Yohanes 1:1

The Prologue to the Gospel

1:1 In the beginning ¹  was the Word, and the Word was with God, ²  and the Word was fully God. ³ 

Yohanes 1:9-11

1:9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, ⁴  was coming into the world. ⁵  1:10 He was in the world, and the world was created ⁶  by him, but ⁷  the world did not recognize ⁸  him. 1:11 He came to what was his own, ⁹  but ¹⁰  his own people ¹¹  did not receive him. ¹² 

Yohanes 1:14

1:14 Now ¹³  the Word became flesh ¹⁴  and took up residence ¹⁵  among us. We ¹⁶  saw his glory – the glory of the one and only, ¹⁷  full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.

Yohanes 1:29

1:29 On the next day John ¹⁸  saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God ¹⁹  who takes away the sin of the world!

Yohanes 3:12-13

3:12 If I have told you people ²⁰  about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ²¹  3:13 No one ²²  has ascended ²³  into heaven except the one who descended from heaven – the Son of Man. ²⁴ 

Yohanes 3:16-17

3:16 For this is the way ²⁵  God loved the world: He gave his one and only ²⁶  Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish ²⁷  but have eternal life. ²⁸  3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, ²⁹  but that the world should be saved through him.

Yohanes 3:19

3:19 Now this is the basis for judging: ³⁰  that the light has come into the world and people ³¹  loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.

Yohanes 3:31

3:31 The one who comes from above is superior to all. ³²  The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. ³³  The one who comes from heaven ³⁴  is superior to all. ³⁵ 

Yohanes 4:21

4:21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, ³⁶  a time ³⁷  is coming when you will worship ³⁸  the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

Yohanes 4:42

4:42 They said to the woman, “No longer do we believe because of your words, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this one ³⁹  really is the Savior of the world.” ⁴⁰ 

Yohanes 6:14

6:14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus ⁴¹  performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet ⁴²  who is to come into the world.” ⁴³ 

Yohanes 6:27

6:27 Do not work for the food that disappears, ⁴⁴  but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food ⁴⁵  which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.” ⁴⁶ 

Yohanes 6:33

6:33 For the bread of God is the one who ⁴⁷  comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Yohanes 6:51

6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread ⁴⁸  that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Yohanes 7:4

7:4 For no one who seeks to make a reputation for himself ⁴⁹  does anything in secret. ⁵⁰  If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”

Yohanes 7:7

7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil.

Yohanes 8:12

Jesus as the Light of the World

8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, ⁵¹  “I am the light of the world. ⁵²  The one who follows me will never ⁵³  walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Yohanes 8:15

8:15 You people ⁵⁴  judge by outward appearances; ⁵⁵  I do not judge anyone. ⁵⁶ 

Yohanes 8:20

8:20 (Jesus ⁵⁷  spoke these words near the offering box ⁵⁸  while he was teaching in the temple courts. ⁵⁹  No one seized him because his time ⁶⁰  had not yet come.) ⁶¹ 

Yohanes 8:23

8:23 Jesus replied, ⁶²  “You people ⁶³  are from below; I am from above. You people are from this world; I am not from this world.

Yohanes 8:26

8:26 I have many things to say and to judge ⁶⁴  about you, but the Father ⁶⁵  who sent me is truthful, ⁶⁶  and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.” ⁶⁷ 

Yohanes 8:33

8:33 “We are descendants ⁶⁸  of Abraham,” they replied, ⁶⁹  “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, ⁷⁰  ‘You will become free’?”

Yohanes 9:5

9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁷¹ 

Yohanes 9:32

9:32 Never before ⁷²  has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. ⁷³ 

Yohanes 9:39

9:39 Jesus ⁷⁴  said,] ⁷⁵  “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, ⁷⁶  and the ones who see may become blind.”

Yohanes 10:28

10:28 I give ⁷⁷  them eternal life, and they will never perish; ⁷⁸  no one will snatch ⁷⁹  them from my hand.

Yohanes 10:34

10:34 Jesus answered, ⁸⁰  “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? ⁸¹ 

Yohanes 10:36

10:36 do you say about the one whom the Father set apart ⁸²  and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

Yohanes 11:9

11:9 Jesus replied, ⁸³  “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around in the daytime, he does not stumble, ⁸⁴  because he sees the light of this world. ⁸⁵ 

Yohanes 11:27

11:27 She replied, ⁸⁶  “Yes, Lord, I believe ⁸⁷  that you are the Christ, ⁸⁸  the Son of God who comes into the world.” ⁸⁹ 

Yohanes 11:52

11:52 and not for the Jewish nation ⁹⁰  only, ⁹¹  but to gather together ⁹²  into one the children of God who are scattered.) ⁹³ 

Yohanes 12:1

Jesus’ Anointing

12:1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he ⁹⁴  had raised from the dead.

Yohanes 12:9

12:9 Now a large crowd of Judeans ⁹⁵  learned ⁹⁶  that Jesus ⁹⁷  was there, and so they came not only because of him ⁹⁸  but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead.

Yohanes 12:17

12:17 So the crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were continuing to testify about it. ⁹⁹ 

Yohanes 12:19

12:19 Thus the Pharisees ¹⁰⁰  said to one another, “You see that you can do nothing. Look, the world has run off after him!”

Yohanes 12:25

12:25 The one who loves his life ¹⁰¹  destroys ¹⁰²  it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards ¹⁰³  it for eternal life.

Yohanes 12:31

12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world ¹⁰⁴  will be driven out. ¹⁰⁵ 

Yohanes 12:46-47

12:46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness. 12:47 If anyone ¹⁰⁶  hears my words and does not obey them, ¹⁰⁷  I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ¹⁰⁸ 

Yohanes 13:1

Washing the Disciples’ Feet

13:1 Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time ¹⁰⁹  had come to depart ¹¹⁰  from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. ¹¹¹ 

Yohanes 13:35

13:35 Everyone ¹¹²  will know by this that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another.”

Yohanes 14:17

14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, ¹¹³  because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides ¹¹⁴  with you and will be ¹¹⁵  in you.

Yohanes 14:19

14:19 In a little while ¹¹⁶  the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me; because I live, you will live too.

Yohanes 14:22

14:22 “Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot) ¹¹⁷  said, ¹¹⁸  “what has happened that you are going to reveal ¹¹⁹  yourself to us and not to the world?”

Yohanes 14:27

14:27 “Peace I leave with you; ¹²⁰  my peace I give to you; I do not give it ¹²¹  to you as the world does. ¹²²  Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage. ¹²³ 

Yohanes 14:30-31

14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, ¹²⁴  for the ruler of this world is coming. ¹²⁵  He has no power over me, ¹²⁶  14:31 but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know ¹²⁷  that I love the Father. ¹²⁸  Get up, let us go from here.” ¹²⁹ 

Yohanes 15:18-19

The World’s Hatred

15:18 “If the world hates you, be aware ¹³⁰  that it hated me first. ¹³¹  15:19 If you belonged to the world, ¹³²  the world would love you as its own. ¹³³  However, because you do not belong to the world, ¹³⁴  but I chose you out of the world, for this reason ¹³⁵  the world hates you. ¹³⁶ 

Yohanes 15:21

15:21 But they will do all these things to you on account of ¹³⁷  my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. ¹³⁸ 

Yohanes 16:8-9

16:8 And when he ¹³⁹  comes, he will prove the world wrong ¹⁴⁰  concerning sin and ¹⁴¹  righteousness and ¹⁴²  judgment – 16:9 concerning sin, because ¹⁴³  they do not believe in me; ¹⁴⁴ 

Yohanes 16:11

16:11 and concerning judgment, ¹⁴⁵  because ¹⁴⁶  the ruler of this world ¹⁴⁷  has been condemned. ¹⁴⁸ 

Yohanes 16:20-21

16:20 I tell you the solemn truth, ¹⁴⁹  you will weep ¹⁵⁰  and wail, ¹⁵¹  but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, ¹⁵²  but your sadness will turn into ¹⁵³  joy. 16:21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress ¹⁵⁴  because her time ¹⁵⁵  has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being ¹⁵⁶  has been born into the world. ¹⁵⁷ 

Yohanes 16:28

16:28 I came from the Father and entered into the world, but in turn, ¹⁵⁸  I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” ¹⁵⁹ 

Yohanes 16:33

16:33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, ¹⁶⁰  but take courage ¹⁶¹  – I have conquered the world.” ¹⁶² 

Yohanes 17:2-6

17:2 just as you have given him authority over all humanity, ¹⁶³  so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. ¹⁶⁴  17:3 Now this ¹⁶⁵  is eternal life ¹⁶⁶  – that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, ¹⁶⁷  whom you sent. 17:4 I glorified you on earth by completing ¹⁶⁸  the work you gave me to do. ¹⁶⁹  17:5 And now, Father, glorify me at your side ¹⁷⁰  with the glory I had with you before the world was created. ¹⁷¹ 

Jesus Prays for the Disciples

17:6 “I have revealed ¹⁷²  your name to the men ¹⁷³  you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, ¹⁷⁴  and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed ¹⁷⁵  your word.

