Yohanes 1:26

1:26 John answered them, ¹  “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize, ² 

Yohanes 1:41

1:41 He first ³  found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” ⁴  (which is translated Christ). ⁵ 

Yohanes 1:47

1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed, ⁶  “Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” ⁷ 

Yohanes 3:34

3:34 For the one whom God has sent ⁸  speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly. ⁹ 

Yohanes 4:5

4:5 Now he came to a Samaritan town ¹⁰  called Sychar, ¹¹  near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ¹² 

Yohanes 4:38

4:38 I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

Yohanes 4:52

4:52 So he asked them the time ¹³  when his condition began to improve, ¹⁴  and ¹⁵  they told him, “Yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon ¹⁶  the fever left him.”

Yohanes 5:11

5:11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat ¹⁷  and walk.’”

Yohanes 5:28

5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time ¹⁸  is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice

Yohanes 5:32

5:32 There is another ¹⁹  who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true.

Yohanes 5:38

5:38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent.

Yohanes 5:45

5:45 “Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. ²⁰ 

Yohanes 6:9

6:9 “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good ²¹  are these for so many people?”

Yohanes 6:13-14

6:13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves ²²  left over by the people who had eaten.

6:14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus ²³  performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet ²⁴  who is to come into the world.” ²⁵ 

Yohanes 6:21

6:21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.

Yohanes 6:29

6:29 Jesus replied, ²⁶  “This is the deed ²⁷  God requires ²⁸  – to believe in the one whom he ²⁹  sent.”

Yohanes 6:37

6:37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away. ³⁰ 

Yohanes 7:31

7:31 Yet many of the crowd ³¹  believed in him and said, “Whenever the Christ ³²  comes, he won’t perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will he?” ³³ 

Yohanes 7:39

7:39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, ³⁴  because Jesus was not yet glorified.) ³⁵ 

Yohanes 8:25

8:25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus replied, ³⁶  “What I have told you from the beginning.

Yohanes 9:19

9:19 They asked the parents, ³⁷  “Is this your son, whom you say ³⁸  was born blind? Then how does he now see?”

Yohanes 10:6

10:6 Jesus told them this parable, ³⁹  but they ⁴⁰  did not understand ⁴¹  what he was saying to them.

Yohanes 10:35-36

10:35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken), ⁴²  10:36 do you say about the one whom the Father set apart ⁴³  and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

Yohanes 11:2

11:2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil ⁴⁴  and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) ⁴⁵ 

Yohanes 12:1

Jesus’ Anointing

12:1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he ⁴⁶  had raised from the dead.

Yohanes 12:38

12:38 so that the word ⁴⁷  of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled. He said, ⁴⁸  “Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord ⁴⁹  been revealed?” ⁵⁰ 

Yohanes 12:50

12:50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. ⁵¹  Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me.” ⁵² 

Yohanes 13:5

13:5 He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself. ⁵³ 

Yohanes 13:7

13:7 Jesus replied, ⁵⁴  “You do not understand ⁵⁵  what I am doing now, but you will understand ⁵⁶  after these things.”

Yohanes 13:23

13:23 One of his disciples, the one Jesus loved, ⁵⁷  was at the table ⁵⁸  to the right of Jesus in a place of honor. ⁵⁹ 

Yohanes 13:27

13:27 And after Judas ⁶⁰  took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. ⁶¹  Jesus said to him, ⁶²  “What you are about to do, do quickly.”

Yohanes 13:38

13:38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? ⁶³  I tell you the solemn truth, ⁶⁴  the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!

Yohanes 14:13

14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, ⁶⁵  so that the Father may be glorified ⁶⁶  in the Son.

Yohanes 15:7

15:7 If you remain ⁶⁷  in me and my words remain ⁶⁸  in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. ⁶⁹ 

Yohanes 17:3

17:3 Now this ⁷⁰  is eternal life ⁷¹  – that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, ⁷²  whom you sent.

Yohanes 17:5

17:5 And now, Father, glorify me at your side ⁷³  with the glory I had with you before the world was created. ⁷⁴ 

Yohanes 17:9

17:9 I am praying ⁷⁵  on behalf of them. I am not praying ⁷⁶  on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you. ⁷⁷ 

Yohanes 17:26

17:26 I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, ⁷⁸  so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them.”

Yohanes 18:21

18:21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said. ⁷⁹  They ⁸⁰  know what I said.”

Yohanes 19:26

19:26 So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, ⁸¹  look, here is your son!”

