New Testament in a Year

Footnotes

1. John 1:29 John knows that he acts as a prophet gripped by the mission of God. And at the threshold of the Gospel, he presents the image of the lamb who will be evoked again at the end of the Passion. It is connected with the Jewish Passover and symbolizes the deliverance from Egypt (Ex 12:1-28); it also fits in with the portrait of the mysterious Servant of God, foretold by a prophet as an innocent victim led like a lamb to the slaughter, who was not only to atone for the sins of humanity but also to justify sinners (Isa 53:7, 11-12). It further recalls the great apocalyptic Lamb who would destroy evil in the world (Rev 5–7; 17:14).
2. John 1:31 I myself did not know him: this may refer to the fact that John lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel (see Lk 1:80) and thus did not know Jesus very well. It may also indicate that John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah until he saw the sign mentioned in vv. 32-33.
3. John 1:32 For Jesus’ Baptism, see notes on Mt 3:13-17; 3:15; 3:17.
4. John 1:33 The one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit: John baptized with water, but Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. We can see in this a reference to the sending of the Holy Spirit. In this Gospel that occurs on Easter Sunday (Jn 20:22).
5. John 1:35 The movement of Jesus is separated from the movement of the Baptist. In the very first encounter, Jesus wins over Andrew, and perhaps the disciple who is not named was the beloved disciple, sufficiently interested in Andrew’s call to still remember the hour (v. 39). Jesus gives Simon a new name indicative of his future mission (see Mt 16:18); with authority he calls Philip, and he reads the heart of Nathanael. In this man so unexpected because of his lowly origin (v. 46), the disciples recognize the Messiah Israel expected. And Jesus unveils to them his mystery: Messiah of Israel, he is also the Son of Man who reunites heaven and earth in his kingdom. He is the sole mediator who gives access to the Father, as indicated in v. 51, an allusion to the dream of Jacob (see Gen 28:12).
   The Gospel then offers us a meditation on the free gift and the happiness of being called by Jesus, a charter of the spiritual life. The dialogue with the first disciples lets us understand where Jesus leads those who follow him: there where he dwells at the side of the Father (see Jn 1:18). Intimacy with Christ, shared knowledge, and faith are the principal traits that describe the life of disciples. The Church must be the community where people share the certainty and the joy of having encountered Christ.
6. John 1:39 Four o’clock in the afternoon: literally, “the tenth hour” (from sunrise: 6:00 A.M.) in the Roman method of telling time.
7. John 1:41 Messiah: Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word for “Anointed One,” which is used only here and in Jn 4:25 in this Gospel. The Greek translation Christos (“Christ”) appears everywhere else.
8. John 1:42 Cephas in Aramaic signifies “stone, rock” (see Mt 16:18). It was not used at that time as a personal name. Peter: i.e., Petros, the Greek equivalent of Cephas.
9. John 1:43 Jesus: literally, “he,” which could also refer to Peter.
10. John 1:44 Bethsaida: on the northern shore of Lake Tiberias.
11. John 1:45 Nathanael was certainly the apostle Bartholomew; see Mt 10:3.
12. John 1:47 A true Israelite, in whom there is no deception: this phrase recalls the fact that Jacob was the first to bear the name “Israel” (Gen 32:29), but he was an “Israelite” in whom there was deception (Gen 27:35-36).
13. John 1:48 Under the fig tree: a phrase signifying Messianic peace (see Mic 4:4; Zec 3:10).
14. John 1:51 Son of Man: see note on Mt 8:20 for the use of this term in the New Testament. In John, it occurs 13 times and is commonly associated with themes of crucifixion and suffering (Jn 3:14; 8:28) and revelation (Jn 6:27, 53) as well as eschatological authority (Jn 5:27; 9:39).