Passage
These things were done in Bethabara beyond Iordan, where Iohn did baptize.
John 1:28 (GNV)
Nearby Context
John 1:26 Iohn answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there is one among you, whom ye knowe not.
John 1:27 He it is that commeth after me, which was before me, whose shoe latchet I am not worthie to vnloose.
John 1:28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Iordan, where Iohn did baptize.
John 1:29 The next day Iohn, seeth Iesus comming vnto him, and saith, Beholde that Lambe of God, which taketh away the sinne of the world.
John 1:30 This is he of whom I saide, After me commeth a man, which was before me: for he was better then I.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "things", "done", "bethabara", "beyond", "iordan", "where", "iohn", and "baptize". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "things" and "done", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 27's "He it is that commeth after me..." into verse 29's "The next day Iohn seeth Iesus comming...", so "things" and "done" 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 "done" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.