AN EXEGETICAL STUDY OF JOHN 1:51

G. K. Pennington

 

Objectives of This Study

Jn. 1:51[1] provides a formidable task for study.  There is not a parallel in the Synoptics and John does not straightforwardly take up these thoughts later in his gospel.  We might conclude that the verse is too obscure for profitable in-depth study but it and its contexts are packed with meaningful exegetical and theological value.

The primary goal of this study is to see how our text functions in John’s Gospel.  What was the specific meaning of Jesus’ statement and why did John include it for his readers?  Is it, as some have concluded, a redaction inconsistent with the purpose of the original text or an event designed to accent the goals of Jesus’ life and John’s purpose? 

We will view the verse in the context of its immediate setting but it is also necessary to consider the historical background.  Its position at the beginning of John’s gospel requires that we consider its effect on the development of the Gospel.

 

The Key to the Gospel of John

Raymond E. Brown considers Jn. 1:51 to be the most troublesome verse of the fourth Gospel.[2]  Clearly, if he had been consulted, he would not have included it in the text.  The transition from the previous verse is not smooth enough for him and it breaks the continuity with the miracle at Cana, which he would prefer to be the fulfillment of Jn. 1:50.  He cannot find a literal fulfillment, and he sees the possibility that John borrowed the heavens and angels concepts from the Synoptics.[3]  The problem is that, wanting a literal application, he looks past a representative illustration of the divine choice of the one who will make “greater things” happen.  He considers the resurrection and ascension to be the goal of Jesus’ prediction of “greater things.”  He misses the significance of the statement about angelic activity between heaven and earth.  In Jacob’s dream with the angels came the presence of God.  The theme of deity has run through the chapter.  In Jesus it is about to act not in dreams but redemptive process that bridges the gap between heaven and earth.

On the other hand, R. H. Strachan, in a discussion of the divinity of Jesus, evaluates the first chapter of John and determines that Jn. 1:50-51 is “the key to the Evangelist’s whole conception of Jesus.”[4]  If he is correct it is critical that we understand how these verses function.  Only then can we benefit from their inclusion in John’s writing.  Barnabas Lindars concurs saying, “Thus 1:51 is a programmatic statement, pointing to  the significance of the story that is to be unfolded.”[5]  It functions as a representative image both Jesus and John use to help people make the transition to faith. 

 

The General Context

The validity of this text is strong with no textual variants identified.[6] This does not address concerns about redaction in oral traditions that may have predated a written work.

The specific context related to our text involves an exchange between Jesus and Nathanael which centers on the issue of Jesus’ deity and kingship in Jn. 1:49.  It was what John Lendrum calls a “miracle of insight”[7] from Jesus that riveted Nathanael’s attention to his being in the presence of deity.  From that vantage point Jesus launches his best shot at where things are going.  To paraphrase, he tells Nathanael, “If you think that was something just wait!”  From his position as a disciple Nathanael would see miracles and teaching flow from the “Son of God.”  It would culminate in the purpose of the Gospel and the reason for the incarnation being fully achieved.  It is worth noting that being brought into the presence of Jesus accomplished for Nathanael what John wished for his readers in the purpose statement of the Gospel found in Jn. 20:30-31.  At the end of the Gospel story Nathanael would be there to see the last of the earthly “greater things” as he had seen this one. 

The heavenly vision described by Jesus serves as the transition point between the initial calling of disciples and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.  A review of the events starting with John the Baptist’s declaration that he is not the Christ shows fast-paced activity.  In three days the action moves from the reference to Jesus’ baptism, through the calling of the first disciples and into the encounter with Nathanael.  Abruptly the pace is broken with a three-day interlude before the first miracle at Cana.  That break in process raises the question of whether Jn. 1:51 is an aberration of some sort or if it serves a legitimate function.

 

A Closer Look at Jn. 1:51

Springing from the prediction of “greater things” Jesus adds what appears to be an addendum, “kai> le<gei au]t&?.”  John in his recall of the event is about to note the degree and illustrate the source for the “greater things” that Jesus has in mind.  John H. C. Neeb sees it being “...related to the interpretation of Gen. 28:12 at the time of the writing of John’s gospel.”[8]   Jesus here is not adding an afterthought but an illustration of divine intervention.  It is like the intervention with Jacob that brought Israel to its own greatness in the past.  Jesus uses this reflective illustration to sum up the introductory framework of the Gospel and set the pattern for events to follow. 

 

The First Signpost

There are some firsts that occur in the passage that give credibility to John’s revealing an expanding image of his statement “The Word became flesh”, Jn. 1:14.  The double “amens” which are like signposts to grasp a reader’s attention start here.[9]  That one connecting thread alone is reason to consider the passage to have a credible link  to the theological purpose of the Gospel.  A review of the passages in which this nuance of John occurs indicates an emphasis of Christological concerns. 

