Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of John
John's Gospel offers the highest view of Jesus in Scripture, beginning before creation with the eternal Word who was God and became flesh. Rich with the great I AM sayings and written that we may believe and have life in His name, it is the most theological of the four Gospels. This commentary walks through it verse by verse.
About This Commentary
The Gospel of John, written by the apostle John, the beloved disciple, is the most theological of the four Gospels, written with a stated purpose: 'that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name' (20:31). It emphasizes who Jesus truly is, beginning not with His birth but in eternity: the Word who was with God and was God, and who became flesh to dwell among us. It records the great 'I AM' sayings and Jesus' most intimate teaching.
This commentary covers John verse by verse, with the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, verified background, and an Apostolic reading. John lays the foundation of the faith: the One who came in flesh is God Himself, the eternal Word, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, come as the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. References are given at the foot of each chapter.
All 21 chapters of John are now complete, from the eternal Word made flesh to the risen Lord restoring Peter by the sea.
Author
The apostle John, the beloved disciple, son of Zebedee.
Setting
A theological Gospel written that we may believe and have life.
Key Themes
The Word made flesh, the I AM sayings, belief and life.
Purpose Verse
That you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (20:31).
Translation
King James Version (KJV) throughout.
The Chapters
John Commentary
The chapters below are available now. The rest are being written and will open here as they are finished and verified.
John 1:1-51
The Word Became Flesh
John reaches back before creation to declare that the Word was God, then announces the wonder of the gospel: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Read Chapter 1 →John 2:1-25
The First of His Signs
At the wedding in Cana Jesus turns water into wine, the first sign by which He manifested His glory and His disciples believed, and He cleanses the temple, pointing to the temple of His body to be raised in three days.
Read Chapter 2 →John 3:1-36
You Must Be Born Again
Jesus tells Nicodemus that no one can enter the kingdom without being born again, of water and the Spirit, points to His lifting up on the cross, and declares, 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.'
Read Chapter 3 →John 4:1-54
In Spirit and Truth
At Jacob's well Jesus offers a Samaritan woman living water springing up to everlasting life, and reveals that God is Spirit and seeks those who worship Him in spirit and truth.
Read Chapter 4 →John 5:1-47
Rise, Take Up Your Bed
Jesus heals a man invalid for thirty-eight years at the pool of Bethesda, reveals His authority to give life so that whoever hears and believes has passed from death into life, and points to the Scriptures that testify of Him.
Read Chapter 5 →John 6:1-71
I Am the Bread of Life
After feeding the five thousand, Jesus declares 'I am the bread of life,' promises never to cast out the one who comes to Him, and, when many turn away, hears Peter confess, 'You have the words of eternal life.'
Read Chapter 6 →John 7:1-53
Rivers of Living Water
At the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus teaches that His doctrine is the Father's, cries out 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink,' and promises rivers of living water, the Spirit, as even the officers confess, 'No man ever spoke like this Man.'
Read Chapter 7 →John 8:1-59
Before Abraham Was, I AM
Jesus declares 'I am the light of the world,' promises that abiding in His word brings the truth that makes us free, and reveals His eternal identity: 'Before Abraham was, I AM,' taking to Himself the divine name.
Read Chapter 8 →John 9:1-41
Though I Was Blind, Now I See
Jesus heals a man born blind, 'that the works of God should be revealed in him,' the man boldly testifies before the Pharisees, 'though I was blind, now I see,' and when found by Jesus he believes and worships Him.
Read Chapter 9 →John 10:1-42
I and My Father Are One
Jesus reveals Himself as the door and the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep, promises that His sheep 'shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand,' gathers 'one fold' under 'one shepherd,' and declares, 'I and my Father are one,' defending His deity: 'the Father is in me, and I in him.'
Read Chapter 10 →John 11:1-57
I Am the Resurrection, and the Life
The raising of Lazarus: Jesus delays 'for the glory of God,' meets Martha's grief with 'I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live,' weeps at the grave, 'Jesus wept,' calls the four-days dead, 'Lazarus, come forth,' and Caiaphas unwittingly prophesies that 'one man should die for the people,' to 'gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.'
