John 1:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’

NIV: This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'

NASB: This is He in behalf of whom I said, ‘After me is coming a Man who has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’

CSB: This is the one I told you about: 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.'

NLT: He 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.’

KJV: This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

NKJV: This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’

John the Baptist (different from the disciple John, the author of this gospel) specifically points out Jesus as "the One" he had previously spoken of. The Baptist's entire mission was to make a path for this man. Because the Baptist was not the Messiah, he pointed all attention and honor towards Jesus, rather than himself. He had gone so far as to say he wasn't worthy to untie the Promised One's sandals (John 1:27). The Baptist also repeats that Jesus "existed before me," a reference to Jesus' divinity. It's important to remember that the Baptist was born several months before Jesus. And yet, he knows that Christ existed before he did, as God (John 1:1). After preaching repentance, and warning people that the Messiah was coming, the Baptist can now point to Him and say, "He's here!" Jesus will later refer to John's testimony as one of the reasons to believe in His message (John 5:32–33).

John 1:29–42 is a conversation between Jesus and John the Baptist, and records the moment when 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 tells two of his followers, 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 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 5/2/2024 3:45:15 AM