John 1:15-51: Jesus is the Word www.seachord.org

John 1:15-51         Jesus is the Word        February 22, 2020


The Pre-existent One

Why was John’s Gospel Written?  The Purpose of This Book

John 20:30-31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written {or recorded} in this book; (31) but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

·      The first three gospels center on Jesus' ministry in Galilee.

·      John centers his gospel on what Jesus said and did in Jerusalem.

John’s Gospel covers 21 days of 3 ½ years of Jesus ministry; virtually half of John’s Gospel is devoted to the “Final Week”…1/3 (247 verses of 879) are devoted to one 24-hour period!

Remember, vs 1-14 we covered showing Jesus was the Creator of all things, the Spokesman of the Old Testament, the Lord of the Scriptures, 

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

John Bears Record

John 1:15 John told the truth about him when he cried out, "This is the person about whom I said, 'The one who comes after me ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.'"

John pointed Jesus out to the people.  Jesus was before me:  Jesus was born after John the Baptist, but existence from eternity before. 

**Luke told Mary: that Elizabeth conceived a son and is now the sixth month.  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.  Luke 1:36

John 1:16 We have all received one gracious gift after another from his abundance,

We have enjoyed grace upon grace, blessing upon blessing heaped upon us from Jesus, as Saints of our Father.  Just means grace piled upon grace.

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Grace is God’s favor and kindness bestowed on those who do not deserve it and cannot earn it.  If God dealt with us only according to truth, none of us would survive; but He deals with us on the basis of grace and truth.

·      Grace is getting something you do not deserve,

·      Mercy is not getting what you do or deserve. 

·      Grace is a free gift,

John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom {or closest relationship} of the Father, He has declared Him {made known}.

Now the Testimony of John the Baptist

John 1:19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"

John record goes at once to the time when Jesus, thirty years old, is acknowledged by the Father as the Son of God and testifying to the Jews that this Jesus was the Christ. 

Sanhedrim, the official court of seventy-one members who ruled Israel sent their delegation to John.

John 1:20-22 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." (21) And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." (22) Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?"

Some Jews thought John was the Expected Messiah: Why?

**John the Baptist said he was not the Messiah:  For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6

Some Jews thought John was Elijah:  Why?

**John the Baptist said he was not Elijah:  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.  Malachi 4:5; ministering only in office and spirit of Elijah – Matthew 11:13-14

Some Jews thought John was That Prophet: Why?

**"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  

All three were denied by John the Baptist, Jews insisted for him to honestly declare who he was by his own mouth.

John 1:23  John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling {or crying} in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"

Christ is the Word; John the Baptist was the voice. When pressed to identify himself, John the Baptist claimed that he was the fulfillment of Isaiah.  Why

**The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3

Just mean, get ready for the coming of the Lord

John 1:24-25 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. (25) And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

The Pharisees numbered about six thousand, were strict interpreters of the Law, were extremely zealous for ritual and tradition and generally these religious leaders failed to accept the Messiah.

Pharisees wanted to know, by what authority or right do you perform this religious service because they did not give John authority to baptize individuals.

The Jews in John’s day practiced baptism. It was an outgrowth of ceremonial washings. But the Jews of that time typically reserved baptism for Gentiles who wanted to become Jews. So to submit to John’s baptism, a Jew had to identify with the Gentiles

Interesting, the Jews knew there should be some change in religion under the Messiah by asking this question, because of baptism. Background?

**"In that day a fountain {water} shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. Zechariah 13:1 {Water for sin? Baptism by John for repentance}

The Pharisees were the only minor group to survive the Jewish war of
66-70 A.D., and their teachings formed the basis for Talmudic Judaism.

John 1:26-27 John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. (27) It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."

John said he was before Jesus in two things, born before him and the ministry of the word.  Jesus then comes first.

Remember, undoing the sandal strap was the job of a slave and John said he was not worthy or even fit to be Jesus slave.

John 1:28 This all happened {or done} at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Bethany: “House of Passage, about 12 miles from Jerusalem, east side of the Jordan River .

Behold, the Lamb of God

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Here Jesus first appears, in person and flesh, in John's account, who omits all the details given by Matthew and Luke of his earlier life. He was now thirty years old, and came from Galilee to Jordan to be baptized by John.

Lamb of God: Jesus is the one God-ordained, God-gifted sacrificial offering will take away our sins.  The Jews use a sacrifice lamb at the Passover Service and Jesus was our sacrifice.   

John 1:30  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'

John said Jesus existed before I was born

John 1:31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

Interesting statement – John said he did not know Jesus was the Messiah considering how they were related.  John lived about 90 miles from Jesus.

John knew that the Messiah will somehow be part someway through his baptism.  All John knew was that he was to baptize with water in order to point him out to the Nation of Israel.

John 1:32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven as a dove and remain on him.

It was revealed to John that the Christ would thus be revealed. Indeed it was the anointing of the Holy Spirit that made Jesus the Anointed, resting upon Jesus.