Yohanes 17:8-9

17:8 because I have given them the words you have given me. They ¹⁷⁶  accepted ¹⁷⁷  them ¹⁷⁸  and really ¹⁷⁹  understand ¹⁸⁰  that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 17:9 I am praying ¹⁸¹  on behalf of them. I am not praying ¹⁸²  on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you. ¹⁸³ 

Yohanes 17:11-16

17:11 I ¹⁸⁴  am no longer in the world, but ¹⁸⁵  they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe ¹⁸⁶  in your name ¹⁸⁷  that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. ¹⁸⁸  17:12 When I was with them I kept them safe ¹⁸⁹  and watched over them ¹⁹⁰  in your name ¹⁹¹  that you have given me. Not one ¹⁹²  of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, ¹⁹³  so that the scripture could be fulfilled. ¹⁹⁴  17:13 But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so they may experience ¹⁹⁵  my joy completed ¹⁹⁶  in themselves. 17:14 I have given them your word, ¹⁹⁷  and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, ¹⁹⁸  just as I do not belong to the world. ¹⁹⁹  17:15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe ²⁰⁰  from the evil one. ²⁰¹  17:16 They do not belong to the world ²⁰²  just as I do not belong to the world. ²⁰³ 

Yohanes 17:18

17:18 Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. ²⁰⁴ 

Yohanes 17:21

17:21 that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray ²⁰⁵  that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.

Yohanes 17:23-25

17:23 I in them and you in me – that they may be completely one, ²⁰⁶  so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.

17:24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, ²⁰⁷  so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world ²⁰⁸ . 17:25 Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men ²⁰⁹  know that you sent me.

Yohanes 18:20

18:20 Jesus replied, ²¹⁰  “I have spoken publicly to the world. I always taught in the synagogues ²¹¹  and in the temple courts, ²¹²  where all the Jewish people ²¹³  assemble together. I ²¹⁴  have said nothing in secret.

Yohanes 18:36-37

18:36 Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being ²¹⁵  handed over ²¹⁶  to the Jewish authorities. ²¹⁷  But as it is, ²¹⁸  my kingdom is not from here.” 18:37 Then Pilate said, ²¹⁹  “So you are a king!” Jesus replied, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into the world – to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to ²²⁰  my voice.”

Yohanes 21:25

21:25 There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, ²²¹  I suppose the whole world ²²²  would not have room for the books that would be written. ²²³ 

[1:1]  ¹ sn In the beginning. The search for the basic “stuff” out of which things are made was the earliest one in Greek philosophy. It was attended by the related question of “What is the process by which the secondary things came out of the primary one (or ones)?,” or in Aristotelian terminology, “What is the ‘beginning’ (same Greek word as beginning, John 1:1) and what is the origin of the things that are made?” In the New Testament the word usually has a temporal sense, but even BDAG 138 s.v. ἀρχή 3 lists a major category of meaning as “the first cause.” For John, the words “In the beginning” are most likely a conscious allusion to the opening words of Genesis – “In the beginning.” Other concepts which occur prominently in Gen 1 are also found in John’s prologue: “life” (1:4) “light” (1:4) and “darkness” (1:5). Gen 1 describes the first (physical) creation; John 1 describes the new (spiritual) creation. But this is not to play off a false dichotomy between “physical” and “spiritual”; the first creation was both physical and spiritual. The new creation is really a re-creation, of the spiritual (first) but also the physical. (In spite of the common understanding of John’s “spiritual” emphasis, the “physical” re-creation should not be overlooked; this occurs in John 2 with the changing of water into wine, in John 11 with the resurrection of Lazarus, and the emphasis of John 20-21 on the aftermath of Jesus’ own resurrection.)

[1:1]  ² tn The preposition πρός (pros) implies not just proximity, but intimate personal relationship. M. Dods stated, “Πρός …means more than μετά or παρά, and is regularly employed in expressing the presence of one person with another” (“The Gospel of St. John,” The Expositor’s Greek Testament, 1:684). See also Mark 6:3, Matt 13:56, Mark 9:19, Gal 1:18, 2 John 12.

[1:1]  ³ tn Or “and what God was the Word was.” Colwell’s Rule is often invoked to support the translation of θεός (qeos) as definite (“God”) rather than indefinite (“a god”) here. However, Colwell’s Rule merely permits, but does not demand, that a predicate nominative ahead of an equative verb be translated as definite rather than indefinite. Furthermore, Colwell’s Rule did not deal with a third possibility, that the anarthrous predicate noun may have more of a qualitative nuance when placed ahead of the verb. A definite meaning for the term is reflected in the traditional rendering “the word was God.” From a technical standpoint, though, it is preferable to see a qualitative aspect to anarthrous θεός in John 1:1c (ExSyn 266-69). Translations like the NEB, REB, and Moffatt are helpful in capturing the sense in John 1:1c, that the Word was fully deity in essence (just as much God as God the Father). However, in contemporary English “the Word was divine” (Moffatt) does not quite catch the meaning since “divine” as a descriptive term is not used in contemporary English exclusively of God. The translation “what God was the Word was” is perhaps the most nuanced rendering, conveying that everything God was in essence, the Word was too. This points to unity of essence between the Father and the Son without equating the persons. However, in surveying a number of native speakers of English, some of whom had formal theological training and some of whom did not, the editors concluded that the fine distinctions indicated by “what God was the Word was” would not be understood by many contemporary readers. Thus the translation “the Word was fully God” was chosen because it is more likely to convey the meaning to the average English reader that the Logos (which “became flesh and took up residence among us” in John 1:14 and is thereafter identified in the Fourth Gospel as Jesus) is one in essence with God the Father. The previous phrase, “the Word was with God,” shows that the Logos is distinct in person from God the Father.

[1:1]  sn And the Word was fully God. John’s theology consistently drives toward the conclusion that Jesus, the incarnate Word, is just as much God as God the Father. This can be seen, for example, in texts like John 10:30 (“The Father and I are one”), 17:11 (“so that they may be one just as we are one”), and 8:58 (“before Abraham came into existence, I am”). The construction in John 1:1c does not equate the Word with the person of God (this is ruled out by 1:1b, “the Word was with God”); rather it affirms that the Word and God are one in essence.

[1:9]  ⁴ tn Grk “every man” (but in a generic sense, “every person,” or “every human being”).

[1:9]  ⁵ tn Or “He was the true light, who gives light to everyone who comes into the world.” The participle ἐρχόμενον (ercomenon) may be either (1) neuter nominative, agreeing with τὸ φῶς (to fw"), or (2) masculine accusative, agreeing with ἄνθρωπον (anqrwpon). Option (1) results in a periphrastic imperfect with ἦν (hn), ἦν τὸ φῶς… ἐρχόμενον, referring to the incarnation. Option (2) would have the participle modifying ἄνθρωπον and referring to the true light as enlightening “every man who comes into the world.” Option (2) has some rabbinic parallels: The phrase “all who come into the world” is a fairly common expression for “every man” (cf. Leviticus Rabbah 31.6). But (1) must be preferred here, because: (a) In the next verse the light is in the world; it is logical for v. 9 to speak of its entering the world; (b) in other passages Jesus is described as “coming into the world” (6:14, 9:39, 11:27, 16:28) and in 12:46 Jesus says: ἐγὼ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλήλυθα (egw fw" ei" ton kosmon elhluqa); (c) use of a periphrastic participle with the imperfect tense is typical Johannine style: 1:28, 2:6, 3:23, 10:40, 11:1, 13:23, 18:18 and 25. In every one of these except 13:23 the finite verb is first and separated by one or more intervening words from the participle.

