Jn 1

Who is Jesus: What did the people say who knew him?

Depending on interest and maturity, a group may want to spend up to 3 evenings in chapter 1 to first become familiar with some of John’s terminology and the people in this chapter who met Jesus.

A. The summary by John himself, an eyewitness (apostle) and author of this book, 1:1-5

• v1. Preexistence (cf v15; Jn 20:28).
• vv3&10. Role in creation
  • How do you explain the existence of logic, natural laws, and information (encoded e.g. in DNA)?
• v4. Life: In what sense is life ‘in Him’ ? (cf Jn 17:1-3)
• vv5&9. Light shining in the darkness: What is meant by darkness? cf Eph 4:17-18
  • How does light ‘shine’ there? cf e.g. Ps 36:9; Prov 6:23; 2Cor 4:6
• v14.  Incarnation: Did John see an equally divine spark in all people? Why or why not?

A.2 Why did John describe Jesus as the logos? v14 & Rev 19:11-13
cf Heb 1:1-3; Gen 1:2; 1:26; Col 1:15-20

• v9. Illumination: In what sense? How?
• vv12-13. Transformation: From what into what else? How?

• How does that compare to founders of other religions or philosophies and their gods?
• How do you react, and why?

• How does John’s summary in this prologue compare to how the gospel has been presented to you? Is John’s gospel your gospel?
• Are our core beliefs aligned with how he sums up the gospel in this prologue?
• What concepts may challenge any tradition you grew up with?
• What do you make of the claim that no one becomes a a child of God merely of their own will, v13, and that John includes this in his prologue (“front page”)?

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B. Linking the Old with the New Testament: John the Baptist (John 1:5-18)

• Who were his parents?
• His mission: In what sense did he fulfill specific OT prophecies about one who was expected to “prepare a way”? Isa 40:3; Mal 3:1 and 4:5

• Sent from God: i.e. a prophet who speaks not in his own authority
• John (hebr. Johanan) means “God is gracious”

• v20. The Christ (gr. christos, hebr. maschiach, aram. meschicha: All mean “the Anointed”).  What was the meaning of ‘Anointing’?  [A sign of being called by God to a particular ministry (e.g. High Priest, king) and of being equipped to this ministry through God’s Holy Spirit (symbolized by the pouring on of oil)]
• Read e.g. Ps 45:6-7; 2Sam 7:12-19; Ps 132:1, 17; Isa 9:6-7. What expectations did such prophecies raise among the nation of Israel in the Old Testament (OT)?
• v21. Elijah (cf Mt 11:14) or The Prophet:  Why, i.e. who were these?
  • Read Deut 18:18 and Mal 4:5 => According to Malachi’s prophecy 300 years earlier, what was John the Baptist’s mandate?
  • By contrast, what was the prophecy in the book of Deutoronomy about?
• v23.  By quoting Isa 40:3, how did John the Baptist himself define what his mission was all about? Why was such a ‘ministry’ necessary?

• What is the meaning of baptism? Read e.g.:
  • Mt 3:11 Repentance (gr. metanoia)
  • Tit 3:3-7 Renewal (“washing”)
  • Ro 6:3-9; Col 2:12 Union with Christ in His burial and resurrection
  • 1Pet 3:21 A sign for the reality of something that happened in the heart
• What was his message?  “Look…
  • “The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world”: Why a lamb? => What was the feast of Passover, Ex 12:1-28? What was the meaning of the Passover Lamb?
  • v30. He was before me: How so? cf Mi 5:2
  • v32. On Him is the Spirit of God: Why? cf Isa 42:1
  • v33. He will baptize with the Holy Spirit: As opposed to…? And what does that mean? cf Ez 36:25-27

• How did you become a Christian? Did anyone have to tell you?
• How can we ‘look and behold the lamb of God…’?
• What do you expect to be the effect of such ‘beholding”? Why?

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C. Personal testimonies about Jesus (John 1:35-51)

• Does the author claim that he was an eyewitness? If so, how? v37
  • v40: Did he aggrandize himself in this role? cf Jn 18:15; 20:2-3; 21:24
  • Does this modesty mean he was not really there? cf 1Jn 1:1-3  2Pet 1:16
• What do you make of the level of detail in this story, e.g.:
  • v39 10th hour (4 pm)
  • v43 Jesus intended to go to Galilee
  • v44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from Bethsaida

C.3  v35-36: Why did Andrew and John not remain disciples of John the Baptist? v41

• Andrew and John? pro (but critical)?
• Peter, Philip: Indifferent?
• Nathanael: Prejudiced? How?
  

• • v45: What did they already know and expect based on the Old Testament? =>
• v41. Messiah: What does that mean?  (cf previous section)
• v45. “The One who Moses wrote about in the law”: What did Moses write? e.g. Deut 18:18 (see above)
• v51. “The Son of Man”: Where did that come from, and what did it mean to first century Jews? cf Dan 7:13; Heb 2:14
• vv34 & 49. The Son of God; King of Israel (cf previous section & e.g. 2Sam 7:14.19)

• seeing/meeting Jesus, vv39, 42, 43
• experience of being seen by him, vv38, 42, 47, 48
• experience of being found by him, v43

• hearing God (The Word, cf Jn 1:1-3) addressing them with a personal “calling”
• cf Peters testimony, 2Pet 1:3: “who called us by his own glory and goodness”

• What made it possible for you to decide to follow Christ?
• Considering the experience of the first disciples, what is needed by everyone to make a sound decision to follow Christ?
• How would you explain the difference between personal vs factual knowledge? [e.g. Gen 4:1; Eph 4:30-32; Rev 3:20; …]
• What was/is Jesus for you in the past compared to now (pro, indifferent, contra)?
  • What prompted any change in your attitude (if something has changed)?
  • What prompted you to decide to follow Jesus?
• How does knowledge about Christ differ for you from knowledge of Christ? Where can you see in your own life how each changed you?
  • Do we want to be changed? Why or why not? How?