John 1 vs41-51 Building the Church by Revelation and Word of Mouth

(John 1:41-51, New King James Version)

So Andrew has a brother, Simon whom we know as Peter, and he runs to tell him what he's found. Family members are not always so eager to hear that you've found Jesus. Thankfully Peter was.

Jesus looks at Peter and calls him by his and his father's name.

Then he changes Peter's name. The name Simon comes from Simeon or Shimon which means "hearing".

Now think about this. "Hearing" usually means receptive. Jesus changes his name to Stone. We usually refer to someone who doesn't hear as dense, like a stone. 

In Matthew, Jesus says, " you are Peter (stone), and on this rock (bigger than stone) I will build My church". On what did He build His church? Not on Peter, but on what Peter said just before this (in Matthew), the revelation that Jesus is the Christ. It's on that revelation that the church is built.

Next He calls Phillip to follow Him, who then goes to get Nathanael, telling him they've found the Messiah. Nathanael says, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”. This could be a slam on Nazareth, but I believe that he's really saying, "Dude! The prophecies don't point to the Messiah coming from Nazareth". Let's remember that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of David. But Nazareth is a derivation of the word "Root". Jesus is "the Branch" in prophecy. Branches come from roots.

If Nathanael was making a joke of Nazareth (not in Jesus' hearing), what are we to make of Jesus remark to Nathanael: “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”? Is this a joke also? It may be, but it may have special implications to Nathanael. The Israelites are descended from Jacob (renamed Israel) who was known to be deceitful. Some say Jacob means "trickster". He certainly acted that way before his name change.  

Jesus then says that He saw Nathanael under the fig tree and Nathanael acknowledges Him as the Messiah. This indicates that something in this sequence rang Nathanael's bell. Perhaps he was praying to see the Messiah or reflecting on his attempts to be truthful in his dealings with others.

We can ask him later.  

Jesus referred to Nathanael's Israeliness in a reference to deceit, bringing to mind Jacob, his deceitful forerunner. He then tells Nathanael that like Jacob, he shall see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. This indicates that the ladder that Jacob saw, the bridge between heaven and earth, is the son of Man, Jesus! 
Cool, huh?

The Witnesses to Christ (Hey! Is that a new denomination?)

There are many witnesses to Who Jesus is.

• Moses: Jesus is that Prophet that he spoke of.
• John the Baptist: He testified that "This is the Son of God"
• The prophets: They all spoke of a deliverer to come and described His character in spiritual and historic terms, such as His birthplace.
• God: "This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased."
• Jesus Himself: He says however that His testimony is not valid, legally.
• The angels who spoke of Him to Mary, Joseph, and later, the shepherds at Bethlehem. These shepherds may have been the shepherds required to inspect the Temple Sacrificial Lambs and thus the Lamb of God.
• The miracles He performed (signs). Raising the dead is tricky if you're not God.

This is going to be a thread through this gospel. Jesus is going to be asked repeatedly to prove Who He says He is.
If anyone ever tells you that the Bible or Jesus doesn't claim that Jesus is God, not just a "son of God", ask them if they can read English and if they can: send them here.


Let's address something here.
Jesus is God. He is also the Son of God. How does that work?
As God, when He came to earth and was born of Mary, He became Someone's Son.
Mary is an obvious choice for mom. Joseph is obviously not the dad. So He is the Son of God, The human expression of God, sinless and perfect. God. But also a Son.
The only begotten Son of God. Not the only Son of God. But the begotten Son is the heir, and if the only begotten Son, then the sole heir of all that God has and is.
Accept no substitutes.

John 1 vs29-40 What do You Seek??

(John 1:29-40, New King James Version)
John elaborates on why he was baptizing: to point out Jesus.
John says that God told him he'd see the Holy Spirit descend on the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
John then testifies that Jesus is the Son of God. 
The next day he calls Him the "Lamb of God". In other words, the sacrifice for sin that God supplies and the one He accepts, that the Passover points to.
Actually, when John points out Jesus, his entire life's work is complete! Everything is downhill for him now.
As he says later, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  
He doesn't quit, in fact he still preaches against sin, and it gets him beheaded by Herod.
So two of John's disciples leave John and follow Jesus. One of them is Andrew (Peter's brother).
Who's the other one? Probably the guy writing this gospel, John.

John 1 vs19-28 Who is John? Pt 2

(John 1:19-28, New King James Version)


John the Baptist's ministry caused quite a ruckus. Probably with the more rural folk. They were more likely to remember the events surrounding his birth.
Now the Religious Leaders want to see what's going on (before it get's out of their control?)
He's not the Christ, he's not Elijah, he's not "that Prophet".
  (By the way: what "Prophet"? The one that Moses said was to come:
“The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, Deuteronomy 18:15, 
 This is important!)
John does say that there is a prophecy regarding himself: Isaiah 40:3, "one crying..."
Why cry? To witness to Jesus, "standing among them, whom they do not know", raised among them, from their midst like Moses said. 

