John 1:35

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(35) Again the next day after John stood.—Better, The next day again John was standing. The description is of a scene present to the mind, and by one of the two disciples (John 1:40). The “again” refers to John 1:29.

Two of his disciples.—There is no reason for thinking that these were absent on the previous day, and that the testimony is specially repeated for them. Rather it is that, in that band of disciples too, there is an inner circle of those who, because they can receive more, are taught more. They had heard the words before, it may be had talked together about them, at least in individual thought had tried to follow them, and now they have come to the Teacher again. Can we doubt what questions fill the heart or shape themselves in word? He had passed through their struggle from darkness into light. There is a Presence with them which he now knows, and before which his own work must cease. The passing voice is no longer needed now that the abiding Word has come. Can we doubt what his answer is?

Benson Commentary

John 1:35-39. The next day, John stood, and two of his disciples — John happening the next day to be with two of his disciples on the banks of Jordan, he saw Jesus passing by a second time, and repeated what he had said to the multitude the day before. Probably he pointed out Jesus to these two disciples because they had been absent when the Spirit descended upon him, and the voice from heaven declared him to be the Son of God. But having now had an account of these things from their master, they desired to become acquainted with Jesus, and for that purpose followed him. Then Jesus turned, &c. — Jesus, knowing their intentions, turned about; and saith, What seek ye? — Thus he spake, not to discountenance and turn them back, but to encourage and invite them to a free converse with him. They said unto him — With the greatest reverence and respect; Rabbi — Which, being interpreted from the Syriac, the language then spoken by the Jews, signifies, Master; where dwellest thou — Που μενεις, where dost thou lodge? For Jesus had no fixed abode at Jordan, being come thither only to be baptized. By making this reply, John’s disciples intimated that they had a great inclination to converse with Jesus. He gave them, therefore, an invitation to his lodging, which they readily accepted; and abode with him that day — The remainder of it; for it was about the tenth hour — Or, four in the afternoon; so that they had an opportunity of spending the rest of the evening with him, doubtless, much to their satisfaction and delight.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

1:29-36 John saw Jesus coming to him, and pointed him out as the Lamb of God. The paschal lamb, in the shedding and sprinkling of its blood, the roasting and eating of its flesh, and all the other circumstances of the ordinance, represented the salvation of sinners by faith in Christ. And the lambs sacrificed every morning and evening, can only refer to Christ slain as a sacrifice to redeem us to God by his blood. John came as a preacher of repentance, yet he told his followers that they were to look for the pardon of their sins to Jesus only, and to his death. It agrees with God's glory to pardon all who depend on the atoning sacrifice of Christ. He takes away the sin of the world; purchases pardon for all that repent and believe the gospel. This encourages our faith; if Christ takes away the sin of the world, then why not my sin? He bore sin for us, and so bears it from us. God could have taken away sin, by taking away the sinner, as he took away the sin of the old world; but here is a way of doing away sin, yet sparing the sinner, by making his Son sin, that is, a sin-offering, for us. See Jesus taking away sin, and let that cause hatred of sin, and resolutions against it. Let us not hold that fast, which the Lamb of God came to take away. To confirm his testimony concerning Christ, John declares the appearance at his baptism, in which God himself bore witness to him. He saw and bare record that he is the Son of God. This is the end and object of John's testimony, that Jesus was the promised Messiah. John took every opportunity that offered to lead people to Christ.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The next day - The day after his remarkable testimony that Jesus was the Son of God. This testimony of John is reported because it was the main design of this evangelist to show that Jesus was the Messiah. See the introduction. To do this, he adduces the decided and repeated testimony of John the Baptist. This was impartial evidence in the case, and hence he so particularly dwells upon it.John stood - Or was standing. This was probably apart from the multitude.

