Can you spot all the names of Jesus in John chapter one?
When John wrote his version of the Gospel, he used specific names referring to Jesus to convey the meaning of his work. John used 129 title designations for Jesus in his Gospel, which is nearly 30 percent of such titles in all Gospels, according to Knowableword.com.
Try reading John chapter one and see if you can pick out all the names John used to describe Jesus. Maybe you can find more than we have! Here is a list of 12 names of Jesus that we saw in this chapter. Some have been repeated within the same chapter and used throughout the Gospel of John. Other Gospel and Bible writers have used many of the same names in their works.
Jesus is the Word
John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:2: “The same was in the beginning with God.”
A translation of the Greek word “Logos,” it is widely recognized as referring to Jesus, which is reiterated in later verses within the same chapter.
Jesus is the Creator
John 1:3: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
The universe was created by intelligent design, and the scripture goes so far as to say that nothing was created apart from Jesus.
Jesus is the Light
John 1:4: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
John 1:5: “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
John 1:9: “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
Jesus is the light in the sin-darkened world. He brings life-changing hope to anyone who will place their faith and trust in Him.
Jesus is Human
John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
From the heavenly palaces, Jesus came to earth in human form and lived among us. He reveals His glory, inviting us to himself.
Jesus is God
John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The very first verse identifies Jesus as the divine and eternal God. Not only does Jesus co-exist, but he is also co-equal with God the Father from the beginning.
Jesus is the Lord
John 1:23: “He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.”
John the Baptist makes clear that Jesus is the Lord, prophesied by Isaiah, who would come to complete God’s plan.
Jesus is the Lamb of God
John 1:29: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
John 1:36: “And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!”
Up until this point, prophets have foretold, and John the Baptist has proclaimed to prepare the way for the Lord, the Lamb of God. Now, the message is that He has come.
Jesus is the Son of God
John 1:34: “And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.”
Calling Jesus the “Son of God” refers to the Messianic prophecies. John the Baptist’s testimony confirms that he witnessed the proof during Jesus’ baptism that He truly is the Son of God.
Jesus is the Rabbi
John 1:38: Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?”
The term “Rabbi” was used by Jewish people to refer to religious leaders and scholars and means “honorable sir” or “master.” Jesus demonstrated mastery of the scriptures and is respectfully called Rabbi. This is best portrayed in the Gospel of Matthew, where the crowds were astonished at his teaching. Jesus taught them as one with authority, not as their scribes.
Jesus is the Messiah
John 1:41: “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”
Jewish people refer to their religious leaders and scholars as “Rabbi,” which means “honorable sir” or “master.” Jesus demonstrated mastery of the scriptures and is respectfully called Rabbi. This is best portrayed in the Gospel of Matthew, where the crowds were astonished at his teaching. Jesus taught them as one with authority, not as their scribes.
Jesus is the King of Israel
John 1:49: “Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”
Although Israel had many kings, there is only one true King of Israel: Jesus, the Messiah. “The King of Israel” is described in Isaiah 11:1–2 as the future King who has God’s spirit of wisdom. The angel Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would be King.
Jesus is the Son of Man
John 1:51: “And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”
Jesus preferred to call himself “The Son of Man,” which is the Messiah in the Jewish prophecy that’s described in Daniel 7:13. Jewish people who heard the phrase would know that He was referring to the Savior and King of Israel.