John 1:37 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

NIV: When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

NASB: And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

CSB: The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus.

NLT: When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus.

KJV: And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

NKJV: The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

Many commentators identify one of these two disciples as John, the author of this gospel. He is not the same person as John the Baptist, who is the one being heard (John 1:36). Ancient writings very rarely used a "first-person" narrative style. It was uncommon for a descriptive text to say, "I did this, I said that." Letters to specific people were a different form of writing, as seen in Paul's epistles. Another example is the book of Acts, which is historical, but also directed at a person (Acts 1:1).

John is also being modest by not bringing extra attention to himself. Often, John refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:20–24), or other indirect phrases (John 18:15–16). John was most likely a young teenager at this time. Though all the other disciples would be martyred for their faith, John would still be writing to fellow Christians nearly sixty years after first meeting Jesus. John was not only one of the first to follow Jesus as a disciple, but he was also the longest surviving of the apostles. He was the first of the Twelve to follow Jesus on earth, and the last of their group to follow Jesus into heaven. John's first-hand presence for many of events in Jesus' life is proven by the minute details he offers in his gospel.

The other disciple is Andrew (John 1:40).

John 1:29–42 describes more conversations, these between John the Baptist, his disciples, and Jesus. It includes the moment Jesus recruits His first two disciples. Jesus is identified as "the Lamb of God," and "the Son of God." The Baptist describes his vision of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, landing on Jesus. This confirms that He is the Messiah. The Baptist seems to tell John and Andrew to go and follow Jesus. They, in turn, introduce Jesus to Peter.

The first chapter of John introduces Jesus as "the Word," from the Greek logos. This chapter clearly describes Jesus as God. After this prologue, the chapter describes Jesus recruiting the first of His disciples, as well as a conversation between John the Baptist and the Pharisees. There are seven names or titles for Christ in this chapter, including "the Son of God," "the Word," and "the King of Israel."

The first chapter of the gospel of John equates Christ with God and introduces John the Baptist. The Baptist specifically points to Jesus as the Promised One. Jesus collects the first five of His disciples. In this chapter, Jesus is given seven descriptive names, including "the Word," "the Son of God," and "the King of Israel." This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the gospel, by giving the reader a sense of who Jesus truly is, and why He has come. The rest of the gospel is an exploration of the claims made in this initial passage.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.