Yohanes 19:41

19:41 Now at the place where Jesus ⁸²  was crucified ⁸³  there was a garden, ⁸⁴  and in the garden ⁸⁵  was a new tomb where no one had yet been buried. ⁸⁶ 

Yohanes 20:7

20:7 and the face cloth, ⁸⁷  which had been around Jesus’ head, not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸⁸ 

Yohanes 20:30

20:30 Now Jesus performed ⁸⁹  many other miraculous signs in the presence of the ⁹⁰  disciples, which are not recorded ⁹¹  in this book. ⁹² 

[1:26]  ¹ tn Grk “answered them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[1:26]  ² tn Or “know.”

[1:41]  ³ tc Most witnesses (א* L W^s Ï) read πρῶτος (prwtos) here instead of πρῶτον (prwton). The former reading would be a predicate adjective and suggest that Andrew “was the first” person to proselytize another regarding Jesus. The reading preferred, however, is the neuter πρῶτον, used as an adverb (BDAG 893 s.v. πρῶτος 1.a.β.), and it suggests that the first thing that Andrew did was to proselytize Peter. The evidence for this reading is early and weighty: Ì^66,75 א² A B Θ Ψ 083 Ë^1,13 892 al lat.

[1:41]  ⁴ sn Naturally part of Andrew’s concept of the Messiah would have been learned from John the Baptist (v. 40). However, there were a number of different messianic expectations in 1st century Palestine (see the note on “Who are you?” in v. 19), and it would be wrong to assume that what Andrew meant here is the same thing the author means in the purpose statement at the end of the Fourth Gospel, 20:31. The issue here is not whether the disciples’ initial faith in Jesus as Messiah was genuine or not, but whether their concept of who Jesus was grew and developed progressively as they spent time following him, until finally after his resurrection it is affirmed in the climactic statement of John’s Gospel, the affirmation of Thomas in 20:28.

[1:41]  ⁵ tn Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “the one who has been anointed.”

[1:41]  sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. See the note on Christ in 1:20.

[1:47]  ⁶ tn Grk “said about him.”

[1:47]  ⁷ tn Or “treachery.”

[1:47]  sn An allusion to Ps 32:2.

[3:34]  ⁸ tn That is, Christ.

[3:34]  ⁹ tn Grk “for not by measure does he give the Spirit” (an idiom). Leviticus Rabbah 15:2 states: “The Holy Spirit rested on the prophets by measure.” Jesus is contrasted to this. The Spirit rests upon him without measure.

[4:5]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “town of Samaria.” The noun Σαμαρείας (Samareias) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[4:5]  ¹¹ sn Sychar was somewhere in the vicinity of Shechem, possibly the village of Askar, 1.5 km northeast of Jacob’s well.

[4:5]  ¹² sn Perhaps referred to in Gen 48:22.

[4:52]  ¹³ tn Grk “the hour.”

[4:52]  ¹⁴ tn BDAG 558 s.v. κομψότερον translates the idiom κομψότερον ἔχειν (komyoteron ecein) as “begin to improve.”

[4:52]  ¹⁵ tn The second οὖν (oun) in 4:52 has been translated as “and” to improve English style by avoiding redundancy.

[4:52]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “at the seventh hour.”

[5:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in v. 8.

[5:28]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “an hour.”

[5:32]  ¹⁹ sn To whom does another refer? To John the Baptist or to the Father? In the nearer context, v. 33, it would seem to be John the Baptist. But v. 34 seems to indicate that Jesus does not receive testimony from men. Probably it is better to view v. 32 as identical to v. 37, with the comments about the Baptist as a parenthetical digression.

[5:45]  ²⁰ sn The final condemnation will come from Moses himself – again ironic, since Moses is the very one the Jewish authorities have trusted in (placed your hope). This is again ironic if it is occurring at Pentecost, which at this time was being celebrated as the occasion of the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai. There is evidence that some Jews of the 1st century looked on Moses as their intercessor at the final judgment (see W. A. Meeks, The Prophet King [NovTSup], 161). This would mean the statement Moses, in whom you have placed your hope should be taken literally and relates directly to Jesus’ statements about the final judgment in John 5:28-29.

[6:9]  ²¹ tn Grk “but what are these”; the word “good” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[6:13]  ²² sn Note that the fish mentioned previously (in John 6:9) are not emphasized here, only the five barley loaves. This is easy to understand, however, because the bread is of primary importance for the author in view of Jesus’ upcoming discourse on the Bread of Life.