[1:9]  sn In v. 9 the world (κόσμος, kosmos) is mentioned for the first time. This is another important theme word for John. Generally, the world as a Johannine concept does not refer to the totality of creation (the universe), although there are exceptions at 11:9. 17:5, 24, 21:25, but to the world of human beings and human affairs. Even in 1:10 the world created through the Logos is a world capable of knowing (or reprehensibly not knowing) its Creator. Sometimes the world is further qualified as this world (ὁ κόσμος οὗτος, Jo kosmos Joutos) as in 8:23, 9:39, 11:9, 12:25, 31; 13:1, 16:11, 18:36. This is not merely equivalent to the rabbinic phrase “this present age” (ὁ αἰών οὗτος, Jo aiwn Joutos) and contrasted with “the world to come.” For John it is also contrasted to a world other than this one, already existing; this is the lower world, corresponding to which there is a world above (see especially 8:23, 18:36). Jesus appears not only as the Messiah by means of whom an eschatological future is anticipated (as in the synoptic gospels) but also as an envoy from the heavenly world to this world.

[1:10]  ⁶ tn Or “was made”; Grk “came into existence.”

[1:10]  ⁷ tn Grk “and,” but in context this is an adversative use of καί (kai) and is thus translated “but.”

[1:10]  ⁸ tn Or “know.”

[1:11]  ⁹ tn Grk “to his own things.”

[1:11]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and,” but in context this is an adversative use of καί (kai) and is thus translated “but.”

[1:11]  ¹¹ tn “People” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[1:11]  ¹² sn His own people did not receive him. There is a subtle irony here: When the λόγος (logos) came into the world, he came to his own (τὰ ἴδια, ta idia, literally “his own things”) and his own people (οἱ ἴδιοι, Joi idioi), who should have known and received him, but they did not. This time John does not say that “his own” did not know him, but that they did not receive him (παρέλαβον, parelabon). The idea is one not of mere recognition, but of acceptance and welcome.

[1:14]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic, the incarnation of the Word. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[1:14]  ¹⁴ tn This looks at the Word incarnate in humility and weakness; the word σάρξ (sarx) does not carry overtones of sinfulness here as it frequently does in Pauline usage. See also John 3:6.

[1:14]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and tabernacled.”

[1:14]  sn The Greek word translated took up residence (σκηνόω, skhnow) alludes to the OT tabernacle, where the Shekinah, the visible glory of God’s presence, resided. The author is suggesting that this glory can now be seen in Jesus (note the following verse). The verb used here may imply that the Shekinah glory that once was found in the tabernacle has taken up residence in the person of Jesus. Cf. also John 2:19-21. The Word became flesh. This verse constitutes the most concise statement of the incarnation in the New Testament. John 1:1 makes it clear that the Logos was fully God, but 1:14 makes it clear that he was also fully human. A Docetic interpretation is completely ruled out. Here for the first time the Logos of 1:1 is identified as Jesus of Nazareth – the two are one and the same. Thus this is the last time the word logos is used in the Fourth Gospel to refer to the second person of the Trinity. From here on it is Jesus of Nazareth who is the focus of John’s Gospel.

[1:14]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and we saw.”

[1:14]  ¹⁷ tn Or “of the unique one.” Although this word is often translated “only begotten,” such a translation is misleading, since in English it appears to express a metaphysical relationship. The word in Greek was used of an only child (a son [Luke 7:12, 9:38] or a daughter [Luke 8:42]). It was also used of something unique (only one of its kind) such as the mythological Phoenix (1 Clem. 25:2). From here it passes easily to a description of Isaac (Heb 11:17 and Josephus, Ant., 1.13.1 [1.222]) who was not Abraham’s only son, but was one-of-a-kind because he was the child of the promise. Thus the word means “one-of-a-kind” and is reserved for Jesus in the Johannine literature of the NT. While all Christians are children of God, Jesus is God’s Son in a unique, one-of-a-kind sense. The word is used in this way in all its uses in the Gospel of John (1:14, 1:18, 3:16, and 3:18).

[1:29]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:29]  ¹⁹ sn Gen 22:8 is an important passage in the background of the title Lamb of God as applied to Jesus. In Jewish thought this was held to be a supremely important sacrifice. G. Vermès stated: “For the Palestinian Jew, all lamb sacrifice, and especially the Passover lamb and the Tamid offering, was a memorial of the Akedah with its effects of deliverance, forgiveness of sin and messianic salvation” (Scripture and Tradition in Judaism [StPB], 225).

[3:12]  ²⁰ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than Nicodemus alone).

[3:12]  ²¹ sn Obviously earthly things and heavenly things are in contrast, but what is the contrast? What are earthly things which Jesus has just spoken to Nicodemus? And through him to others – this is not the first instance of the plural pronoun, see v. 7, you must all. Since Nicodemus began with a plural (we know, v. 2) Jesus continues it, and through Nicodemus addresses a broader audience. It makes most sense to take this as a reference to the things Jesus has just said (and the things he is about to say, vv. 13-15). If this is the case (and it seems the most natural explanation) then earthly things are not necessarily strictly physical things, but are so called because they take place on earth, in contrast to things like v. 16, which take place in heaven. Some have added the suggestion that the things are called earthly because physical analogies (birth, wind, water) are used to describe them. This is possible, but it seems more probable that Jesus calls these things earthly because they happen on earth (even though they are spiritual things). In the context, taking earthly things as referring to the words Jesus has just spoken fits with the fact that Nicodemus did not believe. And he would not after hearing heavenly things either, unless he first believed in the earthly things – which included the necessity of a regenerating work from above, by the Holy Spirit.

[3:13]  ²² tn Grk “And no one.”

[3:13]  ²³ sn The verb ascended is a perfect tense in Greek (ἀναβέβηκεν, anabebhken) which seems to look at a past, completed event. (This is not as much of a problem for those who take Jesus’ words to end at v. 12, and these words to be a comment by the author, looking back on Jesus’ ascension.) As a saying of Jesus, these words are a bit harder to explain. Note, however, the lexical similarities with 1:51: “ascending,” “descending,” and “son of man.” Here, though, the ascent and descent is accomplished by the Son himself, not the angels as in 1:51. There is no need to limit this saying to Jesus’ ascent following the resurrection, however; the point of the Jacob story (Gen 28), which seems to be the background for 1:51, is the freedom of communication and relationship between God and men (a major theme of John’s Gospel). This communication comes through the angels in Gen 28 (and John 1:51); but here (most appropriately) it comes directly through the Son of Man. Although Jesus could be referring to a prior ascent, after an appearance as the preincarnate Son of Man, more likely he is simply pointing out that no one from earth has ever gone up to heaven and come down again. The Son, who has come down from heaven, is the only one who has been ‘up’ there. In both Jewish intertestamental literature and later rabbinic accounts, Moses is portrayed as ascending to heaven to receive the Torah and descending to distribute it to men (e.g., Targum Ps 68:19.) In contrast to these Jewish legends, the Son is the only one who has ever made the ascent and descent.

