Swindoll Study Bible - Book of John - Flipbook - Page 15
J ohn 1 : 1
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Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word
1
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was
created,*
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.*
1
6 God
7 to
sent a man, John the Baptist,*
tell about
the light so that everyone might believe because of
his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was
simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who
is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He came into the very world he created, but the
world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own
people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who
believed him and accepted him, he gave the right
to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not
with a physical birth resulting from human passion
or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
14 So the Word became human* and made his
home among us. He was full of unfailing love and
faithfulness.* And we have seen his glory, the glory
of the Father’s one and only Son.
15 John testified about him when he shouted to the
crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I
said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater
than I am, for he existed long before me.’”
16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.* 17 For the law was given
through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever
seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God,*
is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
The Testimony of John the Baptist
19 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders
sent priests and Temple assistants* from Jerusalem
to ask John, “Who are you?” 20 He came right out and
said, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you
Elijah?”
“No,” he replied.
“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”*
“No.”
22 “Then who are you? We need an answer for those
who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”*
24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent 25 asked
him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the
Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”
26 John told them, “I baptize with* water, but right
here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize.
27 Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”
LIVING INSIGHTS
1:3-4 Or and nothing that was created was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything. 1:5 Or and the darkness has not understood it. 1:6 Greek a man
named John. 1:14a Greek became flesh. 1:14b Or grace and truth; also in 1:17. 1:16 Or received the grace of Christ rather than the grace of the law; Greek reads received
grace upon grace. 1:18 Some manuscripts read But the one and only Son. 1:19 Greek and Levites. 1:21 Greek Are you the Prophet? See Deut 18:15, 18; Mal 4:5-6.
1:23 Isa 40:3. 1:26 Or in; also in 1:31, 33.
HIS OWN John 1:11 The Master came to His own
things—the mountains that had emerged as a result of
His power, the lakes that filled the landscape as a result
of His work, the universe that He had created and filled
with stars—and they followed Him and believed in Him
and obeyed Him. He said to the seas, “Be still!” and they
were still. He said to the wind, “Stop!” and it stopped (see
Matt. 8:26-27; Mark 4:39-41). Nature obeys the Master.
But His own people did not believe, obey, and follow
Him. They said, “Now, wait a minute. Who do You think You
are? You haven’t been to one of our rabbinical schools. You
don’t wash as we have taught everybody to wash. You don’t
go through our rituals. You heal people on the Sabbath,
and our rules say that You can’t do that.” They called Him
a heretic, and they decided to kill Him.
BECOMING MAN John 1:14 Radio commentator
Paul Harvey once told a story about a farmer who was a
religious skeptic. One cold winter night, the farmer heard
a thumping sound at his window. He went to the window
and watched a small group of sparrows beat themselves
against the glass, attracted to the warmth inside.
Touched, the farmer bundled up and opened the barn
for the struggling birds. He turned on the lights, tossed
some hay in a corner, and sprinkled a few crackers nearby
to lure them inside. But the sparrows hid in the darkness,
afraid of him. He tried circling behind the birds to drive them
toward the barn. Finally, he retreated to his house to see if
they’d flutter into the barn on their own. Nothing worked. He,
a huge, alien creature, had terrified them. The birds couldn’t
understand that he actually desired to help them.
As he continued to watch the doomed sparrows, a
thought hit him: If only I could become a bird—one of
them—just for a moment. Then I wouldn’t frighten them.
I could lead them to warmth and safety. At the same
moment, another thought dawned on the farmer: He had
grasped the concept of the Incarnation.
NOT THE MESSIAH John 1:19-28 John the Baptist
answered his questioners up front: “First off, before you
come to any other conclusions, understand that I’m not
the Messiah.” John didn’t string them along in order to get
fame or attention. He simply did what he was called to
do and didn’t do what he wasn’t called to do. His job was
to be the Messiah’s forerunner. That was all. And he did
it tremendously.
