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In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him. 4 Life was in him, and that life was the light for all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness. But the darkness has not overcome the light. 6 There was a man sent from God. His name was John. 7 He came to be a witness about that light. He was a witness so that all people might believe. 8 John himself was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 The Word was in the world. And the world was made through him. But the world did not recognise him. 11 He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him. 12 Some people did accept him and did believe in his name. He gave them the right to become children of God. 13 To be a child of God has nothing to do with human parents. Children of God are not born because of human choice or because a husband wants them to be born. They are born because of what God does.
14 The Word became a human being. He made his home with us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father. And the Word was full of grace and truth.
15 John was a witness about the Word. John cried out and said, ‘This was the one I was talking about. I said, “He who comes after me is more important than I am. He is more important because he existed before I was born.” ’ 16 God is full of grace. From him we have all received grace in place of the grace already given. 17 In the past, God gave us grace through the law of Moses. Now, grace and truth come to us through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the One and Only is God and is at the Father's side. The one at the Father's side has shown us what God is like.
1:1–18 John began this gospel with the words, in the beginning. These same words are used earlier in the Bible. They are the first words in the story about when God created the world (Genesis 1:1). John called Jesus the Word. That is another name for God's word. Jesus is the Word that was with God at the beginning of the world. He was with God from the start and in fact he is God. Jesus is also Life and Light. He shows people who God truly is. He became a human being and lived on earth. In John's gospel, John the Baptist was the first witness to talk about who Jesus is. John the Baptist wanted all people to believe something. He wanted them to believe that God had come to earth through Jesus. Believing that Jesus is God makes people God's children and part of his family. Through Jesus, God invites everyone to receive his grace and truth.
19 The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John who he was. John spoke the truth to them. 20 He did not try to hide the truth. He spoke to them openly. He said, ‘I am not the Messiah.’
21 They asked him, ‘Then who are you? Are you Elijah?’
He said, ‘I am not.’
‘Are you the Prophet we've been expecting?’ they asked.
‘No’, he answered.
22 They asked one last time, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’
23 John replied, using the words of Isaiah the prophet. John said, ‘I'm the messenger who is calling out in the desert, “Make the way for the Lord straight.” ’ (Isaiah 40:3)
24 The Pharisees who had been sent 25 asked him, ‘If you are not the Messiah, why are you baptising people? Why are you doing that if you aren't Elijah or the Prophet we've been expecting?’
26 ‘I baptise people with water,’ John replied. ‘But someone is standing among you whom you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.’
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the River Jordan. That was where John was baptising.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him. John said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God! He takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I was talking about. I said, “A man who comes after me is more important than I am. That's because he existed before I was born.” 31 I did not know him. But God wants to make it clear to Israel who this person is. That's the reason I came baptising with water.’
32 Then John told them, ‘I saw the Holy Spirit come down from heaven like a dove. The Spirit remained on Jesus. 33 I myself did not know him. But the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, “You will see the Spirit come down and remain on someone. He is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.” 34 I have seen it happen. I am a witness that this is God's Chosen One.’
1:19–34 People in Israel asked John the Baptist questions that showed they were expecting someone important. They had been waiting for the Messiah or someone like Elijah the prophet. But John the Baptist said he wasn't either of those people. A prophecy in the book of Isaiah had talked about a messenger. John the Baptist said he was that messenger. His message was that Jesus is God's Chosen One. This means that God chose Jesus to be the Saviour of the world. John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God. At the first Passover, the Israelites were saved from death by the blood of lambs. Jesus would save people from being slaves to sin. This is how he was like the lambs that the Israelites sacrificed. Jesus would take away the sins of the Israelites and of the whole world. John the Baptist's purpose was to be a witness about who Jesus is.
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 He saw Jesus walking by. John said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God!’
37 The two disciples heard him say this. So they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned round and saw them following. He asked, ‘What do you want?’
They said, ‘Rabbi, where are you staying?’ Rabbi means Teacher.
39 ‘Come’, he replied. ‘You will see.’
So they went and saw where he was staying. They spent the rest of the day with him. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon.
40 Andrew was Simon Peter's brother. Andrew was one of the two disciples who heard what John had said. He had also followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon. He told him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’ Messiah means Christ. 42 And he brought Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas.’ Cephas means Peter, or Rock.
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’
44 Philip was from the town of Bethsaida. So were Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the Law. The prophets also wrote about him. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’
46 ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked.
‘Come and see,’ said Philip.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael approaching. Here is what Jesus said about him. ‘He is a true Israelite. Nothing about him is false.’
48 ‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree. I saw you there before Philip called you.’
49 Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the king of Israel.’
50 Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ 51 Then he said to the disciples, ‘What I'm about to tell you is true. You will see heaven open. You will see the angels of God going up and coming down on the Son of Man.’
1:35–51 Two of John the Baptist's disciples wanted to know more about Jesus. When Jesus noticed them following him, he stopped and talked with them. This is how Jesus started to gather a group of trusted friends around him. They would learn from him, follow him and obey him. This group began with Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael. These men understood that Jesus is the Messiah that God had promised to send. They told other people about him too. At first Nathanael doubted that Jesus could be the Messiah. But after he saw and talked with Jesus, he believed Jesus was the Son of God. He called Jesus the King of Israel. Nathanael was the second witness to Jesus in John's gospel.