Yohanes 1:11

1:11 He came to what was his own, ¹  but ²  his own people ³  did not receive him. ⁴ 

Yohanes 3:12

3:12 If I have told you people ⁵  about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ⁶ 

Yohanes 3:18

3:18 The one who believes in him is not condemned. ⁷  The one who does not believe has been condemned ⁸  already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only ⁹  Son of God.

Yohanes 7:33

7:33 Then Jesus said, “I will be with you for only a little while longer, ¹⁰  and then ¹¹  I am going to the one who sent me.

Yohanes 8:12

Jesus as the Light of the World

8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, ¹²  “I am the light of the world. ¹³  The one who follows me will never ¹⁴  walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Yohanes 9:6

9:6 Having said this, ¹⁵  he spat on the ground and made some mud ¹⁶  with the saliva. He ¹⁷  smeared the mud on the blind man’s ¹⁸  eyes

Yohanes 9:15

9:15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. ¹⁹  He replied, ²⁰  “He put mud ²¹  on my eyes and I washed, and now ²²  I am able to see.”

Yohanes 10:32

10:32 Jesus said to them, ²³  “I have shown you many good deeds ²⁴  from the Father. For which one of them are you going to stone me?”

Yohanes 11:9

11:9 Jesus replied, ²⁵  “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around in the daytime, he does not stumble, ²⁶  because he sees the light of this world. ²⁷ 

Yohanes 11:44

11:44 The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, ²⁸  and a cloth wrapped around his face. ²⁹  Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him ³⁰  and let him go.”

Yohanes 12:6

12:6 (Now Judas ³¹  said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box, ³²  he used to steal what was put into it.) ³³ 

Yohanes 13:21

13:21 When he had said these things, Jesus was greatly distressed ³⁴  in spirit, and testified, ³⁵  “I tell you the solemn truth, ³⁶  one of you will betray me.” ³⁷ 

Yohanes 13:36

13:36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, ³⁸  “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.”

Yohanes 14:30

14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, ³⁹  for the ruler of this world is coming. ⁴⁰  He has no power over me, ⁴¹ 

Yohanes 18:3

18:3 So Judas obtained a squad of soldiers ⁴²  and some officers of the chief priests and Pharisees. ⁴³  They came to the orchard ⁴⁴  with lanterns ⁴⁵  and torches and weapons.

Yohanes 18:23

18:23 Jesus replied, ⁴⁶  “If I have said something wrong, ⁴⁷  confirm ⁴⁸  what is wrong. ⁴⁹  But if I spoke correctly, why strike me?”

Yohanes 19:20

19:20 Thus many of the Jewish residents of Jerusalem ⁵⁰  read this notice, ⁵¹  because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was written in Aramaic, ⁵²  Latin, and Greek.

Yohanes 20:1

The Resurrection

20:1 Now very early on the first day of the week, ⁵³  while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene ⁵⁴  came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. ⁵⁵ 

[1:11]  ¹ tn Grk “to his own things.”

[1:11]  ² tn Grk “and,” but in context this is an adversative use of καί (kai) and is thus translated “but.”

[1:11]  ³ tn “People” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[1:11]  ⁴ 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.

[3:12]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.

[3:18]  ⁷ tn Grk “judged.”

[3:18]  ⁸ tn Grk “judged.”

[3:18]  ⁹ tn See the note on the term “one and only” in 3:16.

[7:33]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Yet a little I am with you.”

[7:33]  ¹¹ tn The word “then” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

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

[8:12]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.

[9:6]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “said these things.”

[9:6]  ¹⁶ tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency). The textual variant preserved in the Syriac text of Ephraem’s commentary on the Diatessaron (“he made eyes from his clay”) probably arose from the interpretation given by Irenaeus in Against Heresies: “that which the Artificer, the Word, had omitted to form in the womb, he then supplied in public.” This involves taking the clay as an allusion to Gen 2:7, which is very unlikely.

[9:6]  ¹⁷ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) was replaced by a third person pronoun and a new sentence started here in the translation.

[9:6]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “on his.”

[9:15]  ¹⁹ tn Or “how he had become able to see.”

[9:15]  sn So the Pharisees asked him. Note the subtlety here: On the surface, the man is being judged. But through him, Jesus is being judged. Yet in reality (as the discerning reader will realize) it is ironically the Pharisees themselves who are being judged by their response to Jesus who is the light of the world (cf. 3:17-21).

[9:15]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And he said to them.”

[9:15]  ²¹ tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).

[9:15]  ²² tn The word “now” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate the contrast between the man’s former state (blind) and his present state (able to see).

[10:32]  ²³ tn Grk “Jesus answered them.”

[10:32]  ²⁴ tn Or “good works.”

[11:9]  ²⁵ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[11:9]  ²⁶ tn Or “he does not trip.”

[11:9]  ²⁷ 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).

