Commentary on the Gospels

The First Disciples

John 1:15-51

John's Fulfillment of Prophecy

After John baptized Jesus, Jesus became the main focus of his preaching to the multitudes who came to hear him.

15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

- John 1:15-18 -

He identified Jesus in terms that must have confounded the people, for he presented a picture of the Godhead that was completely unfamiliar to Old Testament Jews. He clearly stated that the Godhead embraces two distinct persons, whom he identified as Father and Son. He affirmed also that the Son had become a man in the flesh with the familiar Jewish name, Jesus, and that the Son's ministry would soon replace the ministry of John. The human name of John’s successor was Jesus Christ. The name Jesus in Hebrew was Jehoshua, an Old Testament name that appears in our Bibles as Joshua.¹ The name is a merger of the words referring to Jehovah and salvation.²

Why did the Joshua who lived in Old Testament times bear the same name as the coming Messiah? Because he was chosen by God to picture the redemptive work that the Messiah would accomplish. Just as Joshua led the people of Israel to their land of promise, which was Canaan, so Christ would lead all the people of God to their land of promise, which is heaven.

The preaching of John had such an impact on the nation that leading figures in Jerusalem sent representatives to interrogate him.

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

- John 1:19 -

The Jews expected three distinct figures to appear at the dawn of the Messianic age. The first was the Messiah Himself, a prominent figure in a prophecy of Daniel which was the bedrock of Jewish hope that He would soon come and deliver them from their enemies.

25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: . . . .

- Daniel 9:25-26 -

It is likely that some Jews understood that the Messiah’s coming is also foreseen in another Old Testament prophecy.

1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

- Psalm 2:1-7 -

This psalm clearly prophesied that someday a special person identified as God’s anointed would become the king of Israel. The word for "anointed" is mashiyach, same as the word translated "Messiah" in Daniel 9:25-26.³ Modern scholars who reject Christ are made very uncomfortable by verse 7, because it reveals that God has begotten a Son. A reasonable inference from the context is that His Son is the Messiah who will become king of Jerusalem. He has been begotten on this day because time is the creation of an eternal Godhead that exists beyond time, capable of including both past and future in the present moment. Therefore, one name that God used to identify Himself was I AM.

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

- Exodus 3:13-14 -

The second figure that the Jews saw emerging in the end times was Elijah, whose return from the grave was prophesied by Malachi.

5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

- Malachi 4:5-6 -

The third figure was "that prophet" mentioned by Moses.

I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

- Deuteronomy 18:18 -

The Jews failed to understand that Moses was referring here to the Messiah.

John denied that he was any of these figures.

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.

- John 1:20-21 -

Yet Scripture tells us that he came in the power and spirit of Elijah. The angel who announced John’s miraculous birth revealed that John would fulfill Malachi’s prophecy.

13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias [Elijah], to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

- Luke 1:13-17 -

And Jesus also said that John walked in the footsteps of Elijah.

But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

- Mark 9:13 -

How may we reconcile Jesus’ estimate of John with John’s estimate of himself? The solution is that the prophecy in Malachi has double reference. It is primarily looking ahead to the period before Jesus’ Second Coming, when Elijah, the actual Old Testament prophet who never died, will return to the earth and assume the role of Christ’s forerunner. But secondarily the same prophecy foresees the forerunner of Christ at His first coming—that person being John the Baptist. Yet because he was only a shadow of the future Elijah, John humbly declined to be known as the Elijah of prophecy.

While disassociating himself from the prophecies of special interest to the priests and Levites, John nevertheless believed that the Old Testament pointed to his own ministry.

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.

- John 1:22-23 -

Here he said that he fulfilled a prophecy of Isaiah.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

- Isaiah 40:3 -

This was not an opinion that he had reached on his own. It was a revealed fact. His coming fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy was proclaimed at his birth by his father, Zacharias.

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

- Luke 1:76 -

After John denied that he was Christ, Elijah, or "that prophet" mentioned by Moses, the religious leaders cynically challenged his right to baptize people.

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?

- John 1:24-25 -

Despite this sharp attack on his ministry, John refused to defend his practice of baptizing people. Why? The question arose from unbelief in what he had already told the priests and Levites. If he fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy, he certainly had the right to offer baptism as a public testimony of repentance. But rather than argue with hard-nosed and stiff-necked religious leaders, he exalted Christ by announcing that He would bring an even greater baptism.

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.

- John 1:26-28 -

John’s words exalting Christ rather than defending himself demonstrated a humble heart. And he further lowered himself by saying that he was unworthy even to loosen Christ’s shoe latchets, a figure of speech we have discussed in a previous lesson. Its occurrence in this passage is one of the few places where the Gospel of John overlaps the Synoptic Gospels (Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16).