[3:13]  ²⁴ tc Most witnesses, including a few important ones (A^[*^] Θ Ψ 050 Ë^1,13 Ï latt sy^c,p,h), have at the end of this verse “the one who is in heaven” (ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, Jo wn en tw ouranw). A few others have variations on this phrase, such as “who was in heaven” (e sy^c), or “the one who is from heaven” (0141 pc sy^s). The witnesses normally considered the best, along with several others, lack the phrase in its entirety (Ì^66,75 א B L T W^s 083 086 33 1241 pc co). On the one hand, if the reading ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ is authentic it may suggest that while Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus he spoke of himself as in heaven even while he was on earth. If that is the case, one could see why variations from this hard saying arose: “who was in heaven,” “the one who is from heaven,” and omission of the clause. At the same time, such a saying could be interpreted (though with difficulty) as part of the narrator’s comments rather than Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus, alleviating the problem. And if v. 13 was viewed in early times as the evangelist’s statement, “the one who is in heaven” could have crept into the text through a marginal note. Other internal evidence suggests that this saying may be authentic. The adjectival participle, ὁ ὤν, is used in the Fourth Gospel more than any other NT book (though the Apocalypse comes in a close second), and frequently with reference to Jesus (1:18; 6:46; 8:47). It may be looking back to the LXX of Exod 3:14 (ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν). Especially since this exact construction is not necessary to communicate the location of the Son of Man, its presence in many witnesses here may suggest authenticity. Further, John uses the singular of οὐρανός (ourano", “heaven”) in all 18 instances of the word in this Gospel, and all but twice with the article (only 1:32 and 6:58 are anarthrous, and even in the latter there is significant testimony to the article). At the same time, the witnesses that lack this clause are very weighty and must not be discounted. Generally speaking, if other factors are equal, the reading of such mss should be preferred. And internally, it could be argued that ὁ ὤν is the most concise way to speak of the Son of Man in heaven at that time (without the participle the point would be more ambiguous). Further, the articular singular οὐρανός is already used twice in this verse, thus sufficiently prompting scribes to add the same in the longer reading. This combination of factors suggests that ὁ ὢν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ is not a genuine Johannism. Further intrinsic evidence against the longer reading relates to the evangelist’s purposes: If he intended v. 13 to be his own comments rather than Jesus’ statement, his switch back to Jesus’ words in v. 14 (for the lifting up of the Son of Man is still seen as in the future) seems inexplicable. The reading “who is in heaven” thus seems to be too hard. All things considered, as intriguing as the longer reading is, it seems almost surely to have been a marginal gloss added inadvertently to the text in the process of transmission. For an argument in favor of the longer reading, see David Alan Black, “The Text of John 3:13,” GTJ 6 (1985): 49-66.

[3:13]  sn See the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.

[3:16]  ²⁵ tn Or “this is how much”; or “in this way.” The Greek adverb οὕτως (Joutws) can refer (1) to the degree to which God loved the world, that is, to such an extent or so much that he gave his own Son (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:133-34; D. A. Carson, John, 204) or (2) simply to the manner in which God loved the world, i.e., by sending his own son (see R. H. Gundry and R. W. Howell, “The Sense and Syntax of John 3:14-17 with Special Reference to the Use of Οὕτως…ὥστε in John 3:16,” NovT 41 [1999]: 24-39). Though the term more frequently refers to the manner in which something is done (see BDAG 741-42 s.v. οὕτω/οὕτως), the following clause involving ὥστε (Jwste) plus the indicative (which stresses actual, but [usually] unexpected result) emphasizes the greatness of the gift God has given. With this in mind, then, it is likely (3) that John is emphasizing both the degree to which God loved the world as well as the manner in which He chose to express that love. This is in keeping with John’s style of using double entendre or double meaning. Thus, the focus of the Greek construction here is on the nature of God's love, addressing its mode, intensity, and extent.

[3:16]  ²⁶ tn Although this word is often translated “only begotten,” such a translation is misleading, since in English it appears to express a metaphysical relationship. The word in Greek was used of an only child (a son [Luke 7:12, 9:38] or a daughter [Luke 8:42]). It was also used of something unique (only one of its kind) such as the mythological Phoenix (1 Clement 25:2). From here it passes easily to a description of Isaac (Heb 11:17 and Josephus, Ant. 1.13.1 [1.222]) who was not Abraham’s only son, but was one-of-a-kind because he was the child of the promise. Thus the word means “one-of-a-kind” and is reserved for Jesus in the Johannine literature of the NT. While all Christians are children of God (τέκνα θεοῦ, tekna qeou), Jesus is God’s Son in a unique, one-of-a-kind sense. The word is used in this way in all its uses in the Gospel of John (1:14, 1:18, 3:16, and 3:18).

[3:16]  ²⁷ tn In John the word ἀπόλλυμι (apollumi) can mean either (1) to be lost (2) to perish or be destroyed, depending on the context.

[3:16]  ²⁸ sn The alternatives presented are only two (again, it is typical of Johannine thought for this to be presented in terms of polar opposites): perish or have eternal life.

[3:17]  ²⁹ sn That is, “to judge the world to be guilty and liable to punishment.”

[3:19]  ³⁰ tn Or “this is the reason for God judging,” or “this is how judgment works.”

[3:19]  ³¹ tn Grk “and men,” but in a generic sense, referring to people of both genders (as “everyone” in v. 20 makes clear).

[3:31]  ³² tn Or “is above all.”

[3:31]  ³³ tn Grk “speaks from the earth.”

[3:31]  ³⁴ sn The one who comes from heaven refers to Christ. As in John 1:1, the Word’s preexistence is indicated here.

[3:31]  ³⁵ tc Ì⁷⁵ א* D ˹ 565 as well as several versions and fathers lack the phrase “is superior to all” (ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν, epanw pantwn estin). This effectively joins the last sentence of v. 31 with v. 32: “The one who comes from heaven testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.” On the other side, the phrase may have been deleted because of perceived redundancy, since it duplicates what is said earlier in the verse. The witnesses that include ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν in both places are weighty and widespread (Ì^36vid,66 א² A B L W^s Θ Ψ 083 086 ˹³ 33 Ï lat sy^s,p,h bo). On balance, the longer reading should probably be considered authentic.

[3:31]  tn Or “is above all.”

[4:21]  ³⁶ sn Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.

[4:21]  ³⁷ tn Grk “an hour.”

[4:21]  ³⁸ tn The verb is plural.

[4:42]  ³⁹ tn Or “this.” The Greek pronoun can mean either “this one” or “this” (BDAG 740 s.v. οὗτος 1).

[4:42]  ⁴⁰ sn There is irony in the Samaritans’ declaration that Jesus was really the Savior of the world, an irony foreshadowed in the prologue to the Fourth Gospel (1:11): “He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.” Yet the Samaritans welcomed Jesus and proclaimed him to be not the Jewish Messiah only, but the Savior of the world.

[6:14]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:14]  ⁴² sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief.

[6:14]  ⁴³ sn An allusion to Deut 18:15.

[6:27]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “perishes” (this might refer to spoiling, but is more focused on the temporary nature of this kind of food).

[6:27]  sn Do not work for the food that disappears. Note the wordplay on “work” here. This does not imply “working” for salvation, since the “work” is later explained (in John 6:29) as “to believe in the one whom he (the Father) sent.”

[6:27]  ⁴⁵ tn The referent (the food) has been specified for clarity by repeating the word “food” from the previous clause.

[6:27]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “on this one.”

[6:33]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “he who.”

[6:51]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “And the bread.”

[7:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “seeks to be well known.”

[7:4]  ⁵⁰ sn No one who seeks to make a reputation for himself does anything in secret means, in effect: “if you’re going to perform signs to authenticate yourself as Messiah, you should do them at Jerusalem.” (Jerusalem is where mainstream Jewish apocalyptic tradition held that Messiah would appear.)

[8:12]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “Then again Jesus spoke to them saying.”

[8:12]  ⁵² sn The theory proposed by F. J. A. Hort (The New Testament in the Original Greek, vol. 2, Introduction; Appendix, 87-88), that the backdrop of 8:12 is the lighting of the candelabra in the court of women, may offer a plausible setting to the proclamation by Jesus that he is the light of the world. The last time that Jesus spoke in the narrative (assuming 7:53-8:11 is not part of the original text, as the textual evidence suggests) is in 7:38, where he was speaking to a crowd of pilgrims in the temple area. This is where he is found in the present verse, and he may be addressing the crowd again. Jesus’ remark has to be seen in view of both the prologue (John 1:4, 5) and the end of the discourse with Nicodemus (John 3:19-21). The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.