[6:14]  ²³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:14]  ²⁴ sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief.

[6:14]  ²⁵ sn An allusion to Deut 18:15.

[6:29]  ²⁶ tn Grk “answered and said to them.”

[6:29]  ²⁷ tn Grk “the work.”

[6:29]  ²⁸ tn Grk “This is the work of God.”

[6:29]  ²⁹ tn Grk “that one” (i.e., God).

[6:37]  ³⁰ tn Or “drive away”; Grk “cast out.”

[7:31]  ³¹ tn Or “The common people” (as opposed to the religious authorities).

[7:31]  ³² tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[7:31]  sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.

[7:31]  ³³ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here it is “will he?”).

[7:39]  ³⁴ tn Grk “for the Spirit was not yet.” Although only B and a handful of other NT mss supply the participle δεδομένον (dedomenon), this is followed in the translation to avoid misunderstanding by the modern English reader that prior to this time the Spirit did not exist. John’s phrase is expressed from a human standpoint and has nothing to do with the preexistence of the third Person of the Godhead. The meaning is that the era of the Holy Spirit had not yet arrived; the Spirit was not as yet at work in a way he later would be because Jesus had not yet returned to his Father. Cf. also Acts 19:2.

[7:39]  ³⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[8:25]  ³⁶ tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”

[9:19]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and they asked them, saying”; the referent (the parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:19]  ³⁸ tn The Greek pronoun and verb are both plural (both parents are addressed).

[10:6]  ³⁹ sn A parable is a fairly short narrative that has symbolic meaning. The Greek word παροιμίαν (paroimian) is used again in 16:25, 29. This term does not occur in the synoptic gospels, where παραβολή (parabolh) is used. Nevertheless it is similar, denoting a short narrative with figurative or symbolic meaning.

[10:6]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “these.”

[10:6]  ⁴¹ tn Or “comprehend.”

[10:35]  ⁴² sn The parenthetical note And the scripture cannot be broken belongs to Jesus’ words rather than the author’s. Not only does Jesus appeal to the OT to defend himself against the charge of blasphemy, but he also adds that the scripture cannot be “broken.” In this context he does not explain precisely what is meant by “broken,” but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus’ argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Ps 82:6. If any other word for “judge” had been used in the psalm, his argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Ps 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be “broken” in the sense of being shown to be in error.

[10:36]  ⁴³ tn Or “dedicated.”

[11:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “perfume,” “ointment.”

[11:2]  ⁴⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. It is a bit surprising that the author here identifies Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, since this event is not mentioned until later, in 12:3. Many see this “proleptic” reference as an indication that the author expected his readers to be familiar with the story already, and go on to assume that in general the author in writing the Fourth Gospel assumed his readers were familiar with the other three gospels. Whether the author assumed actual familiarity with the synoptic gospels or not, it is probable that he did assume some familiarity with Mary’s anointing activity.

[12:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “whom Jesus,” but a repetition of the proper name (Jesus) here would be redundant in the English clause structure, so the pronoun (“he”) is substituted in the translation.

[12:38]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “message.”

[12:38]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “who said.”

[12:38]  ⁴⁹ tn “The arm of the Lord” is an idiom for “God’s great power” (as exemplified through Jesus’ miraculous signs). This response of unbelief is interpreted by the author as a fulfillment of the prophetic words of Isaiah (Isa 53:1). The phrase ὁ βραχίων κυρίου (Jo braciwn kuriou) is a figurative reference to God’s activity and power which has been revealed in the sign-miracles which Jesus has performed (compare the previous verse).

[12:38]  ⁵⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 53:1.

[12:50]  ⁵¹ tn Or “his commandment results in eternal life.”

[12:50]  ⁵² tn Grk “The things I speak, just as the Father has spoken to me, thus I speak.”

[13:5]  ⁵³ tn Grk “with the towel with which he was girded.”

[13:7]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[13:7]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “You do not know.”

[13:7]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “you will know.”

[13:23]  ⁵⁷ sn Here for the first time the one Jesus loved, the ‘beloved disciple,’ is introduced. This individual also is mentioned in 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, and 21:20. Some have suggested that this disciple is to be identified with Lazarus, since the Fourth Gospel specifically states that Jesus loved him (11:3, 5, 36). From the terminology alone this is a possibility; the author is certainly capable of using language in this way to indicate connections. But there is nothing else to indicate that Lazarus was present at the last supper; Mark 14:17 seems to indicate it was only the twelve who were with Jesus at this time, and there is no indication in the Fourth Gospel to the contrary. Nor does it appear that Lazarus ever stood so close to Jesus as the later references in chaps. 19, 20 and 21 seem to indicate. When this is coupled with the omission of all references to John son of Zebedee from the Fourth Gospel, it seems far more likely that the references to the beloved disciple should be understood as references to him.

