John
John 1-3
Chapter 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed*, I am not the Christ.
24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
40 One of the two which heard* John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Chapter 2
1On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
4“Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He tells you, do it.”
6 Now there were six stone waterpots standing there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each.
7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” And they took it to him.
9 Now when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the groom,
10 and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”
11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.
13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 And within the temple grounds He found those who were selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.
15 And He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;
16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away from here; stop making My Father’s house a place of business!”
17 His disciples remembered that it was written: “Zeal for Your house will consume me.”
18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and yet You will raise it up in three days?”
21 But He was speaking about the temple of His body.
22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.
23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name as they observed His signs which He was doing.
24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, because He knew all people,
25 and because He did not need anyone to testify about mankind, for He Himself knew what was in mankind.
Chapter 3
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named* Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him,Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
25 Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.
27 John answered and said, A man can* receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God
This is one of the primary verses used to prove the Trinity. At the beginning of the universe was the word. Who is the word? According to John 1:14, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth," (John 1:14 KJV). A clear reference to Jesus.
Then we see in the verse that the word, who is Jesus, was with God, yet is God. How can one be God, yet also be God? Well, this is where two primary arguments appear. The Trinity argument, and the antiTrinity argument. The Trinity argument notes that if Jesus is God and with God, and the Bible notes there is only one God, it must be Jesus and one other person who is also God.
Antitrinitarians will usually note that like the Hebrew word Elohim, the Greek word Theos(Θεὸς) can also refer to spiritual beings who are not God(such as angels or demons). This is technically true, but this is only true when the word Theos(Θεὸς) does not contain a definite article. The definite article in English is translated as the word "the." Now, one would be correct in noting that John 1:1 does not contain a definite article before God in the section, "and the Word was God." However, we must also learn a new Greek grammar rule that pertains to declensions. A declension is how a word changes in some languages to show its usage in a sentence. Languages such as French, Latin, and of course, Greek use this principle. We only need to know about the nominative case for this example which means a word is the subject of the sentence.
Example:
The nerd is eating an apple.
"The nerd" is the subject of the sentence, it is in the nominative case.
Now back to the Greek. Now there is a thing called linking verbs. In this specific example, it means that it connects two nouns. In the sentence, "James is not a nerd", "is" acts as the linking verb between two nouns, "James" and "nerd". In Greek, it makes the two words in the nominative case(the subject).
The subject is the first word in the nominative case. The second is the predicate nominative (a word in the nominative case but is after a linking verb).
The Greek: "Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος."
What is the linking verb? Well, in this sentence it is the word was(ἦν). The two verbs connected are God(θεὸς) and word (λόγος). Meaning that the subject God(θεὸς) becomes a definite nominative as it is the first word. This is known as Colwell's rule.
John 2:1
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
This verse states a lot of important information to the remaining story. Cana of Galilee, today is in Khirbet Kana, in the country of Israel. "Mother of Jesus" refers to Mary.
John 2:2
and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
The term "disciples" most likely refers to the twelve apostles. This isn't confirmed.
John 2:3
When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
A question instantly comes to mind when speaking of this verse, why would Mary tell Jesus this if she thought he couldn't do anything about it? My assumption is this verse implies that he has done this before, or told her he could.
John 2:4
“Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
This response is given by Jesus. A person taking things out of context may claim that Jesus was being rude, but this would be false. The word "woman" more accurately would mean something like madam in the original Greek, a showing of respect. It should also be told that Jesus wasn't saying he wouldn't help with the issue of no wine.
Some people may assume that the wording, "my hour has not yet come" refers to him coming to start his journey, this would be incorrect. The statement most likely refers to the fact that his time to offer a toast has not yet arrived.
John 2:5
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He tells you, do it.”
A strong hatred appears from many people who read this verse without being aware of the context. A common claim is, 'If Jesus was all-loving, why would he allow slavery?' The word used, being servants does not refer to slaves who were forced into labor. More accurately it would be referring to people who are doing labor to pay off debts, this was common practice in these times.
John 2:6
6 Now there were six stone waterpots standing there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing two or three measures each.
There are six jars which refers to a few things in Christianity. The number six is a biblical number used to represent man and their imperfections. Seven represents God and perfection.
John 2:7
7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim.
The word them refers to the servants as said previously.
Six jars would be used in this setting, a common Jewish practice. Six is a biblical number that represents man and imperfectness. The number seven represents God and perfectness.
John 2:8
8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” And they took it to him.
The word "them" refers to the servants mentioned previously.
Headwaiter refers to a chief servant, sorta like a manager of the other servants.
John 2:9
9 Now when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the groom,
Why did the head waiter taste the wine? He most likely did this to be sure that the wine was of good quality and wasn't bad.