Two of his disciples - One of these was Andrew John 1:40, and it is not improbable that the other was the writer of this gospel.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

35. John stood—"was standing," at his accustomed place.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Ver. 35,36. The next day after that the messengers who came from Jerusalem had been with John,

John stood, and two of his disciples; whether he was preaching or no it is not said; but John standing with them, saw Christ walking, whence, or whither, is not said; but as a good man is always taking opportunity to commend Christ to others, so John upon this occasion took advantage further to make Christ known to those two men, (who they were, we shall hear in the following verses), and repeats the words he had said before,

Behold the Lamb of God! (See Poole on "John 1:27"). Thus good and faithful ministers will continually be inviting their disciples to Christ, taking them off from further consideration of themselves, and, as ministers, to show them the way to Christ.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Again, the next day after,.... The third day from the priests and Levites having been with John, to know who he was. The Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions, leave out the word "again":

stood, and two of his disciples; one of these was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, as appears from John 1:40 and very likely the other was the Evangelist John, the writer of this Gospel, who always chooses to conceal himself. John the Baptist stood, and these disciples by him, in some certain place near Jordan, where he was preaching and baptizing.

Geneva Study Bible

{15} Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

(15) John gathers disciples not to himself, but to Christ.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

John 1:35-36. Πάλιν εἱστήκει] pointing back to John 1:29.

δύο] One was Andrew, John 1:41. The other? Certainly John himself,[120] partly on account of that peculiarity of his which leads him to refrain from naming himself, and partly on account of the special vividness of the details in the following account, which had remained indelibly impressed upon his memory ever since this first and decisive meeting with his Lord.

ἐμβλέψας] denoting fixed attention. Comp. John 1:43; Mark 10:21; Mark 10:27; Mark 14:67; Luke 20:17; Luke 22:61. The profoundest interest led him to fix his gaze upon Him.

ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τ. θεοῦ] These few words were quite sufficient to direct the undivided attention of both to Him who was passing that way; for, beyond a doubt (against De Wette, Ewald,—because the fact that nothing is now added to the ὁ ἀμνὸς τ. θεοῦ gives the words quite a retrospective character), they had been witnesses the day before of what is recorded in John 1:29-34. The assumption of a further conversation not here recorded (Kuinoel, Lücke, and most) is unnecessary, overlooks the emphasis of the one short yet weighty word on which hangs their recollection of all that occurred the day before, and moreover is not required by John 1:37.

We need not even ask why Jesus, who was now walking along (περιπατ.) in the same place, had not been with John, because the text says nothing about it. Answers have been devised; e.g. Bengel: “Jesus had sufficiently humbled Himself by once joining Himself with John;” Lampe: “He wished to avoid the suspicion of any private understanding with the Baptist.” Equally without warrant in the text, B. Crusius and Luthardt: “Jesus had already separated Himself from the Baptist to begin His own proper ministry, while the Baptist desired indirectly to command his disciples to join themselves with Jesus;” as Hengstenberg also supposes, judging from the result, and because he at the same time regards the two as representatives of all John’s disciples.

[120] Already Chrysostom (according to Corderius, Cat.; Theodore of Mopsuestia) mentions the same view, but along with it the other: ὅτι ἐκεῖνος οὐχὶ τῶν ἐπισήμων ἦν, which he seems to approve of.—But if John is here already (and see on ver. 42) indicated, though not by name, and afterwards (ver. 46) Bartholomew under the name Nathanael; if, again, ver. 42 implies that James is brought to Jesus by his brother John, and that he therefore has his place after John; then we certainly cannot say, with Steitz (in the Stud. u. Krit. 1868, p. 497): “The order in which Papias, in Euseb. iii. 39, quotes the six apostles, Andrew, Peter, Philip, Thomas, James, John, exactly corresponds with that in which these names occur in succession in the fourth Gospel.”

