- The Beginning of Jesus' Ministry (1:19-51)
John 1 NLT
1 In the beginning the Word already
existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with
God.
3 God created everything through him, and
nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that
was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness can never extinguish it.
6 God sent a man, John the Baptist,
7 to tell about the light so that everyone
might believe because of his testimony.
8 John himself was not the light; he was
simply a witness to tell about the light.
9 The one who is the true light, who gives
light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He came into the very world he created,
but the world didn’t recognize him.
11He came to his own people, and even they
rejected him.
12 But to all who believed him and accepted
him, he gave the right to become children of God.
13 They are reborn—not with a physical
birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from
God.
14 So the Word became human and made his
home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen
his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
15John testified about him when he shouted to
the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is
coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before
me.’”
16 From his abundance we have all received
one gracious blessing after another.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but
God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique
One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to
us.
19 This was John’s testimony when the
Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John,
“Who are you?”
20 He came right out and said, “I am not
the Messiah.”
21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked.
“Are you Elijah?” “No,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”
“No.”
22“Then who are you? We need an answer for those
who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of the prophet
Isaiah: “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the LORD
’s coming!’”
24 Then the Pharisees who had been
sent
25 asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or
Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”
26 John told them, “I baptize with water,
but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize.
27 Though his ministry follows mine, I’m
not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”
28 This encounter took place in Bethany, an
area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming
toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!
30He is the one I was talking about when I said,
‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long
before me.’
31 I did not recognize him as the Messiah,
but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to
Israel.”
32 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy
Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him.
33 I didn’t know he was the one, but when
God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the
Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy
Spirit.’
34 I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify
that he is the Chosen One of God. ”
35 The following day John was again
standing with two of his disciples.
36 As Jesus walked by, John looked at him
and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!”
37 When John’s two disciples heard this,
they followed Jesus.
38 Jesus looked around and saw them
following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which
means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 “Come and see,” he said. It was about
four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was
staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one
of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus.
41 Andrew went to find his brother, Simon,
and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ” ).
42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus.
Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you
will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter” ).
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to
Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”
44 Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and
Peter’s hometown.
45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and
told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about!
His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”
46 “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can
anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip
replied.
47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now
here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”
48 “How do you know about me?” Nathanael
asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found
you.”
49 Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you
are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this
just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater
things than this.”
51 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you
will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of
Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth. ”
