Chapter 1
In the beginning. The connection to Genesis 1:1 would have been obvious to its first audience. the Jewish national who wrote this gospel, was appealing to his own people. They knew the word ‘in the beginning’ (bereshit), off by heart.
Jesus (The Word) was in the beginning-with God. He pre-existed before time began, before His incarnation (John 17:5). once creation had begun, all things were made ‘through’ Him.
In Genesis 1, the word for ‘God (Elohim)’ is plural. ‘Let ‘Us’ make man in ‘Our’ own own image, and breath life into him. The trinity were there ‘in the beginning’, in Genesis 1.
John the Baptist May have been sanctified from the womb, not unlike Jeremiah. We are told after Jesus’ transfiguration that ‘elijah ‘has already come’, John came in the spirit of elijah. The Jews would have recognised the similarities of elijah and John, in his lifestyle.
His teaching was straight to the point. Not what we might fondly call ‘tough love’ but actually harsh, or even downright rude. John wasn’t worried about keeping up appearances.
(Remember, John was imprisoned, then beheaded, for rebuking Herod (herodias). Once his job was done, he handed over the mantle, to The beloved One ‘preferred before himself’.)
The lamb of God was announced the very next day. The Spirit had specifically revealed Jesus as The One, to John, (the very same that had visited John in the womb, causing him to leap with joy at his first, albeit, spiritually, meeting with The Saviour of the world). John’s revelation now recognised the righteous One in His physical presence, of whom The Holy Spirit had now alighted and remained upon. Forever.
The Lamb of God, Who Himself baptises with The Spirit of Holiness (Filioque).
The One, Who takes away the sin of the world...
This was the sin, brought on by the fall of the first two of mankind, Adam and Eve. Eve was deceived, Adam sinned. They both rebelled against their creator, haven’t we all? Jesus, as creator, takes that away. How much more can His propitiation do? (Romans 5).
Sins are also taken away. Past sins, present sins. Life controlling addictions. The new creation in Christ Jesus’ Holy Spirit can, and does experience deliverance. All Glory to The Lord.
John the Baptist said, ‘I did not know Him’. We know that John was related to Jesus, and perhaps had heard ‘of’ Him as a child. (perhaps his elderly parents had died and he’d been orphaned (Luke 1:80), or even raised in a devout sect https://sjvlaydivision.org/john-the-baptist-essenes/
According to Luke 1:36, Mary and Elizabeth were related, It doesn’t say that they were cousins. The Lord Jesus, and the Baptist were related, but not raised together. There was no MySpace, social media, e-mail, post, etc. Today, even with all of these communication platforms, we have relatives, who we actually don’t know anything about.
Andrew was the first to search out ‘The Lamb of God’ as pointed out by John. There was ‘another’ disciple with Andrew, and They had both been disciples of John. Was the other person Philip? Probably not according to v.43
‘We have found Him!’. They were already looking for ‘The’ Messiah. How wonderful, when we actually find what we’re looking for. For them it had been a lifelong search. Jesus wasn’t a new fad or ideology. It wasn’t just a ‘religious’ experience. They ‘knew’ He was expected because of Moses and the prophets, probably even more so, because of the prophecy in Daniel?
Nathaniel was the first to recognise Jesus’ divinity. There was no deceit in him. It was just as he said. Something personal had happened between them ‘under the fig tree’. no other sign was needed, Nathaniel was all in.
Numbers 6:24-26
In the beginning. The connection to Genesis 1:1 would have been obvious to its first audience. the Jewish national who wrote this gospel, was appealing to his own people. They knew the word ‘in the beginning’ (bereshit), off by heart.
Jesus (The Word) was in the beginning-with God. He pre-existed before time began, before His incarnation (John 17:5). once creation had begun, all things were made ‘through’ Him.
In Genesis 1, the word for ‘God (Elohim)’ is plural. ‘Let ‘Us’ make man in ‘Our’ own own image, and breath life into him. The trinity were there ‘in the beginning’, in Genesis 1.
John the Baptist May have been sanctified from the womb, not unlike Jeremiah. We are told after Jesus’ transfiguration that ‘elijah ‘has already come’, John came in the spirit of elijah. The Jews would have recognised the similarities of elijah and John, in his lifestyle.
His teaching was straight to the point. Not what we might fondly call ‘tough love’ but actually harsh, or even downright rude. John wasn’t worried about keeping up appearances.
(Remember, John was imprisoned, then beheaded, for rebuking Herod (herodias). Once his job was done, he handed over the mantle, to The beloved One ‘preferred before himself’.)
The lamb of God was announced the very next day. The Spirit had specifically revealed Jesus as The One, to John, (the very same that had visited John in the womb, causing him to leap with joy at his first, albeit, spiritually, meeting with The Saviour of the world). John’s revelation now recognised the righteous One in His physical presence, of whom The Holy Spirit had now alighted and remained upon. Forever.
The Lamb of God, Who Himself baptises with The Spirit of Holiness (Filioque).
The One, Who takes away the sin of the world...
This was the sin, brought on by the fall of the first two of mankind, Adam and Eve. Eve was deceived, Adam sinned. They both rebelled against their creator, haven’t we all? Jesus, as creator, takes that away. How much more can His propitiation do? (Romans 5).
Sins are also taken away. Past sins, present sins. Life controlling addictions. The new creation in Christ Jesus’ Holy Spirit can, and does experience deliverance. All Glory to The Lord.
John the Baptist said, ‘I did not know Him’. We know that John was related to Jesus, and perhaps had heard ‘of’ Him as a child. (perhaps his elderly parents had died and he’d been orphaned (Luke 1:80), or even raised in a devout sect https://sjvlaydivision.org/john-the-baptist-essenes/
According to Luke 1:36, Mary and Elizabeth were related, It doesn’t say that they were cousins. The Lord Jesus, and the Baptist were related, but not raised together. There was no MySpace, social media, e-mail, post, etc. Today, even with all of these communication platforms, we have relatives, who we actually don’t know anything about.
Andrew was the first to search out ‘The Lamb of God’ as pointed out by John. There was ‘another’ disciple with Andrew, and They had both been disciples of John. Was the other person Philip? Probably not according to v.43
‘We have found Him!’. They were already looking for ‘The’ Messiah. How wonderful, when we actually find what we’re looking for. For them it had been a lifelong search. Jesus wasn’t a new fad or ideology. It wasn’t just a ‘religious’ experience. They ‘knew’ He was expected because of Moses and the prophets, probably even more so, because of the prophecy in Daniel?
Nathaniel was the first to recognise Jesus’ divinity. There was no deceit in him. It was just as he said. Something personal had happened between them ‘under the fig tree’. no other sign was needed, Nathaniel was all in.
Numbers 6:24-26