Study Desk

(John testified concerning Him and exclaimed, "This was the One of whom I said, ‘The One coming after me^(ae) has surpassed me,^(af) because He existed before me.'")^(ag)

Indeed, we have all received grace^(ah) after grace from His fullness,

for the law was given through Moses,^(ai) grace and truth^(aj) came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God.^[n] The One and Only^(ak) Son^[o]— the One who is at the Father's^(al) side^[p]— He has revealed Him.^(am)

This is John's testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem^(an) sent priests^(ao) and Levites^(ap) to ask him, "Who are you?"

He did not refuse to answer, but he declared: "I am not the Messiah."^(aq)

"What then?" they asked him. "Are you Elijah?"^(ar) "I am not," he said. "Are you the Prophet?"^[q](as) "No," he answered.

"Who are you, then?" they asked. "We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?"

He said, "I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord ^(at)[r]—just as Isaiah^(au) the prophet said."

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.^(av)

So they asked him, "Why then do you baptize if you aren't the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?"

"I baptize with^[s] water,"^(aw) John answered them. "Someone stands among you, but you don't know Him.

He is the One coming after me,^[t](ax) whose sandal strap I'm not worthy to untie."

All this happened in Bethany^[u] across the Jordan,^[v](ay) where John was baptizing.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Here is the Lamb of God,^(az) who takes away the sin^(ba) of the world!

This is the One I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who has surpassed me, because He existed before me.'

I didn't know Him,^(bb) but I came baptizing with^[w] water so He might be revealed^(bc) to Israel."

And John testified, "I watched the Spirit^(bd) descending from heaven like a dove, and He rested on Him.^(be)

I didn't know Him, but He^[x] who sent me to baptize with^[y] water told me, ‘The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on—He is the One who baptizes with^[z] the Holy Spirit.'^(bf)

I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God!"^[aa](bg)

Again the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples.

When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look! The Lamb of God!"

The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus.

When Jesus turned and noticed them following Him, He asked them, "What are you looking for?" They said to Him, "Rabbi"^(bh) (which means "Teacher"), "where are You staying?"

"Come and you'll see," He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day. It was about 10 in the morning.^[ab]

Andrew,^(bi) Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed Him.

He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah!"^[ac](bj) (which means "Anointed^(bk) One"),

and he brought Simon to Jesus. When Jesus saw him, He said, "You are Simon, son of John.^[ad] You will be called Cephas" ^(bl) (which means "Rock").

The next day He^[ae] decided to leave for Galilee. Jesus found Philip^(bm) and told him, "Follow Me!"

Now Philip was from Bethsaida,^(bn) the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

Philip found Nathanael^[af](bo) and told him, "We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law (and so did the prophets^(bp)): Jesus the son of Joseph,^(bq) from Nazareth!"^(br)

"Can anything good^(bs) come out of Nazareth?" Nathanael asked him. "Come and see," Philip answered.

Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said about him, "Here is a true Israelite;^(bt) no deceit is in him."

"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you," Jesus answered.

"Rabbi,"^(bu) Nathanael replied, "You are the Son^(bv) of God! You are the King of Israel!"^(bw)

Jesus responded to him, "Do you believe only because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You^[ag] will see greater things than this."

Then He said, "I assure you: You^[ah] will see heaven opened and the angels of God^(bx) ascending and descending ^(by) on the Son of Man." ^(bz)