Dual PanelThe coming of Christ
1IN the beginning the Word already was. The Word was in God's presence, and what God was, the Word was.
2He was with God at the beginning,
3and through him all things came to be; without him no created thing came into being.
4In him was life, and that life was the light of mankind.
5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never mastered it.
6There appeared a man named John. He was sent from God,
7and came as a witness to testify to the light, so that through him all might become believers.
8He was not himself the light; he came to bear witness to the light.
9The true light which gives light to everyone was even then coming into the world.
10He was in the world; but the world, though it owed its being to him, did not recognize him.
11He came to his own, and his own people would not accept him.
12But to all who did accept him, to those who put their trust in him, he gave the right to become children of God,
13born not of human stock, by the physical desire of a human father, but of God.
14So the Word became flesh; he made his home among us, and we saw his glory, such glory as befits the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth.
15John bore witness to him and proclaimed: “This is the man of whom I said, ‘He comes after me, but ranks ahead of me’; before I was born, he already was.”
16From his full store we have all received grace upon grace;
17for the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18No one has ever seen God; God's only Son, he who is nearest to the Father's heart, has made him known.
Testimony of the Baptist and the first disciples
19THIS is the testimony John gave when the Jews of Jerusalem sent a deputation of priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
20He readily acknowledged, “I am not the Messiah.”
21“What then? Are you Elijah?” “I am not,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet?” “No,” he said.
22“Then who are you?” they asked. “We must give an answer to those who sent us. What account do you give of yourself?”
23He answered in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am a voice crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
24Some Pharisees who were in the deputation
25asked him, “If you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, then why are you baptizing?”
26“I baptize in water,” John replied, “but among you, though you do not know him, stands the one
27who is to come after me. I am not worthy to unfasten the strap of his sandal.”
28This took place at Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him. “There is the Lamb of God,” he said, “who takes away the sin of the world.
30He it is of whom I said, ‘After me there comes a man who ranks ahead of me’; before I was born, he already was.
31I did not know who he was; but the reason why I came, baptizing in water, was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32John testified again: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and come to rest on him.
33I did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize in water had told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is to baptize in Holy Spirit.’
34I have seen it and have borne witness: this is God's Chosen One.”
35The next day again, John was standing with two of his disciples
36when Jesus passed by. John looked towards him and said, “There is the Lamb of God!”
37When the two disciples heard what he said, they followed Jesus.
38He turned and saw them following; “What are you looking for?” he asked. They said, “Rabbi,” (which means “Teacher”) “where are you staying?”
39“Come and see,” he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent the rest of the day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
40One of the two who followed Jesus after hearing what John said was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
41The first thing he did was to find his brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is the Hebrew for Christ).
42He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (that is, Peter, “the Rock”).
43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He met Philip, who, like Andrew and Peter, came from Bethsaida, and said to him, “Follow me.”
44(1:43)
45Philip went to find Nathanael and told him, “We have found the man of whom Moses wrote in the law, the man foretold by the prophets: it is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46“Nazareth!” Nathanael exclaimed. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said, “Come and see.”
47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said, “Here is an Israelite worthy of the name; there is nothing false in him.”
48Nathanael asked him, “How is it you know me?” Jesus replied, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip spoke to you.”
49“Rabbi,” said Nathanael, “you are the Son of God; you are king of Israel.”
50Jesus answered, “Do you believe this because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.”
51Then he added, “In very truth I tell you all: you will see heaven wide open and God's angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”