The Eternal Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and without Him not even one thing came to exist that has come into being.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  He came as a witness, to testify about the light, so that everyone might believe through him.  He was not the light, but came to testify concerning the light. 

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, but the world knew Him not.  He came to His own, and His own received Him not.  But as many as received Him, He gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we saw His glory, a glory full of grace and truth, as of the only Son from the Father.  John testified about Him, shouting, “This is the one of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is ahead of me, because He was before me.’” 

And from His fullness we all received grace upon grace.  As the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah.  No one has seen God at any time.  God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has declared Him.

John the Baptist's Message

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

He declared openly, he did not hold back, but acknowledged, “I am not the Messiah.”

And they asked him, “Who then? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?” [Deuter. 18:18,19]

And he answered, “No.”

Then they said to him, “Who are you?  So that we may give an answer to those who sent us, what do you say about yourself?”

He said, “I’m a voice in the wilderness calling out, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Now the group that had been sent was of the Pharisees.  They questioned him, saying, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

John answered them, “I baptize in water.  But among you stands One whom you do not know.  It is He who comes after me — who is now ahead of me.  I’m not worthy to loosen the strap of His sandal.”

                    continue reading

These things happened in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The very next day John saw Jesus walking toward him, and said, “Look!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is now ahead of me, because He was before me.’  Even I did not know who He was.  But I came baptizing with water so that He could be revealed to Israel.”

And John testified, “I saw the Spirit come down as a dove from heaven, and it remained on Him.  And I did not know who He was.  But He who sent me to baptize with water, He said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

  Lamb of God

The next day John was again standing with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus walking, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”  The two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus.

Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you want?”

And they said to Him, “Rabbi,” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”

He said to them, “Come and see.”

They came and saw where He was living, and they stayed with Him that day, since it was about the tenth hour [four in the afternoon].

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John said and followed Jesus.  He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which means  Anointed One).  And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him, and said, “So you are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Cephas.” which means Peter [Rock]).

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.  He found Philip and said to him, “Come with Me.”

Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We’ve found Him of whom Moses wrote in the law!  And the prophets!  Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?”

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said about him, “Look, truly an Israelite in whom there is no dishonesty!”

Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”

And Jesus answered, “I saw you before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree”

Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.”  Then He said, “I tell you the absolute truth, you’ll see heaven opened, and the angels of God rising up from and coming down to the Son of Man.”

Go to chapter 2