Expositor's Greek Testament

John 1:35-42. Witness of John to two of his disciples and first self-manifestation of Jesus as the Christ. Bengel entitles the section, John 1:35-42, “primae origines Ecclesiae Christianae”; but from the evangelist’s point of view it is rather the blending of the witness of John with the self-manifestation of Jesus. His kingly lordship over men He reveals (1) by making Himself accessible to inquirers: Andrew and John; (2) by giving a new name, implying new character: Simon becomes Peter; (3) by summoning men to follow Him: Philip; (4) by interpreting and satisfying men’s deepest desires and aspirations: Nathanael.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

35–37. The Testimony of the Baptist to Andrew and John

35. Again] Referring to John 1:29 : it should come second; The next day again John was standing.

The difference between this narrative and that of the Synoptists (Matthew 4:18; Mark 1:16; Luke 5:2) is satisfactorily explained by supposing this to refer to an earlier and less formal call of these first four disciples, John and Andrew, Peter and James. Their call to be Apostles was a very gradual one. Two of them, and perhaps all four, began by being disciples of the Baptist, who directs them to the Lamb of God (John 1:36), Who invites them to His abode (John 1:39): they then witness His miracles (John 2:2, &c.); are next called to be ‘fishers of men’ (Matthew 4:19); and are finally enrolled with the rest of the Twelve as Apostles (Mark 3:13). See note on Mark 1:20.

Two of his disciples] One of these we are told was S. Andrew (John 1:40); the other was no doubt S. John himself. The account is that of an eyewitness; and his habitual reserve with regard to himself fully accounts for his silence, if the other disciple was himself. If it was some one else, it is difficult to see why S. John pointedly omits to mention his name.

There was strong antecedent probability that the first followers of Christ would be disciples of the Baptist. The fact of their being so is one reason of the high honour in which the Baptist has been held from the earliest times by the Church.

Bengel's Gnomen

John 1:35. τῇ ἐπαύριον, on the following day) Great days! The first the day of the record borne as to Jesus being Messiah; John 1:15-16; the second, the day of his testimony concerning the same Person, and at the same time as to His suffering [passion]; John 1:29-30; the third, this day, that of the three disciples joining Him; the fourth, that of Philip and Nathanael being brought over to Him, John 1:43. Add ch. John 2:1; John 2:12 [on the third day;—after this He went to Capernaum, etc., and continued there not many days]. The care of this Evangelist in marking times is remarkable.—δυό, two) about to be witnesses.

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 35-51. - 3. The first disciples, and their testimony. Verses 35-39. -

(1) John directs his own disciples to Jesus. Verse 35. - On the morrow, again John was standing, and two from his disciples; implying that there were many others within hearing of his voice, or, at least, under his influence. The imperfect tense of the verb εἱστήκει suggests the idea that he was waiting for some fresh announcement, some providential event, to determine his course. The "again" refers back to ver. 29. Much must be read between the lines as to these disciples, their excited interest in the words already uttered by their master. John 1:35

Vincent's Word Studies

Stood (εἱστήκει)

Rev., more correctly, was standing, since the imperfect tense denotes something in progress. Here, therefore, with the idea of waiting; was standing in expectation. Compare John 7:37; John 18:5, John 18:6, John 18:18.

Two of his disciples

The one was Andrew (John 1:41), the other the Evangelist himself, who studiously refrains from mentioning his own name throughout the narrative. The name of James the elder also does not appear, nor that of Salome, the Evangelist's mother, who is mentioned by name in Mark's Gospel (Mark 15:40; Mark 16:1). The omission of his own name is the more significant from the fact that he is habitually exact in defining the names in his narrative. Compare the simple designation Simon (John 1:42) with subsequent occurrences of his name after his call, as John 1:42; John 13:6; John 21:15, etc. Also Thomas (John 11:16; John 20:24; John 21:2); Judas Iscariot (John 6:71; John 12:4; John 13:2, John 13:26); the other Judas (John 14:22). Note also that he never speaks of the Baptist as John the Baptist, like the other three Evangelists, but always as John.