John 1:15

¶ John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

John {G2491} bare witness {G3140} of {G4012} him {G846}, and {G2532} cried {G2896}, saying {G3004}, This {G3778} was he {G2258} of whom {G3739} I spake {G2036}, He that cometh {G2064} after {G3694} me {G3450} is preferred {G1096} before {G1715} me {G3450}: for {G3754} he was {G2258} before {G4413} me {G3450}.

Yochanan witnessed concerning him when he cried out, “This is the man I was talking about when I said, ‘The one coming after me has come to rank ahead of me, because he existed before me.’”

John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”

John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me.

Context

John 1:15 introduces a pivotal declaration from John the Baptist, the divinely appointed forerunner of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John begins by establishing the identity of Jesus as the eternal Word of God, who was with God and was God. Against this backdrop of Jesus' divine nature, John the Baptist's testimony becomes crucial. His ministry, characterized by baptizing and preaching repentance in the wilderness, drew large crowds, but his ultimate mission was to bear witness of that Light—Jesus—so that all might believe through him. This verse encapsulates John's clear and public proclamation about Jesus' true identity and superiority.

Key Themes and Messages

  • The Superiority of Christ: John, a respected prophet and public figure, humbly declared Jesus' supremacy. He recognized that while Jesus came after him chronologically in public ministry, He was infinitely greater in rank, authority, and being. This sets the stage for understanding Jesus as more than just another prophet or teacher.
  • Jesus' Pre-existence and Divinity: The profound statement "for he was before me" points directly to Jesus' pre-existence as divine. John the Baptist was born physically before Jesus, yet his testimony affirms that Jesus existed before John, signifying Jesus' eternal nature and His being part of the Godhead. This is a foundational truth about Christ's identity.
  • John the Baptist's Witness: This verse highlights John's primary role as the forerunner prophesied in the Old Testament. His "cried, saying" emphasizes the urgent, public, and authoritative nature of his testimony, designed to prepare people for the Messiah's arrival and identity.

Linguistic Insights

The Greek phrase for "preferred before me" is prōtos mou (πρῶτός μου). While prōtos can mean "first" in time, in this context, it carries the strong connotation of "first in rank," "superior," or "preeminent." The subsequent phrase "for he was before me" uses the imperfect tense of the verb "to be" (ēn, ἦν), which points to a continuous state of existence prior to John, reinforcing the idea of Jesus' eternal nature rather than just chronological birth. This linguistic precision underscores the theological depth of John's statement about Jesus' divine pre-existence.

Related Scriptures

  • This declaration echoes the opening statement of Jesus' eternal existence in John 1:1, where He is identified as the Word who "was in the beginning with God."
  • John the Baptist reiterates this testimony later in John 1:30, confirming its significance.
  • Similar testimonies from John the Baptist are found in the Synoptic Gospels, such as Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:7, and Luke 3:16, all emphasizing Jesus' greater power and authority.
  • The concept of Jesus' pre-existence and divine nature is a consistent theme throughout the New Testament, as seen in passages like Colossians 1:17 ("He is before all things") and Philippians 2:6 ("Who, being in the form of God...").

Practical Application

John's humility in acknowledging Jesus' supreme authority serves as a powerful example for believers today. Our purpose, like John's, is to point others to Christ and to diminish our own prominence so that He may increase. This verse calls us to recognize Jesus' true identity as eternal God and supreme Lord, impacting how we worship, serve, and live. It reminds us that our faith is rooted in a divine Savior who transcends time and space, offering eternal life and hope.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Matthew 3:11

    I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with] fire:

  • Colossians 1:17

    And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

  • John 1:1

    ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

  • John 1:2

    The same was in the beginning with God.

  • John 17:5

    And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

  • Micah 5:2

    But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.

  • Luke 3:16

    John answered, saying unto [them] all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

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