John 2:1-25

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the

Jewish ruling council.  2  He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you

are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are

doing if God were not with him.”

3  Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are

born again.”

4  “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they

cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5  Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless

they are born of water and the Spirit.  6  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth

to spirit.  7  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’  8  The

wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes

from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9  “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10  “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these

things?  11  Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we

have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.  12  I have spoken to you of

earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly

things?  13  No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from

heaven—the Son of Man.  14  Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the

Son of Man must be lifted up,  15  that everyone who believes may have eternal life in

him.”

16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  17  For God did not send his Son into

the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  18  Whoever believes

in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already

because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  19  This is the

verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light

because their deeds were evil.  20  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not

come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  21  But whoever lives by the

truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has

been done in the sight of God.

John Testifies About Jesus

29  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of

God, who takes away the sin of the world!  30  This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man

who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’  31  I myself did not

know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to

Israel.”

32  Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove

and remain on him.  33  And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize

with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the

one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’  34  I have seen and I testify that this is God’s

Chosen One.”

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus

35  The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.  36  When he saw Jesus

passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

37  When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.  38  Turning around,

Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39  “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was

about four in the afternoon.

40  Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and

who had followed Jesus.  41  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and

tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).  42  And he brought him to

Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be

called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43  The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow

me.”

44  Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.  45  Philip found

Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and

about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47  When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in

whom there is no deceit.”

48  “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called

you.”

49  Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

50  Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see

greater things than that.”  51  He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven

open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was

God.  2  He was with God in the beginning.  3  Through him all things were made; without

him nothing was made that has been made.  4  In him was life, and that life was the

light of all mankind.  5  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not

overcome it.

6  There was a man sent from God whose name was John.  7  He came as a witness to

testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.  8  He himself was not

the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9  The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.  10  He was in the

world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize

him.  11  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  12  Yet to all

who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become

children of God—  13  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a

husband’s will, but born of God.

14  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his

glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and

truth.

15  (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about

when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before

me.’”)  16  Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already

given.  17  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus

Christ.  18  No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God

and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

19  Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and

Levites to ask him who he was.  20  He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am

not the Messiah.”

21  They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

22  Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us.

What do you say about yourself?”

23  John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the

wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

24  Now the Pharisees who had been sent  25  questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if

you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26  “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know.  27  He

is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

28  This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was

baptizing.

1 Corinthians 13:13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love.

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2

Instead of living self-concerned, make mature, sacrificial, Christ-like choices in our relationships.   

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  Matthew 6:34

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 

I sought the Lord and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.  Psalm 34:4

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name.  Psalm 103:2 

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.  Psalm 62:5

 “What Satan meant for evil, God means for good.”   Genesis 50:20