John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did notcomprehend it.
As I mentioned last week, the Gospel of Jon is different from the other three in that it does not chronologically lay out the actions of Christ on earth, but rather uses specific instances in His life to try to describe Christ as man and Son of God.
I’ve discussed the Triune God before and the awesome relationship that God has with Himself (One God, They Are He) This is John’s way of describing Him/Them. In the original text, the word “Word” here is: logos. In researching this definition I tried to stay away from direct links to Jesus, since that would be too easy. Instead, I tried to find the original meaning of the word and this is what I found:
“reason or the rational principle expressed in words and things, argument, or justification; esp personified as
the source of order in the universe”
This definition was laid out as a philosophical concept. It only makes sense then, given what else is written about Jesus that He is the rational principle, justification, and the source of order in the universe. Whether or not you believe it is a different story all together, but we can clearly see here that John believed it. I find it interesting as well that the bible, at least in Christian circles, is considered “the inspired word of God”. This is explained as not only people who wrote it, but also those who organized it, were so inspired by the Holy Spirit (a part of the Triune God, The Spirit of Christ) and through it we learn about Him. But what is John really saying here?
It describes to us the fullness and deity of Christ as God, before He came to be born on earth. You see, Christ wasn’t a man who became God, or a man endowed with the Spirit (that’s actually commonplace in the bible) but rather God who came to earth. He was full God and fully man. John articulates this in verse 3, that all things came into being through Him. This is a throwback to Genesis when God created the Earth and all living things. Christ created the earth and all living things. Christ is God. I used to think that the three beings of God were separate entities, however I realize that God’s relationship with Himself and the three being One and the One being three…we want to explain that away but nothing else in nature exists the way God exists. If it did, then He wouldn’t be God, would He?
Verse 4 breaks into the fact that God is life and light. Since the beginning when God breathed life into Adam , and as He continues to breathe life into us, He lives through us by His Holy Spirit. As such, those of us who live with His Spirit are the Light unto the darkness.
When I think about verse 5, I think about someone who has been sitting in the dark for a long time and suddenly a bright light appears. The person in the dark is confused, shielding their sensitive eyes from the light. Who is it? Where is I coming from? Why is it here? Should I appreciate it or be afraid of it? This is the incomprehension I think of when I read verse 5. Some will go towards the light, others will run from it. Some will embrace it, others will mock it.
What will you do with the Light?