[8:12]  ⁵³ tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.

[8:15]  ⁵⁴ tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to indicate that the pronoun and verb (“judge”) in Greek are plural.

[8:15]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “judge according to external things”; Grk “according to the flesh.” These translations are given by BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 5.

[8:15]  ⁵⁶ sn What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement “I do not judge anyone”? It is clear that Jesus did judge (even in the next verse). The point is that he didn’t practice the same kind of judgment that the Pharisees did. Their kind of judgment was condemnatory. They tried to condemn people. Jesus did not come to judge the world, but to save it (3:17). Nevertheless, and not contradictory to this, the coming of Jesus did bring judgment, because it forced people to make a choice. Would they accept Jesus or reject him? Would they come to the light or shrink back into the darkness? As they responded, so were they judged – just as 3:19-21 previously stated. One’s response to Jesus determines one’s eternal destiny.

[8:20]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:20]  ⁵⁸ tn The term γαζοφυλάκιον (gazofulakion) can be translated “treasury” or “treasure room” in this context. BDAG 186 s.v. 1 notes, “It can be taken in this sense J 8:20 (sing.) in (or at) the treasury.” BDAG 186 s.v. 2 argues that the occurrences of this word in the synoptic gospels also refer to the treasury: “For Mk 12:41, 43; Lk 21:1 the mng. contribution box or receptacle is attractive. Acc. to Mishnah, Shekalim 6, 5 there were in the temple 13 such receptacles in the form of trumpets. But even in these passages the general sense of ‘treasury’ is prob., for the contributions would go [into] the treasury via the receptacles.” Based upon the extra-biblical evidence (see sn following), however, the translation opts to refer to the actual receptacles and not the treasury itself.

[8:20]  sn The offering box probably refers to the receptacles in the temple forecourt by the Court of Women used to collect freewill offerings. These are mentioned by Josephus, J. W. 5.5.2 (5.200), 6.5.2 (6.282); Ant. 19.6.1 (19.294); and in 1 Macc 14:49 and 2 Macc 3:6, 24, 28, 40 (see also Mark 12:41; Luke 21:1).

[8:20]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “the temple.”

[8:20]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “his hour.”

[8:20]  ⁶¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[8:23]  ⁶² tn Grk “And he said to them.”

[8:23]  ⁶³ tn The word “people” is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.

[8:26]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “I have many things to pronounce in judgment about you.” The two Greek infinitives could be understood as a hendiadys, resulting in one phrase.

[8:26]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:26]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “true” (in the sense of one who always tells the truth).

[8:26]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “and what things I have heard from him, these things I speak to the world.”

[8:33]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “We are the seed” (an idiom).

[8:33]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “They answered to him.”

[8:33]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “How is it that you say.”

[9:5]  ⁷¹ sn Jesus’ statement I am the light of the world connects the present account with 8:12. Here (seen more clearly than at 8:12) it is obvious what the author sees as the significance of Jesus’ statement. “Light” is not a metaphysical definition of the person of Jesus but a description of his effect on the world, forcing everyone in the world to ‘choose up sides’ for or against him (cf. 3:19-21).

[9:32]  ⁷² tn Or “Never from the beginning of time,” Grk “From eternity.”

[9:32]  ⁷³ tn Grk “someone opening the eyes of a man born blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:39]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “And Jesus.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:39]  ⁷⁵ tc ‡ Some early and important witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ א* W b sa^ms ac² mf) lack the words, “He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him. Jesus said,” (vv. 38-39a). This is weighty evidence for the omission of these words. It is difficult to overstate the value of Ì⁷⁵ here, since it is the only currently available papyrus ms extant for the text of John 9:38-39. Further, א is an important and early Alexandrian witness for the omission. The versional testimony and codex W also give strong support to the omission. Nearly all other mss, however, include these words. The omission may have been occasioned by parablepsis (both vv. 37 and 39 begin with “Jesus said to him”), though it is difficult to account for such an error across such a wide variety of witnesses. On the other hand, the longer reading appears to be motivated by liturgical concerns (so R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:375), since the verb προσκυνέω (proskunew, “I worship”) is used in John 4:20-25 of worshiping God, and again with the same sense in 12:20. If these words were authentic here, this would be the only place in John’s Gospel where Jesus is the explicit object of προσκυνέω. Even if these words are not authentic, such an omission would nevertheless hardly diminish John’s high Christology (cf. 1:1; 5:18-23; 14:6-10; 20:28), nor the implicit worship of him by Thomas (20:28). Nevertheless, a decision is difficult, and the included words may reflect a very early tradition about the blind man’s response to Jesus.

[9:39]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “that those who do not see may see.”

[10:28]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “And I give.”

[10:28]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”

[10:28]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “no one will seize.”

[10:34]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “answered them.”

[10:34]  ⁸¹ sn A quotation from Ps 82:6. Technically the Psalms are not part of the OT “law” (which usually referred to the five books of Moses), but occasionally the term “law” was applied to the entire OT, as here. The problem in this verse concerns the meaning of Jesus’ quotation from Ps 82:6. It is important to look at the OT context: The whole line reads “I say, you are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.” Jesus will pick up on the term “sons of the Most High” in 10:36, where he refers to himself as the Son of God. The psalm was understood in rabbinic circles as an attack on unjust judges who, though they have been given the title “gods” because of their quasi-divine function of exercising judgment, are just as mortal as other men. What is the argument here? It is often thought to be as follows: If it was an OT practice to refer to men like the judges as gods, and not blasphemy, why did the Jewish authorities object when this term was applied to Jesus? This really doesn’t seem to fit the context, however, since if that were the case Jesus would not be making any claim for “divinity” for himself over and above any other human being – and therefore he would not be subject to the charge of blasphemy. Rather, this is evidently a case of arguing from the lesser to the greater, a common form of rabbinic argument. The reason the OT judges could be called gods is because they were vehicles of the word of God (cf. 10:35). But granting that premise, Jesus deserves much more than they to be called God. He is the Word incarnate, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world to save the world (10:36). In light of the prologue to the Gospel of John, it seems this interpretation would have been most natural for the author. If it is permissible to call men “gods” because they were the vehicles of the word of God, how much more permissible is it to use the word “God” of him who is the Word of God?

[10:36]  ⁸² tn Or “dedicated.”

[11:9]  ⁸³ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[11:9]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “he does not trip.”

[11:9]  ⁸⁵ sn What is the light of this world? On one level, of course, it refers to the sun, but the reader of John’s Gospel would recall 8:12 and understand Jesus’ symbolic reference to himself as the light of the world. There is only a limited time left (Are there not twelve hours in a day?) until the Light will be withdrawn (until Jesus returns to the Father) and the one who walks around in the dark will trip and fall (compare the departure of Judas by night in 13:30).

[11:27]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “She said to him.”

[11:27]  ⁸⁷ tn The perfect tense in Greek is often used to emphasize the results or present state of a past action. Such is the case here. To emphasize this nuance the perfect tense verb πεπίστευκα (pepisteuka) has been translated as a present tense. This is in keeping with the present context, where Jesus asks of her present state of belief in v. 26, and the theology of the Gospel as a whole, which emphasizes the continuing effects and present reality of faith. For discussion on this use of the perfect tense, see ExSyn 574-76 and B. M. Fanning, Verbal Aspect, 291-97.

[11:27]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[11:27]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.

[11:27]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “the Son of God, the one who comes into the world.”

[11:52]  ⁹⁰ tn See the note on the word “nation” in the previous verse.

[11:52]  ⁹¹ sn The author in his comment expands the prophecy to include the Gentiles (not for the Jewish nation only), a confirmation that the Fourth Gospel was directed, at least partly, to a Gentile audience. There are echoes of Pauline concepts here (particularly Eph 2:11-22) in the stress on the unity of Jew and Gentile.

[11:52]  ⁹² tn Grk “that he might gather together.”

[11:52]  ⁹³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[12:1]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “whom Jesus,” but a repetition of the proper name (Jesus) here would be redundant in the English clause structure, so the pronoun (“he”) is substituted in the translation.

