John 1:14-18 (ANIV)
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, [1] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ “ 16 From the fulness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, [2] [3] who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
[1]
Or, the Only Begotten.
[2]
Or, the Only Begotten.
[3]
Some manuscripts, but the only (or only begotten) Son.
DRAWING NOTES:
TIME OF DAY:
Not specified in Bible narrative. I have set this scene in the late morning.
LIGHTING NOTES:
The sun (high on the right) illuminates this scene, casting shadows below & to the left of figures & objects.
CHARACTERS PRESENT:
Jesus (with blue outer robe & white head scarf) is on the right of this scene, walking towards John the Baptist (the large central figure) & the crowd around him.
RESEARCH/ADDITIONAL NOTES:
This is a simple scene, showing Jesus approaching John the Baptist & the surround crowd. Notice the various facial expressions on people’s faces: some are curious, some are happy/ pleased, while some are sceptical or even angry. People throughout the ages have always had a strong reaction to the presence of Jesus, some readily accepting his message, others flatly refusing it.
John the Baptist is telling the people around him about Jesus; we know from verse 25 above that he said “This was he [Jesus] of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ “ We know from Luke 1:35-37 [4] that John the Baptist was born about 6 months before Jesus was, so humanly speaking, John was older than Jesus & therefore John “came before Jesus”. However, John recognized that Jesus was the eternal God in human form, & therefore his statement that Jesus came before himself makes perfect sense.
Here is the scene without the figures in the foreground.
Background of John 01 – The Word of life – Scene 05 – Law & Grace
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Background of John 01 – The Word of life – Scene 05 – Law and Grace
[4]
Luke 1:35-37
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”