[13:23]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “was reclining.” This reflects the normal 1st century practice of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position.

[13:23]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “was reclining in the bosom (or “lap”) of Jesus” (according to both L&N 17.25 and BDAG 65 s.v. ἀνάκειμαι 2 an idiom for taking the place of honor at a meal, but note the similar expression in John 1:18). Whether this position or the position to the left of Jesus should be regarded as the position of second highest honor (next to the host, in this case Jesus, who was in the position of highest honor) is debated. F. Prat, “Les places d’honneur chez les Juifs contemporains du Christ” (RSR 15 [1925]: 512-22), who argued that the table arrangement was that of the Roman triclinium (a U-shaped table with Jesus and two other disciples at the bottom of the U), considered the position to the left of Jesus to be the one of second highest honor. Thus the present translation renders this “a position of honor” without specifying which one (since both of the two disciples to the right and to the left of Jesus would be in positions of honor). Other translations differ as to how they handle the phrase ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ (en tw kolpw tou Ihsou; “leaning on Jesus’ bosom,” KJV; “lying close to the breast of Jesus,” RSV; “reclining on Jesus’ breast,” NASB; “reclining next to him,” NIV, NRSV) but the symbolic significance of the beloved disciple’s position seems clear. He is close to Jesus and in an honored position. The phrase as an idiom for a place of honor at a feast is attested in the Epistles of Pliny (the Younger) 4.22.4, an approximate contemporary of Paul.

[13:23]  sn Note that the same expression translated in a place of honor here (Grk “in the bosom of”) is used to indicate Jesus’ relationship with the Father in 1:18.

[13:27]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:27]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “into that one”; the pronoun “he” is more natural English style here.

[13:27]  sn This is the only time in the Fourth Gospel that Satan is mentioned by name. Luke 22:3 uses the same terminology of Satan “entering into” Judas but indicates it happened before the last supper at the time Judas made his deal with the authorities. This is not necessarily irreconcilable with John’s account, however, because John 13:2 makes it clear that Judas had already come under satanic influence prior to the meal itself. The statement here is probably meant to indicate that Judas at this point came under the influence of Satan even more completely and finally. It marks the end of a process which, as Luke indicates, had begun earlier.

[13:27]  ⁶² tn Grk “Then Jesus said to him.”

[13:38]  ⁶³ tn Or “Will you die willingly for me?”

[13:38]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[14:13]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “And whatever you ask in my name, I will do it.”

[14:13]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “may be praised” or “may be honored.”

[15:7]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “reside.”

[15:7]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “reside.”

[15:7]  ⁶⁹ sn Once again Jesus promises the disciples ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. This recalls 14:13-14, where the disciples were promised that if they asked anything in Jesus’ name it would be done for them. The two thoughts are really quite similar, since here it is conditioned on the disciples’ remaining in Jesus and his words remaining in them. The first phrase relates to the genuineness of their relationship with Jesus. The second phrase relates to their obedience. When both of these qualifications are met, the disciples would in fact be asking in Jesus’ name and therefore according to his will.

[17:3]  ⁷⁰ tn Using αὕτη δέ (Jauth de) to introduce an explanation is typical Johannine style; it was used before in John 1:19, 3:19, and 15:12.

[17:3]  ⁷¹ sn This is eternal life. The author here defines eternal life for the readers, although it is worked into the prayer in such a way that many interpreters do not regard it as another of the author’s parenthetical comments. It is not just unending life in the sense of prolonged duration. Rather it is a quality of life, with its quality derived from a relationship with God. Having eternal life is here defined as being in relationship with the Father, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom the Father sent. Christ (Χριστός, Cristos) is not characteristically attached to Jesus’ name in John’s Gospel; it occurs elsewhere primarily as a title and is used with Jesus’ name only in 1:17. But that is connected to its use here: The statement here in 17:3 enables us to correlate the statement made in 1:18 of the prologue, that Jesus has fully revealed what God is like, with Jesus’ statement in 10:10 that he has come that people might have life, and have it abundantly. These two purposes are really one, according to 17:3, because (abundant) eternal life is defined as knowing (being in relationship with) the Father and the Son. The only way to gain this eternal life, that is, to obtain this knowledge of the Father, is through the Son (cf. 14:6). Although some have pointed to the use of know (γινώσκω, ginwskw) here as evidence of Gnostic influence in the Fourth Gospel, there is a crucial difference: For John this knowledge is not intellectual, but relational. It involves being in relationship.

