Yohanes 1:27

1:27 who is coming after me. I am not worthy ¹  to untie the strap ²  of his sandal!”

Yohanes 18:8

18:8 Jesus replied, ³  “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for ⁴  me, let these men ⁵  go.” ⁶ 

Yohanes 20:24

The Response of Thomas

20:24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), ⁷  one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

Yohanes 20:30

20:30 Now Jesus performed ⁸  many other miraculous signs in the presence of the ⁹  disciples, which are not recorded ¹⁰  in this book. ¹¹ 

[1:27]  ¹ tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”

[1:27]  sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy. This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet.

[1:27]  ² tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.

[18:8]  ³ tn Grk “Jesus answered.”

[18:8]  ⁴ tn Grk “if you are seeking.”

[18:8]  ⁵ tn The word “men” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The translation uses the word “men” here rather than a more generic word like “people” because in context Jesus referred only to the eleven remaining disciples who were loyal to him and were present at his arrest.

[18:8]  ⁶ sn A second time Jesus replied, “I told you that I am he,” identifying himself as the one they are seeking. Jesus also added, “If you are looking for me, let these men go.” Jesus successfully diverted attention from his disciples by getting the soldiers and officers of the chief priests to admit (twice) that it is only him they were after. Even in this hour Jesus still protected and cared for his own, giving himself up on their behalf. By handing himself over to his enemies, Jesus ensured that his disciples went free. From the perspective of the author, this is acting out beforehand what Jesus will actually do for his followers when he goes to the cross.

[20:24]  ⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author; Didymus means “the twin” in Greek.

[20:30]  ⁸ tn Or “did.”

[20:30]  ⁹ tc ‡ Although most mss, including several important ones (Ì⁶⁶ א C D L W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat), read αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) after τῶν μαθητῶν (twn maqhtwn, “the disciples”), the pronoun is lacking in A B K Δ 0250 al. The weight of the witnesses for the inclusion is somewhat stronger than that for the exclusion. However, the addition of “his” to “disciples” is a frequent scribal emendation and as such is a predictable variant. It is thus most likely that the shorter reading is authentic. NA²⁷ puts the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[20:30]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “are not written.”

[20:30]  ¹¹ sn The author mentions many other miraculous signs performed by Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in the Gospel. What are these signs the author of the Gospel has in mind? One can only speculate. The author says they were performed in the presence of the disciples, which emphasizes again their role as witnesses (cf. 15:27). The point here is that the author has been selective in his use of material. He has chosen to record those incidents from the life and ministry of Jesus which supported his purpose in writing the Gospel. Much which might be of tremendous interest, but does not directly contribute to that purpose in writing, he has omitted. The author explains his purpose in writing in the following verse.