John 1:1-40

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 1:18

There are many passages of Scripture that record various individuals seeing God (e.g., Exodus 33:21-23; Isaiah 6:1-5; Revelation 1:10-18). Those instances involved visions, theophanies, or anthropomorphic representations of God rather than encounters with His unveiled spiritual essence (cf. Exodus 33:20-23; Deuteronomy 4:12; Psalms 97:2; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:16; 1 John 4:12). The way we know what God is like is not by viewing His essence. No one can do that and live. God has sent His... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 1:19

This verse explains the context in which John the Baptist explained his own identity in relation to Jesus. As the Synoptics reveal, John’s ministry was so influential that the Jewish religious authorities investigated him (Matthew 3:5-6). The Sanhedrin probably sent the delegation of priests and Levites. The priests were descendants of Aaron who took the leadership in matters of theological and practical orthodoxy, including ritual purity. The Levites descended from Levi, one of Aaron’s... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 1:19-28

1. John the Baptist’s veiled testimony to Jesus 1:19-28The writer recorded John the Baptist’s witness to Jesus’ identity as preparation for his narration of Jesus’ public ministry. He was the first of the Apostle John’s witnesses to the Incarnation.Previously the writer had mentioned that God had sent John the Baptist to bear witness concerning the light (John 1:6-8). He also mentioned what John had said about Jesus, namely, that Jesus had a higher rank than he did (John 1:15). Now the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 1:19-50

II. JESUS’ PUBLIC MINISTRY 1:19-12:50The first part of the body of John’s Gospel records Jesus’ public ministry to the multitudes in Palestine, who were primarily Jewish. Some writers have called this section of the Gospel "the book of signs" because it features seven miracles that signify various things about Jesus."Signs are miraculous works performed or mentioned to illustrate spiritual principles." [Note: Tenney, "The Symphonic . . .," p. 119. See also idem, "Topics from the Gospel of... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 1:19-51

A. The prelude to Jesus’ public ministry 1:19-51The rest of the first chapter continues the introductory spirit of the prologue. It records two events in John the Baptist’s ministry and the choice of some men as Jesus’ followers. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 1:20

The writer stressed that John vigorously repudiated any suggestion that he might be the Messiah. "Christ" (Gr. Christos) is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew "Messiah" or "Anointed One." John’s ministry consisted of pointing the Messiah out to others so they would follow Him. Therefore it would have been counterproductive to allow anyone to confuse him with the Messiah. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 1:21

The leaders asked John if he was Elijah because messianic expectation was high then due to Daniel’s prediction that dated the appearance of Messiah then (Daniel 9:25). Malachi had predicted that Elijah would return to herald the day of the Lord that Messiah would inaugurate (Malachi 4:5-6)."Popularly it was believed that Elijah would anoint the Messiah, and thereby reveal his identity to him and to Israel (see Justin, Apology 35.1)." [Note: Beasley-Murray, p. 24.] When John the Baptist denied... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 1:22-23

In response to the leaders’ question, John the Baptist claimed to be a prophet who was preparing the way for the Lord’s coming. He quoted Isaiah 40:3, which is part of a messianic prophecy (cf. Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4). In that prophecy Isaiah predicted the manifestation of God’s glory when Messiah appeared (Isaiah 40:5; cf. John 1:14). Significantly John did not claim to be the Word but only a voice. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 1:24

The NASB translators understood this verse to be parenthetical describing the authorities who had sent the delegation that had been questioning John. The NIV translators interpreted it as identifying some of John’s questioners. Probably the NIV is correct here. It would be unusual for the writer to interrupt the narrative flow with this relatively insignificant detail, but for him to identify some of John’s examiners as Pharisees makes sense. The Pharisees were the strict interpreters of the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - John 1:25

Their question implied that it was inappropriate for John to baptize. The Jews practiced baptism for ritual cleansing, but in all cases the baptismal candidates baptized themselves. [Note: Carson, p. 145.] There was no precedent for John baptizing other people, and the Jews did not regard themselves as needing to repent. This was something Gentiles needed to do when they converted to Judaism. Evidently when Gentiles converted to Judaism, the males of the family underwent circumcision and all... read more

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