Because of Nathanael’s faith, he would see greater things than these. Jesus now describes these greater things by referring to the Old Testament story concerning Jacob’s ladder (Gen 28). Christ Himself was to be the Ladder between God and man since He was the Son of God (Jn 1:49) and the Son of man (Jn 1:51).

B. Christ Performs His First Miracle.John 2:1-25

In this chapter there are two events detailed which illustrate the emptiness and deficiency of Judaism. The empty water jars at the wedding feast describe the condition of Judaism in meeting the spiritual needs of the Jewish people. This emptiness is further described in the cleansing of the Temple, and Judaism is described as corrupt.