John 1,19-51

John 1 -2
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. 35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. 43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Hello everyone, I am Kiki. The Chinese name of our second phase of the program is “读经大讲堂”. The English name is “Bible Study”.

We will adopt a relaxed and enjoyable learning mode to take you into a new learning world. Each time, I will make a personal summary and analysis from the perspective of a learner, and then Sister Ingrid will help me conduct in-depth learning and discussions of questions with everyone.

I hope that such an interesting and interactive process can bring a new learning experience to all of you. The following is my interview with my sister on related issues. Today is the second lecture on the Gospel of John. Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment area for discussion!

My summary of John 1–2 study:

There was a man named John the Baptist. One day, some important Jewish priests and Levites came to ask John who he was. John told them that he wasn’t Jesus or Elijah, but that he was like a voice calling out in the wilderness.

John also said that there was someone else coming after him who was even more special. When Jesus came to see John, he called Jesus the Lamb of God, which means Jesus is the one who takes away our sins. John saw the Holy Spirit descending from heaven upon Jesus and knew that Jesus was the Son of God.

Some of John’s friends started following Jesus too. One of them was Andrew, who had a brother named Simon Peter. Simon became friends with Jesus, and Jesus gave him a new name, Cephas, which means stone.

Jesus then went to a place called Galilee and met another friend named Philip. Philip told his friend Nathanael about Jesus. At first, Nathanael didn’t believe, but when Jesus talked to him under a fig tree, Nathanael believed and called Jesus Rabbi, which means teacher, and King of Israel. Jesus promised Nathanael that he would see even more amazing things in the future.

So, this chapter is about how John the Baptist and his friends met Jesus and learned that he was very special and the Son of God.

I have no idea whether my understanding of this second chapter is correct or not. Now let my sister Ingrid help me make a summary.

Sister’s comment on my study summary:

Hello sister, you understood this part of the Bible very well. There was only one detail: John saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove upon Jesus, and the Holy Spirit remained with Him. And Andrew’s brother’s name was Simon, and Jesus gave him the name Peter, which means Cephas in Hebrew.

Question list based on John 1:19 ff.

Okay, based on the above Bible study content, now let me ask Sister some related questions.

Who was John the Baptist and what was his role in Jesus’ life?

John the Baptist was related to Jesus. Their mothers were cousins. But since one of them lived in Jerusalem and the other one in Nazareth, they did not know each other personally. John did not talk about his family relationship with the Messiah. I think he did not even know about that part. But God gave him a clear instruction that the Messiah would be identified by the descending Holy Spirit.

So today, we should not think that only the families of pastors or other important people should minister. God calls the people whom He wants and fills them with the Holy Spirit to serve, just as He filled John with the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother’s womb.

How did the Jewish priests and Levites question John about his identity? What was their purpose in asking John questions?

It was strange for them that a person who had not studied the Torah and did not have a ministry in their synagogues began to preach and baptize. Like many churches today, the religious leaders had a very hierarchical system, and for them it was not possible that someone who had not completed a degree in theology and was not appointed as a Pharisee or priest—and therefore had neither title nor rank—could speak about God.

What did John confess about himself, and who did he say was coming after him? What effect did his confession have?

He made it clear that he was not the Messiah, but only one who called the people to repentance because the Kingdom of God was near. When Jesus came, John stepped aside a little in order to prepare the way for Jesus, but he continued preaching until King Herod killed him because John accused him of adultery.

Why did John baptize people with water if he wasn’t the Christ or Elijah?

It was a baptism of repentance. The people who were baptized understood clearly that they needed the Messiah. So, John’s ministry was to prepare the people for the coming of Jesus.

What did John see when he saw Jesus approaching him, and how did he refer to Jesus?

He testified about Jesus, saying that He is the Lamb of God who takes away our sins.

Who were Andrew and Simon Peter, and how did they become part of Jesus’ disciples?

Andrew and Simon Peter were fishermen, and they left everything behind to become disciples of Jesus.

What did Jesus mean when He said that Nathanael had no guilt, and what did Nathanael call Jesus?

He confronted Nathanael with the opinion Nathanael had about himself. But when somebody meets the holy Jesus, he becomes aware that he is not sinless, and so Nathanael noticed that he was not completely pure either.

What did Jesus tell Nathanael he would see in the future, and how does this relate to the concept of heaven and angels?

Jesus referred to the glory that those who follow Him with their whole heart will see.

“Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.” — What does Jesus mean by “greater things than these”?

Jesus did many wonders while He was here on earth, and more importantly, He changed—and still changes—the lives of people who would like to receive Him.