John does not record Jesus’ baptism in his gospel.

John 1:33-34 I didn't recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The person on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' (34) I have seen this and have testified that this is the Son of God."

John sees the Spirit descending, with a divine revelation of the Spirit.  When this revelation was made to John, we are not told.  Was it like Mary?

Jesus informally Calls the First Disciples, disciples from John the Baptist

Jesus shows His Power in Public Ministry, Calls the First Disciple

John 1:35-36  The following day as John was standing with two of his disciples,  (36)  Jesus walked by. John looked at him intently and then declared, “See! There is the Lamb of God!”

John now personally points his disciples to Jesus as the Lamb of God.

Notice, this is 3 days from the Priests discussion.

John 1:37  When the two disciples heard him {John} say this, they followed Jesus.

After John introduces Jesus to the disciples, he starts to fades out of the picture and with his’s blessing they changed their allegiance to the Lamb of God. Disciples left his circle and follow Jesus, It fulfilled his ministry and did not take away from it.

John 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek {or want}?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying {or live}?"

Their question implies a desire to be in the company of Jesus.

John 1:39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained {stayed} with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour){about 4 pm}.  {interesting, remember the exact hour}

Jesus gave them an invitation to along with Him and the disciples accepted the invitation.  Where was the place, we do not know, probably a friend.

Jesus taught and disciple others by allowing them to live with Him.

John 1:40-41 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. (41) He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). 

The Hebrew word Messiah or means the same Greek word, Christ, anointed

Andrew, one of the two disciples who followed Jesus, was the first pro-claimer of Jesus as the Messiah, early example of personal and group evangelism. Andrew appears two more times— both times he was bringing someone to Jesus *John 6:4-9 {feed 5000}; 12:20-22 {Greeks seek Jesus}.

The unnamed disciple is commonly held to be John the son of Zebedee, a brother of James and author of this Gospel.

Two pairs of brothers (Simon and Andrew, James and John) who were fishermen were called by Jesus *Mark 1:16-20.  {Possible twins 2 other disciples}

John 1:42 And he brought {or led} him {Peter} to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah {John}. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

Jesus saw in Simon a rocklike character and destiny, that would eventually enable him to become a leader and faithful witness. Jesus gave him the Aramaic name Cephas. Peter is the Greek translation of Cephas (“rock”).

Simon’s name in Hebrew was probably Simeon  *Acts 15:14 {referred to}; *2 Peter 1:1 {Personally said so in letter}.

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

John 1:43-44 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee {from Judea}, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." (44) Now Philip was from {the town of} Bethsaida, the city {or hometown} of Andrew and Peter.

·      The first recorded instance of Jesus calling a disciple to follow him.

·      The other 3 having come to Jesus on their own.

·      This Philip was one of the 12, not the deacon.

Though the first disciples were from Galilee, Jesus had called them in Judea where they were with John the Baptist, his disciple. On His way north to Galilee, He called Philip to be His disciple. Philip’s hometown of Bethsaida was on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee. Also Andrew and Peter were born there.

John 1:45-46 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses {wrote about} in the law, and also the prophets, wrote; Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (46) And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

·      Come and see Jesus: That is the best answer to the skeptic

·      Nazareth must of been an insignificant, obscure village and despised place, very prejudices from other neighboring cities.

·      Nathanael was probably the same person with a Bartholomew name.

·      Nathaniel had to overcome prejudice to Jesus; to follow Jesus.

John 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"

“Here comes an honest man—a true son of Israel.” 

Different views on this, was Jesus truthful saying this or was the comment sarcastic.  Jacob was deceitful, rebellious nature.  It runs in the Israelites. 

**And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit was not faithful to God. **Psalms 78:8

John 1:48-49 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." (49) Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"  {his testimony}

·      There was something about this answer that filled Nathanael with astonishment.

·      Under the shade and shelter of the fig tree he had some rare experience that is not recorded, and that he supposed unknown to man.

·      That Jesus knew of it and read his mind startled him and removed his unbelief.  Perhaps at meditation and prayer.

·      There are many proofs that the Jewish individuals chose the shade of trees, and particularly the fig tree, to sit and study under, or private devotion.

·      Maybe, Nathanael was spending time with the Lord, meditating on the Scriptures, and Jesus tells him “I saw you” there.  Jesus hears this?

This is the first confession of the divinity of Jesus, both the person and office of the Messiah.  

John 1:50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things {proofs} than these {or that}."

Jesus was somewhat surprised what he said.  He will see greater miracles.

John 1:51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Said this to Nathanael:  Is this one of the things that was not written about.  Does this kind of refer to Jacob’s vision. 

**Then he dreamed {Jacob}, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12

·      Jacob saw “heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon a ladder reaching from heaven to earth.

·      For Nathanael, he will see this communication between heaven and earth thrown wide open, and the Son of man, Jesus, is the real Ladder

·      Jesus had angels ministering and serving Him in the Scriptures {fasting}