Devine Scripture

John 1:20

What does John 1:20 mean?

A plain-English look at John 1:20 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What John 1:20 means

In response to the direct question, John the Baptist immediately and unequivocally denied being the Christ. His confession was clear and without reservation, demonstrating his humility and faithfulness to his true identity as a forerunner, not the Messiah himself. This denial was crucial for preventing any confusion among the people or the authorities about who he was, redirecting all messianic expectations away from himself and towards the true Messiah.

John 1:20 in context

John 1 — The Word Made Flesh

John lifts the curtain higher than any other Gospel. Before there was a Bethlehem, there was the Word — with God, who was God, by whom all things were made. The same Word who was the agent of creation became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. John the Baptist points him out as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; the first disciples follow him; Nathanael confesses him as the Son of God and King of Israel. The eternal becomes near enough to touch.

  • Pre-existence of Christ
  • Incarnation
  • Light and life
  • First disciples

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

He said quite openly and straightforwardly, I am not the Christ.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and he confessed and did not deny, and confessed--`I am not the Christ.'

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And he confessed and did not deny: and he confessed: I am not the Christ.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And he acknowledged and denied not, and acknowledged, I am not the Christ.

Context

Following the arrival of the Jewish delegation in verse 19 and their direct question about his identity, John's immediate response here is a clear and direct denial of being the Christ. This is crucial for two reasons: it prevents any misidentification of John as the Messiah, and it sets up the expectation that the *actual* Christ is yet to be revealed, intensifying the anticipation for the true Light about whom John is testifying.

v.19And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?

v.20This passage

v.21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Luke 3:15

    And as the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether haply he were the Christ;

  • Mark 1:7

    And he preached, saying, There cometh after me he that is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.

  • John 3:28

    Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am sent before him.

  • Matthew 3:11

    I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire:

Sermon ideas from John 1:20

Angles a pastor or small-group leader might preach or teach from this passage, drawn from the chapter's main themes.

  • What John 1:20 teaches us about pre-existence of christ

  • What John 1:20 teaches us about incarnation

  • What John 1:20 teaches us about light and life

  • What John 1:20 teaches us about first disciples

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