 

To Whom is Jesus Talking

With “le>gw u[mi?n” or “I say to you” Jesus continues a change to the plural which first occurred in Jn. 1:50 and is not detectable in our English translations.  Strachan here believes that the people to whom this is being directed are the readers of the Gospel and not Nathanael.[10]  Brown who considers the verse “A Detached Saying about the Son of Man” considers the shift from Nathanael to the rest of the disciples or at least to include Philip.[11]  The point is that the essence of the “greater things” and the illustrative model Jesus had in mind were meant for a wider audience than Nathanael alone.

 

The Opening of Heaven

Others would “see heaven open.”  In a sense everything recorded in John to this point was a testimony to the opening of the heavenly realm.  The one making this known is Jesus now being identified with the “eschatological”[12] term “Son of Man.” Speaking of John’s Christology, Rudolf Schnackenburg says; “...heaven opens above the Son of Man, so that what is a vision of the future in the Synoptics is already present in John...”[13]  John the Baptist had already borne witness to the coming down of the Spirit from heaven in Jn. 1:33.  With each manifestation of divine power, every divinely guided teaching and action of mercy, there was witness that heaven was open.  John would demonstrate in his treatment of the life of Jesus that all under this open heaven was all under His control.

 

Jacob’s and Jesus’ Typology

There is a strong position that Jn. 1:51 is an allusion to the Gen. 28:12 event of Jacob’s dream and a similar ascending and descending of angels.[14]  Even those who believe that the verse was added to the original work normally accept the similarity. 

There are several issues that naturally flow out of Jacob’s experience.  What is Jacob's relationship to Jesus in John’s application of this event?  Is there a significance to Bethel as a place of worship?  There are also differences with the ladder being absent in the fourth Gospel having been replaced by Jesus or the “Son of Man” Himself.[15] 

Reflecting on events of Gen. 28:12 and surrounding verses, the Targums portray a series of five miracles that involved Jacob.  Beyond these non-Biblical miracles is an interpretation of the dream in which angels are in company with Jacob.  They ascend to call upon “angels of the heights” [16] to view “the pious man whose image is fixed to the throne of glory...”[17]  With this traditional background in view, Neeb argues for a “...deliberate Jacob/Jesus typology” based on Jn. 1:51.[18]  He begins the argument with an appeal for attention to the use of the verbs “come” and “see.”  These appear in the Targums related to Jacob’s dream and in the first chapter of John.  He sees John’s use of this material and Jn. 1:51 as a clear effort to replace the physical head of physical Israel with the Spiritual head of Spiritual Israel.  In the same way C. H. Dodd draws on the similar relationship of Jacob with Jesus from the perspective of Jacob’s dream as patriarch of future Israel.  Dodd’s vision is of the greater blessings of Jesus becoming a reality in the “Son of Man” just as God blessed Jacob’s family.[19]  Brown takes issue here indicating that if anyone were to be a type for Jacob it would have to be Nathanael.[20]  He misses the spirit of the moment as it is Jesus who will lead the family of God into the future with blessings and wonder, not Nathanael. 

 

Bethel Imagery

The transition of where and how to worship is an issue in John’s Gospel.  Jacob’s relationship with Bethel was one of the sources of tension between the Samaritans and the Jewish people.  “The Theophany to Jacob provides the sole basis for the sanctuary of Bethel.”[21] In the image of Jacob’s spiritual encounter with God the Samaritan audience would have had their first confrontation with their tradition being challenged by the “Son of Man.”  Soon the event with the Samaritan woman and the issues of Jacob and the proper place to worship would directly confront them.[22] 

For the Samaritans, as with the Jewish people, beginning with this verse the stage is set for a transition in what and who is important.  The significance of Jacob is now being surpassed by Jesus.  In years to come the temple in Jerusalem would become a dusty memory and there will be no turning to Bethel. Those who heard the interchange between Jesus and Nathanael will come to see Jesus not Jacob as the “eternal contact between heaven and earth...”[23]

 

The Son of Man

The theme of the “Son of Man,”[24] though not unique to this Gospel, has its introduction at this point.  As with the dual “amens,” we need to read the "Son of Man" passages with the image-shaping Christology of this verse in the background.  John W. Pryor argues for a use of the “Son of Man” that is consistent with the first use of the term in Jn. 1:51.[25]

Is part of this image shaped by Dan. 7?  Lindars says no, Morris thinks that it is, and Margaret Pamment thinks that there is an “echo of Dan. vii 13 and 22...” in this use of the term.[26]  That there is a breaking of the Spiritual world into the physical world is apparent here as it was in Daniel.  There is also a similarity in the need for divine intervention into the human condition on both occasions.  There is a problem in that the contextual imagery for Daniel is not found in this verse as it is for Jacob’s dream.