[12:9]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “of the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e), the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem and the surrounding area who by this time had heard about the resurrection of Lazarus and were curious to see him.

[12:9]  ⁹⁶ tn Grk “knew.”

[12:9]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “he”; normal English clause structure specifies the referent first and substitutes the pronoun in subsequent references to the same individual, so the referent (Jesus) has been specified here.

[12:9]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “Jesus”; normal English clause structure specifies the referent first and substitutes the pronoun in subsequent references to the same individual, so the pronoun (“him”) has been substituted here.

[12:17]  ⁹⁹ tn The word “it” is not included in the Greek text. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[12:19]  ¹⁰⁰ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[12:25]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “soul.”

[12:25]  ¹⁰² tn Or “loses.” Although the traditional English translation of ἀπολλύει (apolluei) in John 12:25 is “loses,” the contrast with φυλάξει (fulaxei, “keeps” or “guards”) in the second half of the verse favors the meaning “destroy” here.

[12:25]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “keeps.”

[12:31]  ¹⁰⁴ sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.

[12:31]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “will be thrown out.” This translation regards the future passive ἐκβληθήσεται (ekblhqhsetai) as referring to an event future to the time of speaking.

[12:31]  sn The phrase driven out must refer to Satan’s loss of authority over this world. This must be in principle rather than in immediate fact, since 1 John 5:19 states that the whole world (still) lies in the power of the evil one (a reference to Satan). In an absolute sense the reference is proleptic. The coming of Jesus’ hour (his crucifixion, death, resurrection, and exaltation to the Father) marks the end of Satan’s domain and brings about his defeat, even though that defeat has not been ultimately worked out in history yet and awaits the consummation of the age.

[12:47]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “And if anyone”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been left untranslated here for improved English style.

[12:47]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or “guard them,” “keep them.”

[12:47]  ¹⁰⁸ sn Cf. John 3:17.

[13:1]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “his hour.”

[13:1]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “that he should depart.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause in Koine Greek frequently encroached on the simple infinitive (for the sake of greater clarity).

[13:1]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “he now loved them completely,” or “he now loved them to the uttermost” (see John 19:30). All of John 13:1 is a single sentence in Greek, although in English this would be unacceptably awkward. At the end of the verse the idiom εἰς τέλος (eis telos) was translated literally as “to the end” and the modern equivalents given in the note above, because there is an important lexical link between this passage and John 19:30, τετέλεσται (tetelestai, “It is ended”).

[13:1]  sn The full extent of Jesus’ love for his disciples is not merely seen in his humble service to them in washing their feet (the most common interpretation of the passage). The full extent of his love for them is demonstrated in his sacrificial death for them on the cross. The footwashing episode which follows then becomes a prophetic act, or acting out beforehand, of his upcoming death on their behalf. The message for the disciples was that they were to love one another not just in humble, self-effacing service, but were to be willing to die for one another. At least one of them got this message eventually, though none understood it at the time (see 1 John 3:16).

[13:35]  ¹¹² tn Grk “All people,” although many modern translations have rendered πάντες (pantes) as “all men” (ASV, RSV, NASB, NIV). While the gender of the pronoun is masculine, it is collective and includes people of both genders.

[14:17]  ¹¹³ tn Or “cannot receive.”

[14:17]  ¹¹⁴ tn Or “he remains.”

[14:17]  ¹¹⁵ tc Some early and important witnesses (Ì^66* B D* W 1 565 it) have ἐστιν (estin, “he is”) instead of ἔσται (estai, “he will be”) here, while other weighty witnesses ({Ì^66c,75vid א A D¹ L Θ Ψ Ë¹³ 33^vid Ï as well as several versions and fathers}), read the future tense. When one considers transcriptional evidence, ἐστιν is the more difficult reading and better explains the rise of the future tense reading, but it must be noted that both Ì⁶⁶ and D were corrected from the present tense to the future. If ἐστιν were the original reading, one would expect a few manuscripts to be corrected to read the present when they originally read the future, but that is not the case. When one considers what the author would have written, the future is on much stronger ground. The immediate context (both in 14:16 and in the chapter as a whole) points to the future, and the theology of the book regards the advent of the Spirit as a decidedly future event (see, e.g., 7:39 and 16:7). The present tense could have arisen from an error of sight on the part of some scribes or more likely from an error of thought as scribes reflected upon the present role of the Spirit. Although a decision is difficult, the future tense is most likely authentic. For further discussion on this textual problem, see James M. Hamilton, Jr., “He Is with You and He Will Be in You” (Ph.D. diss., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003), 213-20.

[14:19]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “Yet a little while, and.”

[14:22]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “(not Iscariot).” The proper noun (Judas) has been repeated for clarity and smoothness in English style.

[14:22]  sn This is a parenthetical comment by the author.

[14:22]  ¹¹⁸ tn Grk “said to him.”

[14:22]  ¹¹⁹ tn Or “disclose.”

[14:22]  sn The disciples still expected at this point that Jesus, as Messiah, was going to reveal his identity as such to the world (cf. 7:4).

[14:27]  ¹²⁰ sn Peace I leave with you. In spite of appearances, this verse does not introduce a new subject (peace). Jesus will use the phrase as a greeting to his disciples after his resurrection (20:19, 21, 26). It is here a reflection of the Hebrew shalom as a farewell. But Jesus says he leaves peace with his disciples. This should probably be understood ultimately in terms of the indwelling of the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, who has been the topic of the preceding verses. It is his presence, after Jesus has left the disciples and finally returned to the Father, which will remain with them and comfort them.

[14:27]  ¹²¹ tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[14:27]  ¹²² tn Grk “not as the world gives do I give to you.”

[14:27]  ¹²³ tn Or “distressed or fearful and cowardly.”

[14:30]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “I will no longer speak many things with you.”

[14:30]  ¹²⁵ sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.

[14:30]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “in me he has nothing.”

[14:31]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “may learn.”

[14:31]  ¹²⁸ tn Grk “But so that the world may know that I love the Father, and just as the Father commanded me, thus I do.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation to conform to contemporary English style.

[14:31]  ¹²⁹ sn Some have understood Jesus’ statement Get up, let us go from here to mean that at this point Jesus and the disciples got up and left the room where the meal was served and began the journey to the garden of Gethsemane. If so, the rest of the Farewell Discourse took place en route. Others have pointed to this statement as one of the “seams” in the discourse, indicating that the author used preexisting sources. Both explanations are possible, but not really necessary. Jesus could simply have stood up at this point (the disciples may or may not have stood with him) to finish the discourse before finally departing (in 18:1). In any case it may be argued that Jesus refers not to a literal departure at this point, but to preparing to meet the enemy who is on the way already in the person of Judas and the soldiers with him.

[15:18]  ¹³⁰ tn Grk “know.”

[15:18]  ¹³¹ tn Grk “it hated me before you.”

[15:19]  ¹³² tn Grk “if you were of the world.”

[15:19]  ¹³³ tn The words “you as” are not in the original but are supplied for clarity.

[15:19]  ¹³⁴ tn Grk “because you are not of the world.”

[15:19]  ¹³⁵ tn Or “world, therefore.”

[15:19]  ¹³⁶ sn I chose you out of the world…the world hates you. Two themes are brought together here. In 8:23 Jesus had distinguished himself from the world in addressing his Jewish opponents: “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.” In 15:16 Jesus told the disciples “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you.” Now Jesus has united these two ideas as he informs the disciples that he has chosen them out of the world. While the disciples will still be “in” the world after Jesus has departed, they will not belong to it, and Jesus prays later in John 17:15-16 to the Father, “I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” The same theme also occurs in 1 John 4:5-6: “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us.” Thus the basic reason why the world hates the disciples (as it hated Jesus before them) is because they are not of the world. They are born from above, and are not of the world. For this reason the world hates them.

[15:21]  ¹³⁷ tn Or “because of.”

[15:21]  ¹³⁸ tn Jesus is referring to God as “the one who sent me.”

[16:8]  ¹³⁹ tn Grk “when that one.”

