28 These things took place at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was giving baptism.
29 The day after, John sees Jesus coming to him and says, See, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is he of whom I said, One is coming after me who is put over me because he was in existence before me.
31 I myself had no knowledge of him, but I came giving baptism with water so that he might be seen openly by Israel.
32 And John gave this witness, saying, I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting on him.
33 I had no knowledge who he was, but he who sent me to give baptism with water said to me, The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting, it is he who gives baptism with the Holy Spirit.
34 This I saw myself and my witness is that he is the Son of God.
35 The day after, John was there again with two of his disciples;
36 And looking at Jesus while he was walking he said, See, there is the Lamb of God!
37 Hearing what he said, the two disciples went after Jesus.
38 And Jesus, turning round, saw them coming after him and said to them, What are you looking for? They said to him, Rabbi (which is to say, Master), where are you living?
39 He said to them, Come and see. They went with him then and saw where he was living; and they were with him all that day: it was then about the tenth hour of the day.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two men who, hearing what John said, went after Jesus.
41 Early in the morning he came across his brother and said to him, We have made discovery! It is the Messiah! (which is to say, the Christ).
42 And he took him to Jesus. Looking at him fixedly Jesus said, You are Simon, the son of John; your name will be Cephas (which is to say, Peter).
43 The day after this, Jesus had a desire to go into Galilee. He came across Philip and said to him, Come and be my disciple.
44 Now Philip's town was Beth-saida, where Andrew and Peter came from.
45 Philip came across Nathanael and said to him, We have made a discovery! It is he of whom Moses, in the law, and the prophets were writing, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46 Nazareth! said Nathanael, Is it possible for any good to come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said of him, See, here is a true son of Israel in whom there is nothing false.
48 Nathanael said to him, Where did you get knowledge of me? In answer Jesus said, Before Philip was talking with you, while you were still under the fig-tree, I saw you.
49 Nathanael said to him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are King of Israel!
50 In answer Jesus said to him, You have faith because I said to you, I saw you under the fig-tree. You will see greater things than these.
51 And he said to him, Truly I say to you all, You will see heaven opening and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of man.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on John 1
Commentary on John 1 Matthew Henry Commentary
An Exposition, With Practical Observations, of
The Gospel According to ST. John
Chapter 1
The scope and design of this chapter is to confirm our faith in Christ as the eternal Son of God, and the true Messiah and Saviour of the world, that we may be brought to receive him, and rely upon him, as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and to give up ourselves to be ruled, and taught, and saved by him. In order to this, we have here,
Jhn 1:1-5
Austin says (de Civitate Dei, lib. 10, cap. 29) that his friend Simplicius told him he had heard a Platonic philosopher say that these first verses of St. John's gospel were worthy to be written in letters of gold. The learned Francis Junius, in the account he gives of his own life, tells how he was in his youth infected with loose notions in religion, and by the grace of God was wonderfully recovered by reading accidentally these verses in a bible which his father had designedly laid in his way. He says that he observed such a divinity in the argument, such an authority and majesty in the style, that his flesh trembled, and he was struck with such amazement that for a whole day he scarcely knew where he was or what he did; and thence he dates the beginning of his being religious. Let us enquire what there is in those strong lines. The evangelist here lays down the great truth he is to prove, that Jesus Christ is God, one with the Father. Observe,
Jhn 1:6-14
The evangelist designs to bring in John Baptist bearing an honourable testimony to Jesus Christ, Now in these verses, before he does this,
Jhn 1:15-18
In these verses,
Jhn 1:19-28
We have here the testimony of John, which he delivered to the messengers who were sent from Jerusalem to examine him. Observe here,
Jhn 1:29-36
We have in these verses an account of John's testimony concerning Jesus Christ, which he witnessed to his own disciples that followed him. As soon as ever Christ was baptized he was immediately hurried into the wilderness, to be tempted; and there he was forty days. During his absence John had continued to bear testimony to him, and to tell the people of him; but now at last he sees Jesus coming to him, returning from the wilderness of temptation. As soon as that conflict was over Christ immediately returned to John, who was preaching and baptizing. Now Christ was tempted for example and encouragement to us; and this teaches us,
Jhn 1:37-42
We have here the turning over of two disciples from John to Jesus, and one of them fetching in a third, and these are the first-fruits of Christ's disciples; see how small the church was in its beginnings, and what the dawning of the day of its great things was.
Jhn 1:43-51
We have here the call of Philip and Nathanael.