John 1
1The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God,G1722G746G2258G3056G2532G3056G2258G4314G2316G2532G3056G2258G23162in readiness for God from day one.G3778G2258G1722G746G4314G23163Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him.G3956G1096G1223G846G2532G5565G846G1096G3761G1520G1096G3739G10964What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by.G1722G846G2258G2222G2532G2222G2258G5457G4445The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.G2532G5457G5316G1722G4653G2532G4653G2638G846G37566There once was a man, his name John, sent by GodG1096G444G649G3844G2316G846G3686G24917to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in.G3778G2064G1519G3141G2443G3140G4012G5457G2443G3956G1223G846G41008John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.G2258G3756G1565G5457G235G2443G3140G4012G54579The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life he brings into Light.G2258G228G5457G3739G5461G3956G444G2064G1519G288910He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn't even notice.G2258G1722G2889G2532G2889G1096G1223G846G2532G2889G1097G846G375611He came to his own people, but they didn't want him.G2064G1519G2398G2532G2398G3880G846G375612But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves.G1161G3745G2983G846G846G1325G1849G1096G5043G2316G4100G1519G846G368613These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten.G3739G1080G3756G1537G129G3761G1537G2307G4561G3761G1537G2307G435G235G1537G231614The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.G2532G3056G1096G4561G2532G4637G1722G2254G2532G2300G846G1391G1391G5613G3439G3844G3962G4134G5485G2532G22515John pointed him out and called, "This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word."G2491G3140G4012G846G2532G2896G3004G3778G2258G3739G2036G2064G3694G3450G1096G1715G3450G3754G2258G4413G345016We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift.G2532G1537G846G4138G2983G3956G2249G2983G2532G5485G473G548517We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, This endless knowing and understanding— all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.G3754G3551G1325G1223G3475G5485G2532G225G1096G1223G2424G554718No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.G3762G3708G2316G4455G3439G5207G3588G5607G1519G2859G3962G1565G183419When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest.G2532G3778G2076G3141G2491G3753G2453G649G2409G2532G3019G1537G2414G2443G2065G846G5101G1488G477120He didn't evade the question. He told the plain truth: "I am not the Messiah."G2532G3670G2532G720G3756G2532G3670G3754G1473G1510G3756G554721They pressed him, "Who, then? Elijah?" "I am not." "The Prophet?" "No."G2532G2065G846G5101G3767G1488G4771G2243G2532G3004G1510G3756G1488G4771G4396G2532G611G375622Exasperated, they said, "Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself."G3767G2036G846G5101G1488G2443G1325G612G3992G2248G5101G3004G4012G457223"I'm thunder in the desert: 'Make the road straight for God!' I'm doing what the prophet Isaiah preached."G5346G1473G5456G994G1722G2048G2116G3598G2962G2531G2036G4396G226824Those sent to question him were from the Pharisee party.G2532G3588G649G2258G1537G533025Now they had a question of their own: "If you're neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?"G2532G2065G846G2532G2036G846G5101G907G3767G1487G4771G1488G3756G5547G3777G2243G3777G439626John answered, "I only baptize using water. A person you don't recognize has taken his stand in your midst.G2491G611G846G3004G1473G907G1722G5204G1161G2476G3319G5216G3739G5210G1492G375627He comes after me, but he is not in second place to me. I'm not even worthy to hold his coat for him."G846G2076G3739G2064G3694G3450G1096G1715G3450G3739G846G5266G2438G1473G1510G3756G514G2443G308928These conversations took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing at the time.G5023G1096G1722G962G4008G2446G3699G2491G2258G90729The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out,G1887G2491G991G2424G2064G4314G846G2532G3004G2396G286G2316G3588G142G266G288930"Here he is, God's Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I've been talking about, 'the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.'G3778G2076G4012G3739G1473G2036G3694G3450G2064G435G3739G1096G1715G3450G3754G2258G4413G345031I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God."G2504G1492G846G3756G235G2443G5319G2474G1223G5124G2064G1473G2064G907G1722G520432John clinched his witness with this: "I watched the Spirit, like a dove flying down out of the sky, making himself at home in him.G2532G2491G3140G3004G3754G2300G4151G2597G1537G3772G5616G4058G2532G3306G1909G84633I repeat, I know nothing about him except this: The One who authorized me to baptize with water told me, 'The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'G2504G1492G846G3756G235G3992G3165G907G1722G5204G1565G2036G3427G1909G3739G302G1492G4151G2597G2532G3306G1909G846G3778G2076G907G1722G40G415134That's exactly what I saw happen, and I'm telling you, there's no question about it: This is the Son of God."G2504G3708G2532G3140G3754G3778G2076G5207G231635The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching.G3825G1887G2491G2476G2532G1417G1537G846G310136He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, "Here he is, God's Passover Lamb."G2532G1689G2424G4043G3004G2396G286G231637The two disciples heard him and went after Jesus.G2532G1417G3101G191G846G2980G2532G190G242438Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, "What are you after?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"G1161G2424G4762G2532G2300G846G190G3004G846G5101G2212G1161G2036G846G4461G3739G3004G2059G1320G4226G330639He replied, "Come along and see for yourself." They came, saw where he was living, and ended up staying with him for the day. It was late afternoon when this happened.G3004G846G2064G2532G1492G2064G2532G1492G4226G3306G2532G3306G3844G846G1565G2250G1161G2258G5613G1182G561040Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John's witness and followed Jesus.G1520G1537G1417G3588G191G3844G2491G2532G190G846G2258G406G4613G4074G8041The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, "We've found the Messiah" (that is, "Christ").G3778G4413G2147G2398G80G4613G2532G3004G846G2147G3323G3739G2076G3177G554742He immediately led him to Jesus. Jesus took one look up and said, "You're John's son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas" (or Peter, which means "Rock").G2532G71G846G4314G2424G1161G2424G1689G846G2036G4771G1488G4613G5207G2495G4771G2564G2786G3739G2059G407443The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, "Come, follow me."G1887G2424G2309G1831G1519G1056G2532G2147G5376G2532G3004G846G190G342744(Philip's hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.)G1161G5376G2258G575G966G4172G1537G406G2532G407445Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, "We've found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It's Jesus, Joseph's son, the one from Nazareth!"G5376G2147G3482G2532G3004G846G2147G3739G3475G1722G3551G2532G4396G1125G2424G575G3478G5207G250146Nathanael said, "Nazareth? You've got to be kidding." But Philip said, "Come, see for yourself."G2532G3482G2036G846G1410G5100G18G1511G1537G3478G5376G3004G846G2064G2532G149247When Jesus saw him coming he said, "There's a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body."G2424G1492G3482G2064G4314G846G2532G3004G4012G846G2396G2475G230G1722G3739G2076G3756G138848Nathanael said, "Where did you get that idea? You don't know me." Jesus answered, "One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree."G3482G3004G846G4159G1097G3165G2424G611G2532G2036G846G4253G5376G5455G4571G5607G5259G4808G1492G457149Nathanael exclaimed, "Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!"G3482G611G2532G3004G846G4461G4771G1488G5207G2316G4771G1488G935G247450Jesus said, "You've become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven't seen anything yet!G2424G611G2532G2036G846G3754G2036G4671G1492G4571G5270G4808G4100G3700G3187G513051Before this is over you're going to see heaven open and God's angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again."G2532G3004G846G281G281G3004G5213G737G575G3700G3772G455G2532G32G2316G305G2532G2597G1909G5207G444
Columbus, OH