John 1 vs14-18 Who is Jesus? Pt 2

(John 1:14-18, New King James Version)

So the Word became flesh: Jesus. No doubt that if the "Word was God", Jesus is God.  
There's a math trick: If "A"="B" and  "B"="C", then: "A"="C". 
If the Word is God, and Jesus is the Word, then Jesus is God.



"and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father".
This is probably at what we call the Mount of Transfiguration where John, Peter and James saw Jesus glorified.
Later on Jesus says that if you have seen Him you have seen the Father. Family resemblance.



"John bore witness of Him". 
There are six witnesses to Who Jesus Is: John is one.
"For the law was given through Moses," Moses is another witness, as we'll see in the next section.

John 1 vs9-13: Who Knew?

(John 1:9-13, New King James Version)

"the world did not know Him". The "world" here is not the planet, but the system, the people, the culture.  "He came to His own..." His "own" could have two meanings. "His own" would be all men, or Israel. In this context, it makes more sense to think of Israel, the people he came to first. Of course He came for all men (people) but Israel was given first crack. When they rejected Him (as a nation, obviously not all Jews rejected Him) the Gentiles (non-Jews) got their chance to "not know Him". 

"...to those who believe in His name..." So much meaning, so little time: 

Jesus came as the fulfillment of a promise God made to man:

 Gen 3:15 NKJV  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” 

This promise was a response to the sin of Adam and Eve. Their sin was to disobey God. But it was based on believing that God had lied to them. Satan called God a liar (“You will not surely die") and Eve believed him, not God. So if you "believe in His name" you believe God. You stop calling Him a liar. And you accept His gift. If you reject His gift, you insult him. Not a good move.

What does it mean to "believe in His name"? His name is Jesus. It means "He who saves". The word "name" also has implications in the Bible. Your "name" reflects your character and authority. Jesus claimed to be the savior of mankind. If He is not, then He is a liar and has no authority. A LIAR. Are you willing to call Him a liar?

I used to. Now I believe in His name and He has given me the "right to become(a child) of God".

I don't have a blood right to this, I can't work my way to it (the will of man), it is a gift of God.  

John 1 vs6-8: Who is John?

(John 1:6-8, New King James Version)

This is not the John that is writing this Gospel. This man is referred to as John the Baptist. For an in depth Bible passage on John the Baptist, read Luke 1:5-25 and Luke 1:57-80, pleeeeez. 
John was a big deal in Israel at this time. His birth was miraculous and his ministry was prophesied by his father, a priest of the Temple. His birth was associated with the birth of Jesus and Jesus' birth was announced by angels and witnessed by foreign rich and wise men (that get's peoples attention). 
People remembered these things about John and Jesus, and expected something to come of it. We often lose sight of that. They had "street cred". There was anticipation of their ministries.

John 1 vs2-5: Who is Jesus?

(John 1:2-5, New King James Version)


It's interesting that it doesn't say in the beginning was God. 

But remember that vs 1 says: the Word was God. 
All things made through Him. Only God has that power.

In Him was life:hold that thought. This is an important concept that will later be shown to be intrinsic to (can't be separated from) His later claim to be Judge.


Light vs. darkness: got that.

"Darkness did not comprehend it". Double meaning. We think of "comprehend" as "understand". That works. But to comprehend something means to get around something (get your head around it) or to surround it as to overwhelm it. Light always dispels darkness, except for black holes. If you're near a black hole, you've got bigger problems than whether your flashlight works.

John 1 vs1: "In the Beginning"

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

I love this passage.

There's a play on the word "Word".

Notice that Bibles (other than the Jehovah Witness translation) have capitalized the "W".

I believe that there are three simultaneous meanings to this "Word".

In Genesis, a promise is made to Adam and Eve that there will come a deliverer. God gives them His "Word" on this. God's "Word" is His promise.

Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. That makes Him the Word.

The Bible is God's word. The Bible describes Jesus relentlessly, figuratively (prophecy) and literally.

Another more modern usage in our culture is "Word!". When this is said it indicates that the speaker recognizes the truth of the statement just uttered.

So the Word in question can be simultaneously: God's Promise, Jesus (the promise fulfilled) and the Bible (Jesus described).

We do not have a physical description of Jesus. We have a "word" picture of Jesus. This appears to be intentional. A thousand words are worth one picture.

And the Bible is an elaboration on the original promise made.