John 1:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

NIV: Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.

NASB: This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?'

CSB: This was John's testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, "Who are you? "

NLT: This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, 'Who are you?'

KJV: And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

NKJV: Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

Verse 19 introduces a conversation between John the Baptist and the local religious leaders. As in the rest of the gospel of John, when John uses the term "the Jews," he generally means the high-level political and religious leaders. Specifically, these in verse 19 are the ultra-legalistic Pharisees (John 1:24). Pharisees were extremely devout, but had a tendency to be cold and arrogant. Not all were that way, as shown by Nicodemus (John 3:1–2), a Pharisee who apparently became a believer (John 19:39). It was completely fair for the Pharisees to question the Baptist. In fact, it was exactly what they should have done. Israel's religious leaders were supposed to be the guardians of the truth. Ancient Jerusalem wasn't all that different from large cities today. There were plenty of people spouting spiritual babble. John's ministry must have been quite popular or challenging to attract official investigation. Investigating a strange message was a good step, but their search doesn't seem to be very sincere.

John 1:19–28 describes a conversation between John the Baptist (not the same John as the author of this gospel) and the local religious leaders. Baptizing converts to Judaism was common, but the Baptist was calling on Jews to repent and be baptized. The Baptist makes it clear that he is not the “Promised One,” but equally clear that his mission is to prepare the way for that One.

The first chapter of John introduces Jesus as “the Word,” from the Greek Logos. This chapter clearly describes Jesus as identical to 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 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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/8/2024 10:42:55 PM