John 1 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~AD 27-29
Location
Bethany beyond the Jordan (east of the Jordan River) and Galilee
Audience
Mixed Jewish and Gentile Christian communities in Asia Minor (likely Ephesus area)
Situation
John chapter 1 opens the Gospel with a theological prologue declaring Jesus as the eternal Word (Logos) incarnate, followed by John the Baptist's testimony to Jesus and the calling of the first disciples at the start of Jesus' public ministry.
Key Background
The events occur under Roman rule during the reign of Tiberius Caesar, with John the Baptist preaching repentance amid Jewish expectations of a Messiah. The Gospel of John, composed c. AD 90-100, differs from the Synoptics with its emphasis on Jesus' divinity, drawing on Jewish Wisdom traditions and Hellenistic Logos philosophy. John the Baptist's role fulfills Isaiah 40:3 as the forerunner, historically active before his imprisonment by Herod Antipas.
Before anything else existed, the was there. The was with and the was
He was with God from the very
Everything through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.
itself was in him, and that was the for all people.
The light keeps shining in the and the has never been able to it.
God a man named John.
He came to the light so that through him everyone might come to in it.
John himself wasn't the light — he came to point people toward the light.
The light that illuminates every person was coming into the
He was in the world — the very world that came into existence through him — and yet the world didn't him.
He came to own and own didn't welcome him.
But to everyone who did him — those who put their trust in who he is — he gave the to become of
These are children not through human lineage, or physical desire, or any human decision — but from himself.
And the Word became an actual being and among us. We saw with our own eyes — the kind of that belongs to a father's and only son — overflowing with and
John about him, calling out, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'The one coming after me has stepped ahead of me, because he existed long before I did.'"
Out of his every single of us has received of
The was given through Moses, but generous favor and truth came through Jesus, The
No one has ever seen But the one and only Son, who is himself and is to the — he has
Now this is the testimony John gave when the in Jerusalem sent priests and to ask him, "Who are you?"
John didn't dodge the question. He stated it plainly and without hesitation: "I am not The
"Then who are you?" they pressed. "Are you He said, "No, I'm not." "Are you the He answered, "No."
So they said to him, "Then who are you? We need to bring an answer back to the people who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
John replied using the words of the prophet Isaiah: "I am a out in the 'Clear the way for the Lord!'"
Now these questioners had been sent by the
They challenged him, "If you're not The One, and not Elijah, and not the Prophet, then what right do you have to people?"
John answered them, "I submerge with water, but standing among you is someone you don't even know."
"He is the one coming after me, and I'm not even worthy to the of
All this happened at on the of the River, where John was submerging people.
The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! The of who the and of the world!"
"This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'A man is coming after me who has stepped ahead of me, because he existed long before I did.'"
"I didn't know who he was myself, but the reason I came submerging people in water was so that he would be to Israel."
Then John gave this testimony: "I watched the of come down from the sky like a and remain on him."
"I wouldn't have recognized him, but the one who sent me to in water told me, 'The man you see the of come down and remain on — he is the one who will in the of
"I have seen this with my own eyes, and I am telling you: this is the of
The next day, John was standing there again with two of his
When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, "Look! The Lamb of God!"
When the two followers heard him say this, they started following Jesus.
Jesus turned around and saw them following him. "What are you looking for?" he asked. They said, — which means Teacher — "where are you staying?"
"Come and see," he said. So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent the rest of the day with him. It was about in the
Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John said and followed Jesus.
The first thing Andrew did was find his brother Simon and tell him, "We've found The — which means the promised anointed king.
Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John. You will be called — which means Rock.
The next day, Jesus decided to head to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, me."
Philip was from the same town as Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We've found the that in the Law and that the prophets too — Jesus, the son of Joseph, from
"Nazareth?" Nathanael said. "Can from there?" Philip replied, and see for yourself."
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said about him, "Now here is a — there is about him."
"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you the before Philip even called you."
Nathanael exclaimed, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the of
Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You're going to see things far greater than that."