Through the Witness of Others
John 1: 35-51

John, the Author
In the beginning of the report of the Disciples, John, the author of this Gospel, goes somewhat unidentified. We assume that he is one of the two disciples that had studied with John the Baptist and when John points out Jesus, the Messiah, then these two (Andrew and John) follow him. The other of this twosome is identified as Andrew and in John’s Gospel, Andrew is responsible for telling his brother Simon (Peter) and inviting him to join them, to see the Messiah. The theme that we will pick up on here is that in John’s Gospel, the disciples are primarily the ones that are invited to see Jesus. In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) it is primarily Jesus who finds and calls the disciples.

The Disciples
John the Baptist points out the Messiah, Jesus to two of his disciples (Andrew and John) and they end up leaving John behind to follow Jesus. Andrew tells his brother; Simon (Peter) that they have found the Messiah and Simon Peter ends up following him too. The next day Jesus finds Philip and calls him to follow. This is the only disciple in John’s Gospel that Jesus will find and call. Philip then found Nathaniel and tells him that they have found the Messiah – Jesus of Nazareth. Nathaniel’s response is honest and cutting, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nazareth did not have a stellar reputation among the Jewish population and it seemed unlikely that there would be good things coming from this town. Just as it was unusual to speak of a crucified Messiah, so too would it be unusual for the Messiah to come from Nazareth. What Nathaniel didn’t know was Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Nazareth. He grew up in Nazareth so the assumption that Nathaniel made was that Nazareth was also his birth town. Jesus notes that Nathaniel’s comment underscores that he speaks his mind and he does not seem interested in impressing Jesus with flowery accolades. In him, Jesus found no deceit or duplicity. In our vernacular today, we would say that Nathaniel was singularly honest. What you see is what you get. Wondering how Jesus could make such a statement without knowing him, Jesus responds by telling him that he had seen him earlier under the fig tree. Why would Jesus have noticed Nathaniel under the fig tree? Sitting under the fig tree was a traditional place to study the Torah. Jesus, the attentive Rabbi would have noticed such a student.

Here are some notes from the first half of chapter one. Please share your insights, questions and perspectives from this reading. I look forward to hearing from you.

The Gospel of John
Chapter One
In the Beginning (vv. 1-5)
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
· By sharing the same introduction as Genesis 1, “In the beginning”, John expresses the continuity between the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the Christian writings (New Testament).
· Just as God creates the universe by speaking it into creation (Genesis 1:1 – 2:4a) so God continues the creative process through God’s Son, who is with God and who is God (John 1: 1-5).
· Jesus, the Messiah, is the Word and the Word is with God and always has been God. Nothing in this world can exist without it originating with God and the Messiah (the Word).

John the Baptist (vv. 6-8)
· There had been some confusion about the role of John the Baptist in contrast to the role of Jesus, the Messiah. Historically in Israel, Teachers, Prophets and Rabbis were referred to as “lights” or “lamps”. They instructed people by their teachings. John was sent to bear witness to the Light (the Messiah). However, John is referred to as a light as well (John 5:35). The distinction is seen in verse 9 where Jesus is referred to as “the true light”. This doesn’t mean that John was a false light, but that his light was of a different quality than Jesus’ light. John’s light was not the true brilliant light of the Messiah but it was a light, nonetheless.

The True Light (vv. 9-18)
· The “Light” or “Lamp” enlightened those who learned from them - teachers of the Law. In Israel, the Rabbis and Teachers guided people to conform to the Law or Torah which was their enlightening. Enlightenment here is not a philosophical understanding as much as it was a practice of obedience to God’s teachings. The uniqueness of Jesus the Messiah is that he brings enlightenment not by conformity to the Law but by faith in Jesus as the Messiah which is grace and truth (v.17).

John the Baptist and Jesus (vv. 19-34)
· The distinction between these two continues here. John is not the agent of revelation – the Spirit is. John sees the Spirit come and remain on Jesus and he testifies to it (v.33).
· The descent of the Spirit upon Jesus marks him as God’s anointed.
· John baptizes with water for the repentance of sins, but Jesus baptized with water and the Spirit for the gift of faith. Jesus can baptize with the Spirit because the Spirit is upon him and remains with him (v.33). This means that the Spirit has a continuing relationship with Jesus. In I Samuel 10:10 the Spirit anoints Saul. In I Samuel 16:13-14 the Spirit anoints David. In 2 Samuel 7:14, David’s son (offspring) is called God’s son and the anointed.
· The Anointed is the literal translation of Messiah. So, Jesus is referred to as the Anointed – the Messiah.
· Just as God breathed on Adam in Genesis 2:7, so Jesus gives his Spirit to his disciples, after Easter, by breathing on them.

God's Easter Blessings on your reading!

Pastor Steve

Have you ever read through the Bible? Our (Hebrew-Christian) Scriptures have so much to share about who God is and how we are to live in this world. Beginning the week of Monday, April 13 I will lead a reading through the Gospel of John. We will read through 2-3 chapters a week and I will share some thoughts about the readings. I invite your questions, insights and comments as we get closer to God's Spirit through reading and reflecting on the Scriptures.