The Life of Jesus

“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know.

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

All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’

I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.”

Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him.

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 descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.

When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

And when the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”

“Come and see,” He replied. So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. It was about the tenth hour.

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s testimony and followed Jesus.

He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).

Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated as Peter).

The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.”

Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter.

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”

“How do You know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

Jesus said to him, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.”