And this is the testimony that John gave when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He declared, and did not deny it, and declared that I was not the Christ.

And they asked Him, What then? Are you Elijah? He said, "No." Prophet? He answered: no. They said to him, "Who are you?" That we may give an answer to those who sent us: What wilt thou say of thyself? He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: straighten the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said (Isaiah 40:3).

And the messengers were from the Pharisees, and they asked him, "Why do you baptize, if you are not Christ, nor Elijah, nor a prophet?" John answered and said to them, "I baptize in water; but there is one standing among you whom you do not know. He is He who follows me, but who stands before me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of His shoes.

This happened in Bethabar, by the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

On the next day John saw the Lord Jesus coming to Him and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sin of the world." This is the one of whom I said, A man is coming after me, who has gone before me, because he was before me. I did not know Him, but for this reason I came to baptize in water, that He might be revealed to Israel.

And John testified, saying, "I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and abiding upon Him." I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, "On Whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding upon Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.

22. The Assignment of Some Disciples.

In. 1, 35-51.

On the next day John stood again and two of his disciples. And when he saw the Lord Jesus coming, he said, Behold, the Lamb of God! Hearing these words from him, both disciples followed Jesus the Lord. And the Lord Jesus, turning and seeing them coming, said to them, "What have ye need? They said to him, "Rabbi, what does it mean, teacher, where do you live?" He said to them, "Go and see." And they went and saw where he dwelt, and they stayed with him that day. It was about ten o'clock.

One of the two disciples who heard from John about the Lord Jesus and followed Him was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. He is the first to find his brother Simon and says to him, "We have found the Messiah," which means, Christ. And brought him to the Lord Jesus. And the Lord looked at him, and said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jonah; thou shalt be called Cephas, which means a stone (Peter).

On the next day the Lord Jesus wanted to go into Galilee, and found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." And Philip was from Bethsaida, from the same city as Andrew and Peter.

Philip finds Nathanael and says to him, "We have found Him of Whom Moses wrote in the law (Deuteronomy 18:15) and the prophets, Jesus, the son of Joseph, of Nazareth. But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Go and see."

The Lord Jesus, seeing Nathanael coming to Him, said of him: "Behold, truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile." Nathanael said to Him, "Why do You know me? The Lord Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered Him, "Rabbi! You are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel. And the Lord Jesus answered and said unto him, Thou believest, because I have said unto thee, I have seen thee under the fig tree; you will see more than this.

And he said to him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, From henceforth ye shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending to the Son of Man.