John 1:1-5 The Word
I love the book of John but of all the gospel accounts, I find John’s to be the most challenging to understand. John doesn’t simply stick to the “what happened when and where” account of Jesus’ life. He goes to the philosophical too. I pray that God leads me by the hand, here more than ever, as we walk through the last look at Jesus’ personal story.
I enjoy writing and I think John probably did too. We know he was inspired by the Holy Spirit in his writings, but his style grabs you right away. John’s “once upon a time” goes back way before time even began. He takes us back to the “beginning” of it all. Not the beginning of God, because God says He IS the beginning and the end. He has no beginning because He is outside of time. He brings us to our beginning.
At our beginning God created everything that was through His Word. That Word was the power of life, of creativity. That Word was Jesus, before His took on physical form. He was part of the Godhead from the beginning. He was the active part during creation. God spoke each and every thing into being and His Word saw to it that everything He spoke came to pass.
I don’t know that I’m being any clearer that John in trying to express the beauty of the unity Jesus has with His Father from the start. How the full Godhead was present and working as one in the making of our existence.
In the Word was life, creativity, action for the process. This life was the light or hope of mankind. Without Him there was only darkness. But HE would overcome the darkness.
Have you ever noticed that the darkness is always there. All it takes for the darkness to leave though is one light. Even a small light impacts the darkness. Jesus’ light, while here with us on earth, started small but grew as He stepped further into the fullness of God’s plan. He was the Promise (Word) working out God’s plan to shatter the darkness in which man was trapped. By the time He stepped back into Heaven, His light was burning bright enough to shatter the darkness. But we will get to that point a little at a time.
Father God, thank You for the Light. Thank You for making the plan of salvation even before You said, “Let there be …” You knew what lay ahead but You spoke us into being anyway. Lord Jesus, thank You that You didn’t refuse to bring God’s words into being. You knew what would be called for from the beginning, but You chose to follow the Father’s plans anyway. Thank You for bringing Your light. Without it I would have no hope at all. I would be forever wandering and blind. Please guide and guard me as I walk through Your word. Open my mind, heart and spirit to receive what You have stored in here for me. Help me communicate clearly the things You share with me so others can benefit as well.
May 29, 2017 @ 6:00 PM
Yum! The Book of John. My personal favorite of all the Gospel writers – for the exact reasons you mentioned: He leaves the journalistic writing to the others and delves into the story from a deeply personal relationship with the One to Whom the Story belongs. Philosophical, because the Story is So Much More than what sits on the surface for the casual reader.
I am not a fan of “The Message” Bible because of its liberties Peterson takes with word translations (Calling Jesus actions at the Last Supper “hocus pokus”! How dare he??)
But in his introduction to the Book of John, he paints a word picture that (for me) captures the essence with which John sat down to share. It goes something like this: (I am paraphrasing from memory – so really these are my words describing how his words resonate within me.)
John has returned from the Isle of Patmos and is living in a small fisherman’s cabin near the shore of Lake Galilee. He is now the last living Disciple/Apostle. All of the others have been martyred for the Sake of Christ. He’s read the writings of his contemporaries, and while they told the facts and figures, somehow they failed to express the Jesus that John knew.
One day a group of children knock on John’s front door. They’ve been there before. Many times they’ve come, they never tire of asking John questions. Today is no different. The children implore John to come sit on his front porch so they can all gather around him. He settles into his old, worn rocking chair and invites the children to gather in close. They do. A couple of them even climb up into his lap. One of them asks, “Please, sir, will you tell us again about your best friend, Jesus?”
John takes a deep breath and gazes for a time at a cloud floating over the lake; a cloud that reminds him of the one that hid Jesus from sight on the final day they were together on earth. “Ahhhhh” a sigh escapes his lips as they curve into a smile and his eyes grow nostalgic. “Please, sir?” The insistent little voice brings him back to the present. It takes a moment to tear his thoughts away from the end of the story, but he knows that these young minds will only understand the ending if they understand the story from its beginning.
So he opens his mouth and begins to speak, “In the beginning was the WORD, the WORD was with God, and the WORD WAS GOD…”
And the story unfolds: the account of the most life-changing three years anyone had ever lived through; told in the words of the disciple who loved and knew he was loved by his best friend, Jesus.
Every time I read the Gospel according to Saint John, I see myself sitting cross-legged on that old wind-seasoned porch, leaning in close so as not to miss a word. John was known to be “the Disciple Jesus Loved.” Now he’s the one from whose lips I want to hear The Story.
Annette, I can hardly wait to read your insights as John’s narrative unfolds.
May 30, 2017 @ 2:57 AM
I did a study on the book of John once but feel oh so inadequate to do this book justice. Just have to wait and see where God takes us 🙂
I love the picture you shared from the Message bible. I too will join you as we sit to hear John’s story.