John’s Welcome of the True Messiah

One day after John was interrogated by agents of the high priest and other Jewish leaders, John saw Jesus approaching him, and he responded with a strong affirmation of faith in the Savior of mankind.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

- John 1:29 -

This declaration that Jesus is the Lamb of God is the first hint in John’s Gospel of Jesus’ purpose in becoming flesh. The reason is that He would offer Himself as a sacrificial lamb to undergo agony and death in payment for our sins. In this act of redemption He would be the consummate lamb, the one to whom all the other sacrificial lambs had pointed.

John the Baptist cited two reasons for Jesus’ preeminence over himself.

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.

- John 1:30-34 -

The first reason is summarized in the words, "He was before me." John knew that Jesus existed before John even though John was slightly older by man’s reckoning. In fact, John understood that Jesus was preexistent, just as John the Gospel writer affirmed when he said, "In the beginning was the Word" (John 1:1). The second reason for Jesus’ preeminence is that the sole purpose of John’s ministry was to prepare the nation of Israel for the coming of Jesus.

The Baptist’s two assertions, "I knew him not" (vv. 31, 33), have always confounded expositors, since John and Jesus were cousins and their mothers had known the future roles of both sons before either was born. Also, even though their families lived far apart within the nation, they undoubtedly had times of fellowship during major festivals. Thus, from early childhood John must have known that Jesus would be a special servant of God, even the Messiah. A clue that John already knew of Jesus’ exalted identity is John’s reaction when Jesus came for baptism. John hesitated, thinking himself unworthy (Matt. 3:14).

We find a possible explanation for John’s two claims that he did not know Jesus if we look closely at what he said after the first claim. He said, "And I knew not him, but that he should be made manifest to Israel." In other words, "The only certain knowledge I had concerning Jesus was that the nation would receive abundant evidence that He was their Messiah and Savior." Yet John’s incomplete understanding of the true identity of Jesus was removed when John baptized Him.

And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

- John 1:34 -

After leading Jesus through water baptism, John had his eyes opened to a major Biblical doctrine that likely was previously unknown to him, as well as to all other Jews in his day. He grasped for the first time that God is a triune Being. Indeed, the first event in the recorded history of mankind that clearly affirmed the doctrine of the Trinity is remembered in these verses. The One who sent John is the Father (v. 33). The One who descended upon Jesus is the Holy Ghost (v. 33). The One upon whom He descended is the Son of God (v. 34).

The First Disciples Drawn to Jesus

Evidently on the same day as his previously recorded words, John again saw Jesus approaching, and with John stood two of his followers.

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.

- John 1:35-40 -

One of the two followers of John who now began to follow Jesus was Andrew. The other is left unnamed, but he must be the same disciple who appears frequently in John’s Gospel without a name. That disciple is the author of the narrative we are reading. Like the other Gospel writers, John stays in the background. He does not intrude into recorded events even so far as to mention himself.

Andrew and John called Jesus "rabbi" and asked where He was staying. When He asked them to come and see His abode, they accepted His invitation and spent the rest of the day in His company. The time when they joined Him was about the tenth hour, which by our reckoning was 4 P.M.⁴

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.

- John 1:41-42 -

Before Andrew followed Jesus to His abode, he hurried to his brother Simon and testified that he had found the Messiah. The equivalent title in Greek is Christ. The quick movement of the narrative suggests that Andrew brought his brother immediately to see Jesus so that he also could spend the rest of the day in Jesus’ presence. When Jesus first saw Simon, He renamed him Cephas, an Aramaic term meaning "stone."⁵ The Greek equivalent of the same name is Peter.⁶ The name Simon is a corruption of Simeon,⁷ who was an unsavory son of Jacob.

5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

- Genesis 49:5-7 -

It is obvious why Simeon would hardly have been an appropriate name for the man who would be a principal leader of the church to be founded by Jesus.

Many Bible characters have names with a meaning that reveals an important truth, perhaps in regard to the person so named. "Daniel" means "God is my judge," signifying that Daniel’s actions were always in submission to his highest authority. Jesus Himself later explained the name He gave to Peter.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

-Matthew 16:18 -

Although Jesus was the rock upon which the church was built, Peter was also a foundational stone.

19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

- Ephesians 2:19-20 -

On the day after meeting with John, Peter, and Andrew, Jesus intended to return to the region of Galilee, but before setting out, He went to see another man who would join His group of disciples.

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.

- John 1:43-44 -

He told Philip, "Follow me." Philip, like the brothers Peter and Andrew, came from Bethsaida.

Philip immediately went to find his friend Nathanael.

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.