[16:8]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Or “will convict the world,” or “will expose the world.” The conjunction περί (peri) is used in 16:8-11 in the sense of “concerning” or “with respect to.” But what about the verb ἐλέγχω (elencw)? The basic meanings possible for this word are (1) “to convict or convince someone of something”; (2) “to bring to light or expose something; and (3) “to correct or punish someone.” The third possibility may be ruled out in these verses on contextual grounds since punishment is not implied. The meaning is often understood to be that the Paraclete will “convince” the world of its error, so that some at least will repent. But S. Mowinckel (“Die Vorstellungen des Spätjudentums vom heiligen Geist als Fürsprecher und der johanneische Paraklet,” ZNW 32 [1933]: 97-130) demonstrated that the verb ἐλέγχω did not necessarily imply the conversion or reform of the guilty party. This means it is far more likely that conviction in something of a legal sense is intended here (as in a trial). The only certainty is that the accused party is indeed proven guilty (not that they will acknowledge their guilt). Further confirmation of this interpretation is seen in John 14:17 where the world cannot receive the Paraclete and in John 3:20, where the evildoer deliberately refuses to come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed for what they really are (significantly, the verb in John 3:20 is also ἐλέγχω). However, if one wishes to adopt the meaning “prove guilty” for the use of ἐλέγχω in John 16:8 a difficulty still remains: While this meaning fits the first statement in 16:9 – the world is ‘proven guilty’ concerning its sin of refusing to believe in Jesus – it does not fit so well the second and third assertions in vv. 10-11. Thus R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:705) suggests the more general meaning “prove wrong” which would fit in all three cases. This may be so, but there may also be a developmental aspect to the meaning, which would then shift from v. 9 to v. 10 to v. 11.

[16:8]  ¹⁴¹ tn Grk “and concerning.”

[16:8]  ¹⁴² tn Grk “and concerning.”

[16:9]  ¹⁴³ tn Or “that.” It is very difficult to determine whether ὅτι (Joti; 3 times in 16:9, 10, 11) should be understood as causal or appositional/explanatory: Brown and Bultmann favor appositional or explanatory, while Barrett and Morris prefer a causal sense. A causal idea is preferable here, since it also fits the parallel statements in vv. 10-11 better than an appositional or explanatory use would. In this case Jesus is stating in each instance the reason why the world is proven guilty or wrong by the Spirit-Paraclete.

[16:9]  ¹⁴⁴ sn Here (v. 9) the world is proven guilty concerning sin, and the reason given is their refusal to believe in Jesus. In 3:19 the effect of Jesus coming into the world as the Light of the world was to provoke judgment, by forcing people to choose up sides for or against him, and they chose darkness rather than light. In 12:37, at the very end of Jesus’ public ministry in John’s Gospel, people were still refusing to believe in him.

[16:11]  ¹⁴⁵ sn The world is proven wrong concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. Jesus’ righteousness before the Father, as proven by his return to the Father, his glorification, constitutes a judgment against Satan. This is parallel to the judgment of the world which Jesus provokes in 3:19-21: Jesus’ presence in the world as the Light of the world provokes the judgment of those in the world, because as they respond to the light (either coming to Jesus or rejecting him) so are they judged. That judgment is in a sense already realized. So it is here, where the judgment of Satan is already realized in Jesus’ glorification. This does not mean that Satan does not continue to be active in the world, and to exercise some power over it, just as in 3:19-21 the people in the world who have rejected Jesus and thus incurred judgment continue on in their opposition to Jesus for a time. In both cases the judgment is not immediately executed. But it is certain.

[16:11]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Or “that.”

[16:11]  ¹⁴⁷ sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.

[16:11]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Or “judged.”

[16:20]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[16:20]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Or “wail,” “cry.”

[16:20]  ¹⁵¹ tn Or “lament.”

[16:20]  ¹⁵² tn Or “sorrowful.”

[16:20]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk “will become.”

[16:21]  ¹⁵⁴ sn The same word translated distress here has been translated sadness in the previous verse (a wordplay that is not exactly reproducible in English).

[16:21]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Grk “her hour.”

[16:21]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Grk “that a man” (but in a generic sense, referring to a human being).

[16:21]  ¹⁵⁷ sn Jesus now compares the situation of the disciples to a woman in childbirth. Just as the woman in the delivery of her child experiences real pain and anguish (has distress), so the disciples will also undergo real anguish at the crucifixion of Jesus. But once the child has been born, the mother’s anguish is turned into joy, and she forgets the past suffering. The same will be true of the disciples, who after Jesus’ resurrection and reappearance to them will forget the anguish they suffered at his death on account of their joy.

[16:28]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Or “into the world; again.” Here πάλιν (palin) functions as a marker of contrast, with the implication of a sequence.

[16:28]  ¹⁵⁹ sn The statement I am leaving the world and going to the Father is a summary of the entire Gospel of John. It summarizes the earthly career of the Word made flesh, Jesus of Nazareth, on his mission from the Father to be the Savior of the world, beginning with his entry into the world as he came forth from God and concluding with his departure from the world as he returned to the Father.

[16:33]  ¹⁶⁰ tn The one Greek term θλῖψις (qliyis) has been translated by an English hendiadys (two terms that combine for one meaning) “trouble and suffering.” For modern English readers “tribulation” is no longer clearly understandable.

[16:33]  ¹⁶¹ tn Or “but be courageous.”

[16:33]  ¹⁶² tn Or “I am victorious over the world,” or “I have overcome the world.”

[16:33]  sn The Farewell Discourse proper closes on the triumphant note I have conquered the world, which recalls 1:5 (in the prologue): “the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.” Jesus’ words which follow in chap. 17 are addressed not to the disciples but to his Father, as he prays for the consecration of the disciples.

[17:2]  ¹⁶³ tn Or “all people”; Grk “all flesh.”

[17:2]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Grk “so that to everyone whom you have given to him, he may give to them eternal life.”

[17:3]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Using αὕτη δέ (Jauth de) to introduce an explanation is typical Johannine style; it was used before in John 1:19, 3:19, and 15:12.

[17:3]  ¹⁶⁶ sn This is eternal life. The author here defines eternal life for the readers, although it is worked into the prayer in such a way that many interpreters do not regard it as another of the author’s parenthetical comments. It is not just unending life in the sense of prolonged duration. Rather it is a quality of life, with its quality derived from a relationship with God. Having eternal life is here defined as being in relationship with the Father, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom the Father sent. Christ (Χριστός, Cristos) is not characteristically attached to Jesus’ name in John’s Gospel; it occurs elsewhere primarily as a title and is used with Jesus’ name only in 1:17. But that is connected to its use here: The statement here in 17:3 enables us to correlate the statement made in 1:18 of the prologue, that Jesus has fully revealed what God is like, with Jesus’ statement in 10:10 that he has come that people might have life, and have it abundantly. These two purposes are really one, according to 17:3, because (abundant) eternal life is defined as knowing (being in relationship with) the Father and the Son. The only way to gain this eternal life, that is, to obtain this knowledge of the Father, is through the Son (cf. 14:6). Although some have pointed to the use of know (γινώσκω, ginwskw) here as evidence of Gnostic influence in the Fourth Gospel, there is a crucial difference: For John this knowledge is not intellectual, but relational. It involves being in relationship.

[17:3]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Or “and Jesus the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[17:4]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Or “by finishing” or “by accomplishing.” Jesus now states that he has glorified the Father on earth by finishing (τελειώσας [teleiwsas] is best understood as an adverbial participle of means) the work which the Father had given him to do.

[17:4]  sn By completing the work. The idea of Jesus being sent into the world on a mission has been mentioned before, significantly in 3:17. It was even alluded to in the immediately preceding verse here (17:3). The completion of the “work” the Father had sent him to accomplish was mentioned by Jesus in 4:34 and 5:36. What is the nature of the “work” the Father has given the Son to accomplish? It involves the Son’s mission to be the Savior of the world, as 3:17 indicates. But this is accomplished specifically through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross (a thought implied by the reference to the Father “giving” the Son in 3:16). It is not without significance that Jesus’ last word from the cross is “It is completed” (19:30).

[17:4]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “the work that you gave to me so that I may do it.”