Is the “Son of Man” a reference to the humanity of Jesus, to His deity or perhaps both?  Millard J. Erickson believes this verse and others in John to be related to both the “...origin and destiny of the Son of Man.”[27]  Pamment contends for a return to the beginning of the first chapter with Jesus being the source of revelation but also accenting His humanity.[28] Beasley-Murray ties this phrase with “Son of God” seeing them as, “...complimentary concepts; they flow into one another.”[29] 

“Son of Man” has a decidedly human sound and use.  It finds in Jesus an application that is both divine and human.  He is the divinely appointed interaction between heaven and earth.  Beasley-Murray sees a “witness to Jesus” theme running through Jn. 1:19-51.[30]  It is from this platform that John will launch his faith-generating treatise into the life of Jesus.

What Does It Mean

How does our text function in John’s Gospel?  It is a pivotal point where the link between the Word of Jn. 1:1 takes on human form and moves into the process of redemptive history.  It looks back at an important time in Israel’s religious formation and portrays Jesus as united with that past.  It shows Him poised to act redemptively in order to secure the future of human relationship with God. 

Jn. 1:51 is consistent with the purpose statement found in Jn. 20:30-31.  Those closer to the Samaritan perspective were challenged with this transition but would be comforted to know that there is a link with their tradition.  Even those associated with the temple in Jerusalem could learn after its destruction that there is one greater than Jacob who now is the way to God.

For Jesus it is not an aside or a prediction of a specific event but rather a representative imaging of the source for the “greater things” which those with him at that moment would witness. 

John’s choice of this event is not an aberration but a metaphorical staging of how Jesus would make God known in every act, culminating in His glorification.  For John it is the lead into the story of God’s breaking into the world to produce a community of faith. 

Is it the key to John’s Gospel?  At the very least it casts a predictive light on where this account of the Gospel story is headed.  It is a statement as to the true nature of the working Christology of Jesus.  He has a foot in two camps.  He is from heaven as the incarnate Word of God and He is a human who walked among us doing great things. 

 

 

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barrett, C. K. The Gospel According to St John, 2d. London: SPCK, 1978, 187.

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2d ed., revised by William F. Arndt, F. Wilber Gingrich, and Frederick W. Danker. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979.

Beasley-Murray, G. R.  “John.” Word Biblical Commentary, ed. David A. Hubbard, Glenn W.Barber, and Raloh P. Martin, vol. 36 Waco, TX: Word Books, 1987.

Brown, Robert E.  The Gospel According to John. The Anchor Bible, Vol. 29. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1979.

Carson. D. A. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.

Dodd, C. H.  The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel. London: Cambridge University Press, 1960.

Erickson, Millard J.  The Word Became Flesh. Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse, 1991.

The Greek New Testament. 4th revised ed. Edited by Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopolos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce Metzger. London: United Bible Societies, 1993.

The Holy Bible; New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978.

Hamilton, Victor P.  The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Vol. 2 ed. Robert L Hubbard, Jr., Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Klein. Michael L.  The Fragment-Targums of the Pentateuch According to their Extant Sources. Vol. 2 Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1980.

Lendrum, John “Greater Things than These.” The Expository Times 38 (October 1926-September 1927): 471-473.

Lindars, Barnabas. Jesus the Son of Man. London: SPCK, 1983.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

__________. The Lord From Heaven. Dowers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1974.

Neeb, John H.C.  “Jacob/Jesus Typology in John 1,51.” Eastern Great Lakes Biblical Society Proceedings, 12 (1992): 83-89.

Pamment, Margaret “The Son of Man in the Fourth Gospel.” Journal of Theological Studies 36 (April 1985): 56-66.

Pryor, John W.  “The Johannine Son of Man and the Decent-Ascent Motif.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 34 (September 1991): 341-351.

Rowland, Christopher John 1.51 “Jewish Apocalyptic and Targumic Tradition.” New Testament Studies 30 (1984): 498-507.

Sarna, Nahum M “Genesis.” in The Jewish Publication Society Torah Commentary, ed. Nahum M. Sarna. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1989.

Schlier, Heinrich “a]mh<n.” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, trans. and ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, 1:335-338. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981.

Schnackenburg, Rudolf The Gospel According to John, Vol. 1. trans. Kevin Smyth, New York: Herder and Herder, 1968.

Strachan, R. H., The Fourth Gospel: Its Significance and Environment, 3d ed., London: Student Christian Movement Press, 1955.