Read Chapter 11 →John 12:1-50
If I Be Lifted Up, Will Draw All Men
Mary's costly anointing 'against the day of my burying,' the triumphal entry, 'Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel,' the Greeks who 'would see Jesus,' the corn of wheat that must die to bring forth much fruit, the troubled soul and the voice from heaven, 'And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me,' and the Father seen in the Son, 'he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.'
Read Chapter 12 →John 13:1-38
Love One Another; As I Have Loved You
Jesus washes the disciples' feet, 'having loved his own... he loved them unto the end,' 'If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me,' the example of humble service, 'I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you,' the identifying of the betrayer who 'went immediately out: and it was night,' and the new commandment, 'That ye love one another; as I have loved you... By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples.'
Read Chapter 13 →John 14:1-31
He That Hath Seen Me Hath Seen the Father
'Let not your heart be troubled,' the many mansions and 'I will come again, and receive you unto myself,' 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me,' the revelation of the Father in the Son, 'he that hath seen me hath seen the Father... I am in the Father, and the Father in me,' the promise of the Comforter, 'I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you,' the Holy Ghost sent in His name, and His peace, 'my peace I give unto you.'
Read Chapter 14 →John 15:1-27
I Am the True Vine; Abide in Me
'I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman,' the call to abide and bear much fruit, 'He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing,' the command to love one another, 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,' the raising of servants to friends, the world's hatred, and the witness of the Comforter, 'he shall testify of me.'
Read Chapter 15 →John 16:1-33
Be of Good Cheer; I Have Overcome the World
The warning of persecution and 'It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you,' the Spirit's work to 'reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment' and 'guide you into all truth,' 'He shall glorify me,' sorrow turned to joy, 'your joy no man taketh from you,' prayer in His name, the Father's own love, and 'In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.'
Read Chapter 16 →John 17:1-26
That They All May Be One
The high priestly prayer: 'Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son,' 'this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent,' the glory 'which I had with thee before the world was,' the prayer to keep and sanctify the disciples, 'keep through thine own name... Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth,' and the prayer for all believers, 'That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee.'
Read Chapter 17 →John 18:1-40
My Kingdom Is Not of This World
The arrest in the garden, 'I am he,' at which 'they went backward, and fell to the ground,' the shielding of the disciples, 'the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?,' Peter's threefold denial, 'I am not,' Jesus before Annas, and before Pilate, 'My kingdom is not of this world,' 'To this end was I born... that I should bear witness unto the truth,' Pilate's 'What is truth?,' and the choosing of Barabbas the robber.
Read Chapter 18 →John 19:1-42
It Is Finished
The scourging and mocking, 'Behold the man!,' Pilate's repeated 'I find no fault in him,' the cry 'We have no king but Caesar,' the crucifixion at Golgotha under 'THE KING OF THE JEWS,' the parting of His garments, 'Woman, behold thy son!,' 'I thirst,' and 'It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost,' the pierced side, 'forthwith came there out blood and water,' and the burial by Joseph and Nicodemus in a new tomb.
Read Chapter 19 →John 20:1-31
My Lord and My God
The empty tomb and the folded grave-clothes, 'he saw, and believed,' the risen Lord and Mary Magdalene, 'Mary... Rabboni,' 'I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God,' the appearance to the disciples, 'Peace be unto you,' the sending and 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost,' Thomas' confession 'My Lord and my God,' and the purpose, 'these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.'
Read Chapter 20 →John 21:1-25
Lovest Thou Me? Feed My Sheep
The miraculous catch of fish by the sea of Tiberias, 'It is the Lord,' the breakfast by the fire of coals, and the restoration of Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?... Feed my lambs... Feed my sheep,' the foretelling of Peter's death, the call 'Follow me,' and the close of the Gospel, its testimony true and the works of Jesus more than all the books of the world could contain.
Read Chapter 21 →