So “the light” itself stands for all possible decisions in favour of belief in Jesus Christ.
v. 21: Therefore the “children of light” do the “truth”261 (cf. 1 John 1:6) and are in Jesus’ “light” as well as become the “light” on Jesus’ behalf on earth because of their “works/deeds” (cf. Matthew 25:34–40, 46b) in His Spirit.
v. 20: However, the “non-believer” who does “wicked”262 things – note the (not-) doing of the “bad men” in Matthew 25:41–46a –
“loves the darkness” (cf. John 1:5; 8:12d; 12:46) and
“hates”263 the “light” (v. 20a and Job 24:13–17) – note the contrast of “love – hate” and “darkness – light” as the contrast between the “foolish” and “wise” virgins in John 25:2 and the “sheep” on “the right side” (+) and “goats” on “the left side” (–) in Matthew 25:33. This one will “not come into the light that (his) works/deeds ( )” (vv. 19d, 20c, 21b) will “not be exposed264” (cf. Ephesians 5:13).
2.2.5 First Setting as a Journey Note (vv. 22–24)
Who: Jesus, His disciples (v. 22), John the Baptist (v. 23)
Where: Jesus and His disciples in the Judean region (v. 22a) – John the Baptist in (the Samarian) “Aenon near Salim” (v. 23a)
When: ? – during the first year of Jesus’ public ministry
v. 22: After Nicodemus’ discussion with Jesus (cf. vv. 1–21), a typical Johannine phrase “metà taũta” (= “thus/so” – cf., for example, John 5:1, 14; 6:1; 7:1) in verse 22a introduces a general journey note – “Itinerar”265 (cf., for example, 4:3). The Fourth Evangelist relates that “Jesus” and “His disciples ( )” went “into the Judean land/countryside” (cf. 4:3; 7:3; 11:7 – 2:13–3:21, 22–36; 5:1–47; 7:2–10:39; 11:1–46, 47–53, 54, 55–12:50; 13:1–20:29266) where He spent some time “with them and He was baptizing267” (vv. 22c, 23d, 26f and 4:1–2) in Judea.
v. 23: He continues with the information about the place where “John” (in Greek “Ioánnes”) the Baptist (cf. vv. 23a, 24, 25, 26a, 27a and 1:6, 15, 19, 26, 28, 32, 35 , 40; 4:1; 5:33, 36; 10:40–41) “baptized” (cf. v. 22c) the people in Samaria: “in Aenon268 near Salim, because ( ) [ ] {there} [was] plenty of (water) { }”.
v. 24: The Fourth Evangelist comments that it was before the arrest of John the Baptist “in … prison269” (cf. Mark 1:14; 6:17; Matthew 4:12; 14:3; Luke 3:20).
2.2.6 John the Baptist and the Messiah (vv. 25–36)
- Second Setting (vv. 25–26a)
Who: John the Baptist (v. 26), his disciples (v. 25a), a Jew/some Jews
Where: “Aenon near Salim” (v. 23a)
When: before John the Baptist’s arrest (v. 24)
v. 25: The “disciples of John” the Baptist had an “issue, a discussion, debate” about the “purification”270 (cf. John 2:6) with “a Jew” respectively with some “Jews”271.
- The Testimony of John the Baptist about himself and Jesus (vv. 26b–36)
+ The Question of John the Baptist’s Disciples (vv. 26)
In this context the “disciples of John” (v. 25) the Baptist asked their master:
“Rabbi” (cf. v. 2c), “He who was with you across the Jordan” (cf. 1:26–34),
“to whom you gave witness” – note the keyword “marturéo” in verses 11e, 26d, 28a, 32b –,
behold” (cf., for example, this imperative in 1:29, 36, 47), this one is baptizing” (cf. vv. 22c, 23d) – note the remark by the Fourth Evangelist in 4:2: “His disciples” – “and all are going to Him”. “The rivalry between” the disciples of John the Baptist and Jesus “may reflect the situation when the Gospel was written”272 (cf. Acts 18:24–19:7)
+ John the Baptist’s Reflection on himself (vv. 27–30)
v. 27: John the Baptist introduces his answer like a thesis – note verse 30a–b as climax respectively synthesis – as follows: A “(man) cannot ( ) receive only what it is given him from Heaven” (cf. John 19:11 and Matthew 28:18).
v. 28: Therefore he declares with the help of a correction273 (“not … but”) his role/part regarding God’s incarnation and salvation in the world as a “forerunner”. For that he repeated/quoted his self-saying in John 1:20b, 30d:
“I am not the Christ”,
“but … (I am) sent ( ) before Him”.
v. 29: He explains his saying with the help of a parable of the relationship between a “friend” (= John the Baptist) and a “bridegroom”274 (= Jesus – cf. v. 29b, c – note the parables with an eschatological viewpoint in Mark 2:19–20; Matthew 9:15; 25:1, 5–6, 10; Luke 5:34–35; Revelation 18:23): “The image is that of the bridegroom’s best friend protectively keeping watch over the house of the bride (Israel), waiting to hear the approach of the bridegroom (Jesus) as he comes to take her to his home”275 (cf. vv. 26a, 30b). The Fourth Evangelist emphasizes the eschatological viewpoint of John the Baptist’s mission as a “joyful”276 “fulfilling”277 (cf. John 15:11; 16:21, 24; 17:13; 1 John 1:4; 2 John 12).
v. 30: John the Baptist, the “preparer” respectively the “forerunner” (cf. v. 28d and John 1:7–8, 23; Mark 1:2; Matthew 3:3; Luke 3:4) of Jesus, the “Son of Man” (v. 14b2) and the “Christ” (v. 28c) as well as the “Son of God” (v. 18c – cf. vv. 35–36), concludes his reflection about himself as a contrast in the sense of a climax respectively synthesis:
“He” (= Jesus) “must” (cf. vv. 7c, 14b) “increase”278 (cf. Luke 1:80; 2:40), but
“I” (= John the Baptist) “/must/ decrease279”. In other words: With John the Baptist ends an era, however with Jesus begins a “new ‘divine’ era” – note the divine “must” (in Greek “deῖ”) in verse 30a.
The tradition of the Church/es – since the Church Fathers Ambrose (about 340–4th April 397 A.D.) and Augustine (13th November 354–28th August 430 A.D.) – fixed the nativity of Jesus Christ on 24th/25th December in contrast to the feast of the nativity of John the Baptist on 24th June in consideration of the solstice because after Christmas the days become longer again and the night/darkness becomes shorter and after the so-called Day of John the days become shorter and the nights become longer.
+ John the Baptist’s Theological Reflection on Jesus (vv. 31–36)
John the Baptist continues his answering with a theological reflection