John 1:39 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

NIV: "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

NASB: He *said to them, 'Come, and you will see.' So they came and saw where He was staying, and they stayed with Him that day; it was about the tenth hour.

CSB: "Come and you’ll see," he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.

NLT: 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.

KJV: He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

NKJV: He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

John and Andrew (John 1:37, 40) approached Jesus cautiously. They referred to Him with respect, and asked where they might be able to find Him later (John 1:38). Instead of being too busy for John and Andrew, Jesus has time for them right now. And not merely a small amount of time; Jesus stayed with them "that day." This is another important aspect of seeking Christ: He will always have the time, and the interest, to speak to those who really want to be with Him.

Jesus' personality will constantly surprise people during His earthly ministry. He was hailed as the Promised One by John the Baptist. The Baptist claimed he wasn't worthy to untie Jesus' sandals (John 1:27). And yet, Jesus offers a great deal of personal time and attention for two total strangers. John indicates that they met Jesus at "about the tenth hour." Many commentators and translators believe this refers to "four in the afternoon" (CSB, NIV, CEV, ISV, NET). Others indicate it is "10 in the morning" (HCSB). The discrepancy has to do with which time system John uses—Jewish or Roman—and whether he does so consistently throughout his gospel, specifically due to some difficulties in reconciling John 19:14 with times given in the Synoptic gospels. The Jewish time system, used in most other New Testament text, starts at sunset. The Roman time system is roughly the same as the one commonly used today: starting and ending in the middle of the night. In either case, Jesus had time for the two men.

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.