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The Word Became Flesh
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
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He was with God in the beginning.
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In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
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The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
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The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
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He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
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Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
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The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)
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Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
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No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
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John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah
Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
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He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
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They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”
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John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
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questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
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“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.
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He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
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This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’
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I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
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Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
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And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
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I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
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“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
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The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).