[17:5]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Or “in your presence”; Grk “with yourself.” The use of παρά (para) twice in this verse looks back to the assertion in John 1:1 that the Word (the Λόγος [Logos], who became Jesus of Nazareth in 1:14) was with God (πρὸς τὸν θεόν, pro" ton qeon). Whatever else may be said, the statement in 17:5 strongly asserts the preexistence of Jesus Christ.

[17:5]  ¹⁷¹ tn Grk “before the world was.” The word “created” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[17:5]  sn It is important to note that although Jesus prayed for a return to the glory he had at the Father’s side before the world was created, he was not praying for a “de-incarnation.” His humanity which he took on at the incarnation (John 1:14) remains, though now glorified.

[17:6]  ¹⁷² tn Or “made known,” “disclosed.”

[17:6]  ¹⁷³ tn Here “men” is retained as a translation for ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") rather than the more generic “people” because in context it specifically refers to the eleven men Jesus had chosen as apostles (Judas had already departed, John 13:30). If one understands the referent here to be the broader group of Jesus’ followers that included both men and women, a translation like “to the people” should be used here instead.

[17:6]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Grk “Yours they were.”

[17:6]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “have kept.”

[17:8]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Grk And they.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:8]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Or “received.”

[17:8]  ¹⁷⁸ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[17:8]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Or “truly.”

[17:8]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Or have come to know.”

[17:9]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk “I am asking.”

[17:9]  ¹⁸² tn Grk “I am not asking.”

[17:9]  ¹⁸³ tn Or “because they are yours.”

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Grk And I.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁵ tn The context indicates that this should be translated as an adversative or contrastive conjunction.

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Or “protect them”; Grk “keep them.”

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Or “by your name.”

[17:11]  ¹⁸⁸ tn The second repetition of “one” is implied, and is supplied here for clarity.

[17:12]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Or “I protected them”; Grk “I kept them.”

[17:12]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Grk “and guarded them.”

[17:12]  ¹⁹¹ tn Or “by your name.”

[17:12]  ¹⁹² tn Grk And not one.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:12]  ¹⁹³ tn Grk “the son of destruction” (a Semitic idiom for one appointed for destruction; here it is a reference to Judas).

[17:12]  sn The one destined to destruction refers to Judas. Clearly in John’s Gospel Judas is portrayed as a tool of Satan. He is described as “the devil” in 6:70. In 13:2 Satan put into Judas’ heart the idea of betraying Jesus, and 13:27 Satan himself entered Judas. Immediately after this Judas left the company of Jesus and the other disciples and went out into the realm of darkness (13:30). Cf. 2 Thess 2:3, where this same Greek phrase (“the son of destruction”; see tn above) is used to describe the man through whom Satan acts to rebel against God in the last days.

[17:12]  ¹⁹⁴ sn A possible allusion to Ps 41:9 or Prov 24:22 LXX. The exact passage is not specified here, but in John 13:18, Ps 41:9 is explicitly quoted by Jesus with reference to the traitor, suggesting that this is the passage to which Jesus refers here. The previous mention of Ps 41:9 in John 13:18 probably explains why the author felt no need for an explanatory parenthetical note here. It is also possible that the passage referred to here is Prov 24:22 LXX, where in the Greek text the phrase “son of destruction” appears.

[17:13]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Grk “they may have.”

[17:13]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Or “fulfilled.”

[17:14]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Or “your message.”

[17:14]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Grk “because they are not of the world.”

[17:14]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Grk “just as I am not of the world.”

[17:15]  ²⁰⁰ tn Or “that you protect them”; Grk “that you keep them.”

[17:15]  ²⁰¹ tn The phrase “the evil one” is a reference to Satan. The genitive noun τοῦ πονηροῦ (tou ponhrou) is ambiguous with regard to gender: It may represent the neuter τὸ πονηρόν (to ponhron), “that which is evil,” or the masculine ὁ πονηρός (Jo ponhro"), “the evil one,” i.e., Satan. In view of the frequent use of the masculine in 1 John 2:13-14, 3:12, and 5:18-19 it seems much more probable that the masculine is to be understood here, and that Jesus is praying for his disciples to be protected from Satan. Cf. BDAG 851 s.v. πονηρός 1.b.β and 1.b.γ.

[17:16]  ²⁰² tn Grk “they are not of the world.” This is a repetition of the second half of v. 14. The only difference is in word order: Verse 14 has οὐκ εἰσὶν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου (ouk eisin ek tou kosmou), while here the prepositional phrase is stated first: ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου οὐκ εἰσίν (ek tou kosmou ouk eisin). This gives additional emphasis to the idea of the prepositional phrase, i.e., origin, source, or affiliation.

[17:16]  ²⁰³ tn Grk “just as I am not of the world.”

[17:18]  ²⁰⁴ sn Jesus now compared the mission on which he was sending the disciples to his own mission into the world, on which he was sent by the Father. As the Father sent Jesus into the world (cf. 3:17), so Jesus now sends the disciples into the world to continue his mission after his departure. The nature of this prayer for the disciples as a consecratory prayer is now emerging: Jesus was setting them apart for the work he had called them to do. They were, in a sense, being commissioned.

[17:21]  ²⁰⁵ tn The words “I pray” are repeated from the first part of v. 20 for clarity.

[17:23]  ²⁰⁶ tn Or “completely unified.”

[17:24]  ²⁰⁷ tn Grk “the ones you have given me, I want these to be where I am with me.”

[17:24]  ²⁰⁸ tn Grk “before the foundation of the world.”

[17:25]  ²⁰⁹ tn The word “men” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The translation uses the word “men” here rather than a more general term like “people” because the use of the aorist verb ἔγνωσαν (egnwsan) implies that Jesus is referring to the disciples present with him as he spoke these words (presumably all of them men in the historical context), rather than to those who are yet to believe because of their testimony (see John 17:20).

[18:20]  ²¹⁰ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[18:20]  ²¹¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[18:20]  ²¹² tn Grk “in the temple.”

[18:20]  ²¹³ tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people generally, for whom the synagogues and the temple courts in Jerusalem were important public gathering places. See also the note on the phrase “Jewish religious leaders” in v. 12.

[18:20]  ²¹⁴ tn Grk “And I.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[18:36]  ²¹⁵ tn Grk “so that I may not be.”

[18:36]  ²¹⁶ tn Or “delivered over.”

[18:36]  ²¹⁷ tn Or “the Jewish leaders”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially members of the Sanhedrin. See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 12. In the translation “authorities” was preferred over “leaders” for stylistic reasons.

[18:36]  ²¹⁸ tn Grk “now.”

[18:37]  ²¹⁹ tn Grk “said to him.”

[18:37]  ²²⁰ tn Or “obeys”; Grk “hears.”

[21:25]  ²²¹ tn Grk “written”; the word “down” is supplied in keeping with contemporary English idiom.

[21:25]  ²²² tn Grk “the world itself.”

[21:25]  ²²³ tc Although the majority of mss (C² Θ Ψ Ë¹³ Ï lat) conclude this Gospel with ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”), such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, excellent and early witnesses, as well as a few others (א A B C*^,3 D W 1 33 pc it), lack the particle, rendering no doubt as to how this Gospel originally ended.

[21:25]  sn The author concludes the Gospel with a note concerning his selectivity of material. He makes it plain that he has not attempted to write an exhaustive account of the words and works of Jesus, for if one attempted to do so, “the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” This is clearly hyperbole, and as such bears some similarity to the conclusion of the Book of Ecclesiastes (12:9-12). As it turns out, the statement seems more true of the Fourth Gospel itself, which is the subject of an ever-lengthening bibliography. The statement in v. 25 serves as a final reminder that knowledge of Jesus, no matter how well-attested it may be, is still partial. Everything that Jesus did during his three and one-half years of earthly ministry is not known. This supports the major theme of the Fourth Gospel: Jesus is repeatedly identified as God, and although he may be truly known on the basis of his self-disclosure, he can never be known exhaustively. There is far more to know about Jesus than could ever be written down, or even known. On this appropriate note the Gospel of John ends.