What does John 1:37 mean?
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.
Verse Commentary:
The two disciples referred to in verse 37 are John (the author of this gospel), and Andrew. Ancient writings very rarely used a "first person" style. It was uncommon for a descriptive text to say, "I did this, I said that." Letters were a different form of writing, as seen in Paul's epistles. John is also being modest by not bringing extra attention to himself. Instead, he refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved," and other terms. John was most likely a young teenager at this time. Though all of the other disciples would be martyred for their faith, John would still be writing to fellow Christians nearly 60 years later. This means 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 to follow Jesus on earth, and the last to follow Jesus into heaven. The fact that John was present for many of the events in Jesus' life is proven by the minute details he offers in his gospel.
Verse Context:
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.
Chapter Summary:
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.”
Chapter Context:
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.
Book Summary:
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 11:32:41 PM
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Text from ESV, NIV, NASB, CSB, NLT, KJV, NKJV © Copyright respective owners, used by permission.