[11:44]  ²⁸ sn Many have wondered how Lazarus got out of the tomb if his hands and feet were still tied up with strips of cloth. The author does not tell, and with a miracle of this magnitude, this is not an important fact to know. If Lazarus’ decomposing body was brought back to life by the power of God, then it could certainly have been moved out of the tomb by that same power. Others have suggested that the legs were bound separately, which would remove the difficulty, but the account gives no indication of this. What may be of more significance for the author is the comparison which this picture naturally evokes with the resurrection of Jesus, where the graveclothes stayed in the tomb neatly folded (20:6-7). Jesus, unlike Lazarus, would never need graveclothes again.

[11:44]  ²⁹ tn Grk “and his face tied around with cloth.”

[11:44]  ³⁰ tn Grk “Loose him.”

[12:6]  ³¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:6]  ³² tn Grk “a thief, and having the money box.” Dividing the single Greek sentence improves the English style.

[12:6]  ³³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. This is one of the indications in the gospels that Judas was of bad character before the betrayal of Jesus. John states that he was a thief and had responsibility for the finances of the group. More than being simply a derogatory note about Judas’ character, the inclusion of the note at this particular point in the narrative may be intended to link the frustrated greed of Judas here with his subsequent decision to betray Jesus for money. The parallel accounts in Matthew and Mark seem to indicate that after this incident Judas went away immediately and made his deal with the Jewish authorities to deliver up Jesus. Losing out on one source of sordid gain, he immediately went out and set up another.

[13:21]  ³⁴ tn Or “greatly troubled.”

[13:21]  ³⁵ tn Grk “and testified and said.”

[13:21]  ³⁶ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[13:21]  ³⁷ tn Or “will hand me over.”

[13:36]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[14:30]  ³⁹ tn Grk “I will no longer speak many things with you.”

[14:30]  ⁴⁰ sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.

[14:30]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “in me he has nothing.”

[18:3]  ⁴² tn Grk “a cohort.” The word σπεῖραν (speiran) is a technical term for a Roman cohort, normally a force of 600 men (one tenth of a legion). It was under the command of a χιλίαρχος (ciliarco", v. 12). Because of the improbability of an entire cohort being sent to arrest a single man, some have suggested that σπεῖραν here refers only to a maniple, a force of 200. But the use of the word here does not necessarily mean the entire cohort was present on this mission, but only that it was the cohort which performed the task (for example, saying the fire department put out the fire does not mean that every fireman belonging to the department was on the scene at the time). These Roman soldiers must have been ordered to accompany the servants of the chief priests and Pharisees by Pilate, since they would have been under the direct command of the Roman prefect or procurator. It is not difficult to understand why Pilate would have been willing to assist the Jewish authorities in such a way. With a huge crowd of pilgrims in Jerusalem for the Passover, the Romans would have been especially nervous about an uprising of some sort. No doubt the chief priests and Pharisees had informed Pilate that this man Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, or in the terms Pilate would understand, king of Israel.

[18:3]  ⁴³ tn The phrase “officers of the chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:32, 45; 18:3, 12, 18, 22; 19:6. They are different from the Levites who served as “temple police” according to K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 8:540). In John 7:32ff. these officers had made an unsuccessful attempt to arrest Jesus, and perhaps this is part of the reason why their leaders had made sure they were accompanied by Roman soldiers this time. No more mistakes were to be tolerated.

[18:3]  sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[18:3]  ⁴⁴ tn The words “to the orchard” are not in the Greek text but are repeated from v. 1 for clarity.

[18:3]  ⁴⁵ tn These were lamps that had some sort of covering to protect them from wind and rain. In earlier usage the word meant “torch” but by NT times it apparently meant a lamp designed to be used outdoors, so “lantern” is a good contemporary English equivalent.

[18:3]  sn Mention of the lanterns and torches suggests a detail remembered by one who was an eyewitness, but in connection with the light/darkness motif of John’s Gospel, it is a vivid reminder that it is night; the darkness has come at last (cf. 13:30).

[18:23]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “Jesus answered him.”

[18:23]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “something incorrect.”

[18:23]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “testify.”

[18:23]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “incorrect.”

[19:20]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem in general. See also the note on the phrase Jewish religious leaders” in v. 7.

[19:20]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:20]  ⁵¹ tn Or “this inscription.”

[19:20]  ⁵² tn Grk “in Hebrew.”

[20:1]  ⁵³ sn The first day of the week would be early Sunday morning. The Sabbath (and in this year the Passover) would have lasted from 6 p.m. Friday until 6 p.m. Saturday. Sunday would thus mark the first day of the following week.

[20:1]  ⁵⁴ sn John does not mention that Mary Magdalene was accompanied by any of the other women who had been among Jesus’ followers. The synoptic accounts all mention other women who accompanied her (although Mary Magdalene is always mentioned first). Why John does not mention the other women is not clear, but Mary probably becomes the focus of the author’s attention because it was she who came and found Peter and the beloved disciple and informed them of the empty tomb (20:2). Mary’s use of the plural in v. 2 indicates there were others present, in indirect agreement with the synoptic accounts.

[20:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “from the tomb.”