John 2:10
10 and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the guests are drunk, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”
The headwaiter is speaking in this passage. He is asking why they would give bad-tasting wine first, then give the better-tasting wine. The reason they would give the better flavor first is that the people would be drunk by the time they had the poor wine so they wouldn't care about the actual flavor at that point.
John 2:11
11" This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him."
The beginning of his signs refers to his first miracle which is turning water into wine.
His referring to Jesus, we can know this by reading the earlier verses.
John 2:12
2 After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.
He refers to Jesus.
His mother refers to Mary.
The brothers refer to James, Joses, Judas, and Simon.
Capernaum was a small fishing village, in modern-day Isreal. It was near the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. After archaeological excavations, the city was actually found! You can even visit the city.
John 2:13
13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Passover, or Pesach, is a Jewish holiday that happens on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. (The Hebrew calendar is different from the Gregorian calendar) It celebrates the liberation from slavery in Egypt.
John 2:14
14 And within the temple grounds He found those who were selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.
No information can be provided.
John 3:10-13
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Many will read this verse(13) and become rather confused. It seems to say no one has been to heaven, but this is simply reading a verse out of context. We read earlier in the passage that Jesus and Nicodemus(a member of the Sanhedrin) are speaking. Jesus in summary is just saying since he(Nicodemus) and others haven't been to Heaven and yet Jesus has, he, therefore, has authority to teach on Heaven.
If you went to Hawaii and your friend did not, who would have more authority/right to speak on the location?
John 5:19
"Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner," (John 5:19 NASB1995).
To understand this verse, it is crucial to understand the context. Jesus was working on the Sabbath as well as claiming he was equal to God. These actions angered the Jews (John 5:17-18). Due to this hostility, Jesus tells us the Son can do nothing unless he sees the Father do it, but what does this mean? There are two common answers to this predicament. One such argument is given by Dr. Gill: "but what he seeth the Father do; not that he sees the Father actually do a work, and then he does one after him, as the creation of the world, the assumption of human nature, and redemption of man, or any particular miracle, as if upon observing one done, he did the like; but that he being brought up with him, and lying in his bosom, was privy to the whole plan of his works, and saw in his nature and infinite mind, and in his vast counsels, purposes, and designs, all that he was doing, or would do, and so did the same, or acted agreeably to them; and which still shows and proves their unity of nature, and perfect equality, since there was nothing in the Father's mind but was known to the Son, seen, and observed, and acted up to by him: so Philo the Jew (e) says of the "Father's most ancient Son, whom he otherwise calls the firstborn; that being begotten, he imitates the Father, and seeing, or looking to his exemplars and archetypes, forms species;'' that is, being conversant with the original and eternal ideas of things in the divine mind, acts according to them, which he could not do if he was not of the same nature with, and equal to his Father. Moreover, the Son sees what the Father does by co-operating with him, and so does no other than what he sees the Father do, in conjunction with him: to which may be added, that the phrase shows, that the Son does nothing but in wisdom, and with knowledge; and that as the Father, so he does all things after the counsel of his will," (Gill).
To simplify Dr. Gill's argument, the Son and Father are in a great unity, and due to his qualities, the Son knows all of the Father. When the Son acts, it is entirely according to the Father's will.
Charles Ellicot also argues: "The Son can do nothing of himself.—The key to this and the following verses is in the relation of Father and Son, from which they start. The Jews saw in this equality with God blasphemy, and sought to kill Him. Men have since seen and now see in it inferiority, and a proof that Christ did not claim for Himself the glory which the Apostle claims for Him in the prologue (John 1:1-18), and which the Church has ever in reverent adoration placed as a crown upon His brow. The words “Son,” “Father,” are the answer to both. Did they accuse Him of blasphemy? He is a Son. The very essence of blasphemy was independence of, and rivalry with, God. He claimed no such position, but was as a Son subject to His Father’s will, was as a Son morally unable to do anything of Himself, and did whatever He saw the Father do. Yea, more. He thought not His equality with God a thing to be seized, but emptied Himself and became, as they then saw Him, in the form of a servant, and in the likeness of men," (Ellicot).
Ellicot theories a belief known as kenosis, that Jesus emptied himself as a man, blocking certain divine abilities to properly live as a man. Due to this position, Jesus submitted to the Father, doing according to God's will.
John 7:16
"So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me," (John 7:16 NASB1995).
John 7:16 is a very interesting verse. In verse 15, the Jews marvel at his knowledge: "The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?" (John 7:15 NASB1995). The reason? Dr. Ellicot notes this is likely speaking on his lack of Rabbinic training, something contrary to many of the gnostic writings.
