John 1:42 (WEB)

Passage

He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).

Nearby Context

John 1:40 One of the two who heard John, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

John 1:41 He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is, being interpreted, Christ).

John 1:42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).

John 1:43 On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”

John 1:44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "brought", "jesus", "looked", "said", "simon", "jonah", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "brought", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 41's "He first found his own brother Simon..." into verse 43's "On the next day he was determined...", so "called" and "brought" 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 "called" and "brought" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.