[17:3]  ⁷² tn Or “and Jesus the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[17:5]  ⁷³ tn Or “in your presence”; Grk “with yourself.” The use of παρά (para) twice in this verse looks back to the assertion in John 1:1 that the Word (the Λόγος [Logos], who became Jesus of Nazareth in 1:14) was with God (πρὸς τὸν θεόν, pro" ton qeon). Whatever else may be said, the statement in 17:5 strongly asserts the preexistence of Jesus Christ.

[17:5]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “before the world was.” The word “created” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[17:5]  sn It is important to note that although Jesus prayed for a return to the glory he had at the Father’s side before the world was created, he was not praying for a “de-incarnation.” His humanity which he took on at the incarnation (John 1:14) remains, though now glorified.

[17:9]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “I am asking.”

[17:9]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “I am not asking.”

[17:9]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “because they are yours.”

[17:26]  ⁷⁸ tn The translation “will continue to make it known” is proposed by R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:773).

[18:21]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “Ask those who heard what I said to them.” The words “to them” are not translated since they are redundant in English.

[18:21]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “Look, these know what I said.”

[19:26]  ⁸¹ sn The term Woman is Jesus’ normal, polite way of addressing women (Matt 15:28, Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:15; see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1). But it is unusual for a son to address his mother with this term. The custom in both Hebrew (or Aramaic) and Greek would be for a son to use a qualifying adjective or title. Is there significance in Jesus’ use here? Jesus probably used the term here to help establish Mary and the beloved disciple in a new “mother-son” relationship. Someone would soon need to provide for Mary since Jesus, her oldest son, would no longer be alive. By using this term Jesus distanced himself from Mary so the beloved disciple could take his place as her earthly son (cf. John 2:4). See D. A. Carson, John, 617-18, for discussion about symbolic interpretations of this relationship between Mary and the beloved disciple.

[19:41]  ⁸² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:41]  ⁸³ sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.

[19:41]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “an orchard.”

[19:41]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “orchard.”

[19:41]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “been placed.”

[20:7]  ⁸⁷ sn The word translated face cloth is a Latin loanword (sudarium). It was a small towel used to wipe off perspiration (the way a handkerchief would be used today). This particular item was not mentioned in connection with Jesus’ burial in John 19:40, probably because this was only a brief summary account. A face cloth was mentioned in connection with Lazarus’ burial (John 11:44) and was probably customary. R. E. Brown speculates that it was wrapped under the chin and tied on top of the head to prevent the mouth of the corpse from falling open (John [AB], 2:986), but this is not certain.

[20:7]  ⁸⁸ sn Much dispute and difficulty surrounds the translation of the words not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself. Basically the issue concerns the positioning of the graveclothes as seen by Peter and the other disciple when they entered the tomb. Some have sought to prove that when the disciples saw the graveclothes they were arranged just as they were when around the body, so that when the resurrection took place the resurrected body of Jesus passed through them without rearranging or disturbing them. In this case the reference to the face cloth being rolled up does not refer to its being folded, but collapsed in the shape it had when wrapped around the head. Sometimes in defense of this view the Greek preposition μετά (meta, which normally means “with”) is said to mean “like” so that the comparison with the other graveclothes does not involve the location of the face cloth but rather its condition (rolled up rather than flattened). In spite of the intriguing nature of such speculations, it seems more probable that the phrase describing the face cloth should be understood to mean it was separated from the other graveclothes in a different place inside the tomb. This seems consistent with the different conclusions reached by Peter and the beloved disciple (vv. 8-10). All that the condition of the graveclothes indicated was that the body of Jesus had not been stolen by thieves. Anyone who had come to remove the body (whether the authorities or anyone else) would not have bothered to unwrap it before carrying it off. And even if one could imagine that they had (perhaps in search of valuables such as rings or jewelry still worn by the corpse) they would certainly not have bothered to take time to roll up the face cloth and leave the other wrappings in an orderly fashion.

[20:30]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “did.”

[20:30]  ⁹⁰ 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]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “are not written.”

[20:30]  ⁹² 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.