It is not the substance of His teaching that excites their attention, but the fact that He who has never been technically trained as a Rabbi is acquainted with the literature of the schools. ... He is to them as a layman and unlearned (comp. Note on Acts 4:13), not known in the circles of the professional expounders—a demagogue, who deceived the multitude; and they hear Him speaking with a learning and wisdom that excites their wonder, and unlocking mysteries of which they thought that they only possessed the key," (Ellicot's Commentary For English Readers).
It was a custom for some, after the early years of education, to go off and study under a Rabbi. They marvel for he had no Rabbi, he was not taught under one, yet is equated so well with the writings. Jesus responds with John 7:16, that he has a Rabbi, the Father. Now this isn't to say the Father literally came down and taught the Son, but that the Son's teachings are of the Father or of God. This shows a great relation between the two as of the prophets of old.
John 8:58
"Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
In this verse, Jesus is claiming to be before Abraham. How could he do this if he merely was a man or a prophet? This only leads to two possibilities, he is God or he is an angel or some other divine being. There definitely is a debate it doesn't prove he is God, but it does prove he was no ordinary man. Some people will take this verse a little further, believing that the phrase "I am" may actually be a divine statement. In the book of Exodus, God and Moses are speaking. When Moses asks what he is to call God, God says, "אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר(E'heyeh aser' e'heyeh)," (Exodus 3:14). The Hebrew in this passage is hard to translate into a language such as English, but what is commonly translated as "I Am Who(or That) I Am." As we see in the verse in John, Jesus states, "I am," so he may have been referencing this passage. Some people have attempted to counter this idea by noting that Exodus was written in Hebrew while John was in Greek, so as the languages are different it may be incorrect. However, something being in a different language doesn't then mean it is incorrect. A phrase can keep its meaning, even if it is said in a different language, that is, as long as the context is known.
John 10:30
I and my Father are one.
This is one very important verse in proving the Trinity, as it says, "I(Jesus) and the Father are one". In the verse prior, John 10:29, we see him speaking on his power, this verse is to show that both persons are one in unity. See more here.
Does This Verse Show Modelism?
Some have claimed; however, that this verse shows that the Father and Jesus are the same person. This is a misreading of the text. John writes later: "That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me," (John 17:21-23 NASB1995). As this passage notes, believers(John 17:20) must be in unity, one that is just like the Father and Jesus. We must attempt to create harmony just as the Father and Son have. Are we meant to be literally one according to this passage? No, we are meant to be in unity just as the Father and Son are in.
John 10:34
John 11:9-10
"Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world but if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him," (John 11:9-10 KJV).
In the prior section of the chapter of John 11, Lazarus is found out to be sick. As Jesus greatly loves him(John 11:5), he desires to go to him and heal him. The disciples, worried about the Jews who had tried to stone Jesus earlier(John 11:8) urge him it is not wise to go. Jesus then retorts the following: "Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world but if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him," (John 11:9-10 KJV).
Here, Jesus seems to be using a metaphor to convey a greater spiritual message. When he speaks of 12 hours of daylight, he is likely referring to the limited time he has on Earth. As he has limited time, he desires to go instead of waiting. When he states that those who walk in the daytime do not stumble, he likely is referring to those who follow him. Those who are on the right path will not stumble as much as one on a dark path or one away from him. It seems the point Jesus is conveying in this passage is the importance of following God and his mission.
John 16:15
"All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you," (John 16:15 NASB1995).
All things of the Father's is the Son's. I.e. "All the Divine essence, wisdom, power, which is in the Father, are mine; I am, in all things that concern the Deity, one and equal with the Father; and that was the reason that I said that he should," (Matthew Poole's Commentary).
Who takes of mine and discloses it? This is where our English can confuse the original language, Charles Ellicot clarifies this confusion writing in his commentary: "The personality of the Holy Ghost: “He shall receive of Mine.” The Greek word, ἐκεῖυος, expresses this in the most emphatic way. The word is used of the Holy Spirit in John 16:8; John 16:13, and in John 14:26 John 15:26. The Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity: “the Father;” “I;” “He.”" (Ellicot). To simplify, all that is the Father's is the Son, a Devine claim according to many scholars. Who will disclose the information? Clearly not the the Son for this is a third person sentence and not the Father based on prior contexts, so it must be the Spirit as Ellicot explains.
As the apostle John writes: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you," (John 14:26 NASB1995).
John 17:4
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
By a simple reading, this verse may seem to cause trouble to Trinitarianism, as how can someone send themself? Well, we can figure this out just by reading chapter 5. As it says, " so that all will honor the Son(i.e. Jesus) just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." The father sent Jesus, so Jesus didn't send himself, he just followed as the Father had requested.
Also Read John 8:18 & John 5:37.