John 1:28 (DBY)

Passage

These things took place in Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was baptising.

Nearby Context

John 1:26 John answered them saying, I baptise with water. In the midst of you stands, whom ye do not know,

John 1:27 he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose.

John 1:28 These things took place in Bethany, across the Jordan, where John was baptising.

John 1:29 On the morrow he sees Jesus coming to him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

John 1:30 He it is of whom I said, A man comes after me who takes a place before me, because he *was* before me;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "things", "took", "place", "bethany", "across", "jordan", "where", and "john". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "things" and "took", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "he who comes after me the thong..." into verse 29's "On the morrow he sees Jesus coming...", so "things" and "took" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "things" and "took" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.