- John 1:45-46 -

Philip told Nathanael that he had found the man who fulfilled the law and the prophets. He identified this man as Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Who was Nathanael? He was from Cana (John 21:2), the city where Jesus was going (John 2:1), and he became one of the Twelve (John 21:2). His name does not appear anywhere except in John’s Gospel, but he is probably the same as the disciple named else¬where as Bartholomew (Luke 6:14).⁸ In the lists of the Twelve he is associated with Philip. Doubtless they were friends who became coworkers. Since they came from different towns, they likely were not brothers.

Nathanael voiced skepticism that anyone from Nazareth could be the Christ. He asked, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Nazareth was not far from his own home town, and so he knew it well. Why he viewed it with contempt has fueled much speculation. But no one has given a conclusive explanation for Nazareth’s poor reputation. Likely it was a town that other Jews regarded as defiled by a strong gentile presence.

Despite his doubts, Nathanael went to Jesus.

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.

- John 1:47-49 -

Jesus greeted Nathanael by remarking that he was "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." Surprised, Nathanael queried how Jesus knew him. Jesus said that He saw Nathanael even before Philip found him under the fig tree. Nathanael probably inferred that Jesus saw him just before his encounter with Philip. But Jesus meant that He had known and chosen Nathanael before the foundation of the world.

Nathanael was greatly impressed by Jesus’ ability to see things beyond natural vision, and he immediately confessed that Jesus was the Son of God, King of Israel. The latter title, King of Israel, is the eleventh that appears in John 1. It balances the title Lamb of God (v. 36) by reminding the reader that Christ will come more than once. The first time He came as a lamb bound for slaughter, but the second time He will come to reign.

In pronouncing Nathanael innocent of guile, Jesus meant that he was a completely honest man, a man without cunning or deceit. But what He says is a warning as well as a compliment. Indeed, when He marveled that Nathanael believed on such slight evidence as Jesus’ knowledge of his whereabouts earlier, He was rebuking Nathanael for gullibility. Such ready belief could have made him prey to trickery. He assured Nathanael that he would see much more impressive and decisive evidence in the future.

Jesus’ warning here against gullibility is balanced later in John’s Gospel by a warning against unbelief (John 20:29). In seeking God, we must never demand proof to the exclusion of faith (Heb. 11:6). But belief need not rest solely on either faith or evidence. Rather than being mutually exclusive, they enhance each other. As we respond to God in faith, He fills our lives with evidence that He is real and true.

When the disciple Nathanael first met Jesus, Nathanael marveled greatly that while he was still out of sight, Jesus knew that he was sitting under a fig tree. Jesus then instructed him.

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.

- John 1:50–51 -

Jesus seemed to be anticipating an event while Nathanael still lived on the ground of this world. If so, the fulfillment was probably at the Ascension.

After several appearances to His disciples following His resurrection, Jesus had His final meeting with them on the western slope of the Mount of Olives (Luke 24:50). His final words pointed to their future responsibility to evangelize the world.

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

- Acts 1:8-9 -

The account suggests that He moved upward gradually, remaining in view until He disappeared behind a cloud. Jesus’ departure to heaven as His disciples watched is known as the Ascension. The onlookers must have stood transfixed and breathless. It was an amazing display of divine power over earth and sky. They responded by staring up¬ward with determination not to lose sight of their beloved Master.

When we read "a cloud received him"—words that seem to personify the cloud—we are prone to pass over the language as merely picturesque. But in Scripture, a cloud is often the visible form of the divine presence. Observers usually saw a brilliant light shining from within.

And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

- Exodus 16:10 -

This earthly manifestation of the Father became known as the shekinah glory.⁹ The Father’s descent as a cloud, doubtless with a white radiance dazzling in its effect, to meet the ascending Christ was a beautiful picture of the Father’s love for His Son. No doubt angels were seen in attendance at this triumphant moment in God’s work of preparing a host of citizens for the heavenly city. After descending into Christ’s presence, they must have ascended with Him as He approached the Father.

It was fitting that when Jesus predicted this glorious sight that His disciples would be privileged to behold, He introduced yet another title for Himself, the Son of man. The title Son of Man balances another stated earlier, Son of God (v. 34). In these two we see Jesus’ dual nature as fully man and fully God.

Applications

1. John’s account strongly suggests that all the events in the latter portion of chapter 1 occurred within a short time. We infer that Andrew was prompt in witnessing to his brother Peter and that after Philip believed in Jesus, he straightway sought to share his new faith with Nathanael. In contrast, we often fail to take advantage of opportunities to witness for Christ. On Judgment Day, how many will point a finger at us and say, "I never heard the gospel because you failed to tell it to me—you never even said a word about Christ"? To sharpen the accusation, they might add, "even though you lived next door," or "even though you worked along¬side me."

2. Both Peter and Nathanael looked for Jesus immediately after hearing about Him. Yet how often do we stay focused on ourselves when we should be seeking the Lord’s presence? Fellowship with the Lord through prayer and Bible study should be central to our lives as believers.