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John 1:31-33
New Catholic Bible
John 1:31-33
New Catholic Bible
31 I myself did not know him,[a]
but the reason I came to baptize with water
was so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 John also gave this testimony, saying,
“I saw the Spirit
descending from heaven like a dove,
and it came to rest on him.[b]
33 I myself did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest
is the one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit.’[c]
Footnotes
- John 1:31 I myself did not know him: this may refer to the fact that John lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel (see Lk 1:80) and thus did not know Jesus very well. It may also indicate that John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah until he saw the sign mentioned in vv. 32-33.
- John 1:32 For Jesus’ Baptism, see notes on Mt 3:13-17; 3:15; 3:17.
- John 1:33 The one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit: John baptized with water, but Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. We can see in this a reference to the sending of the Holy Spirit. In this Gospel that occurs on Easter Sunday (Jn 20:22).
