A personal appreciation of the chapter and lessons learned.
Every exceptional course or phenomenon in history began with a step of action. Nothing exists in the clouds. As humans living with a physical reality our need to feel and touch can be so infiltrated in our beliefs. We want to see and perhaps touch the God we believe in. Our questions are enormous yet valid. Why should we believe in God? Why is he in heaven where no one can reach even with a spacecraft? And in ignorance, we say, he is so difficult to relate to maybe because he wasn’t made by human intelligence. When evangelists or preachers recount so sympathetically the suffering of his son on that cross in an attempt to save us from our sins we turn around and ask “Why did he have to do it? He should have stayed in heaven. No wonder the revelation of the cross if experienced out of a burning desire to know him leaves us in awe, self-pity, and self-awareness all at the same time. We suddenly realize that we were made for a purpose and that he came because he loves us and wouldn’t want us to perish.
As we look at the book of John all we see is John’s zeal to reveal to us the person we believe in. He wants our numerous questions answered even if it means reaching out and touching the Saviour. Brian Simmons the lead translator for the Passion Translation puts it this way “How God longs for us to know him! We discover him as we read and study his living word. But the “word” is not just dead letters; it’s the Living Expression of God, Jesus Christ. The Word came with skin on as the perfect man—the One who is the divine self expression and fullness of God’s glory; he is God in the flesh!” The Book of John is all about the beautiful Christ. But to tell us about Him, the apostle John begins from the beginning.
It is important to talk about the writer. John is one of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus had many disciples during his ministry years on earth, but he had 12 very close ones. These are the ones referred to as the apostles, the patriarch of the gospel. It is also believed that the apostle John is Jesus’ cousin. John and Jacob (called James) are sons of Zebedee and when we compare Mark 15:49-41 and Matt 27:56, we see that Zebedee’s wife is Salome the younger sister of Mary the mother of our Lord Jesus. Interestingly, the disciple Jesus Loves as captured in this book is John the writer. John, the beloved, had a special personal relationship with Jesus and who better to show us the saviour through a different lens than him. He wrote to two categories of people, the Jews and the Gentiles: to reveal to the Jews the true saviour they have been expecting all their lives even the many generations before them. That the prophecies are now being fulfilled before their eyes. To the Gentiles, to reveal the very goodness and love of God in reconciling all mankind to himself. People who were not “God’s people” now having a space at the table of sons. As their eyes are opened to behold him, even the works that he did amongst them, they experience his love which empowers them to believe in him. The word Believe was used almost a 100 times in the book of John. This is to emphasize that it is not enough to read or simply study the book of John or any passage/book of the Bible; believing what we are studying is even more important. As we dive into the first chapter of John, ask the saviour to open your eyes and heart. As we learn the life of Jesus as recorded in this book, may it lead us to have faith in Him. May we believe that he’s everything that he said, and can do in and through us everything he did in those times.
Ch1:1-2- I can not help but notice the poetry in the first few sentences:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. And all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made…”
Such bars of metaphors have not been found this heavy anywhere else, ask any scholar you know (I am boasting). The lines are so rich you might bite your finger thinking you’re chewing on a chocolate chip. Little wonder most scholars consider the first 18 verses to be the words of an ancient hymn or poem cherished by first-century believers. You would have also noticed the persona given to “Word” by the use of capitalization, location, and the attribution of pronouns and human realities. The term ‘word’ could not be referring to a lexical unit of a sentence. “The Greek is Logos, and in the old testament this conveys God’s powerful self expression in creation, revelation and redemption. Jesus Christ is the eternal message, the creative word and the Living Expression of God made visible”- (The Passion Translation) He is the self revealing message of God. As human beings converse and express themselves through words, God has now revealed and expressed himself through his Son who has appeared to us in the flesh bearing physical attributes like we do, thereby easing relational constraints. He possesses the very attributes of God the father, existing as a separate person but essentially one with God. It is expedient to note that the word of God is the primary representation of his presence. Before the birth of our Lord through Mary, His word was with his people through the prophets, He made sure to never leave them by themselves. The people lived with prophecies guiding and at the same time revealing what was His heart for them per time. Even now God still speaks over us.
In verse 3, we see that everything was made through him. The Aramaic of that phrase translates -everything is in his hands (of power). This goes beyond what was made and includes what is being made now. If His power to bring things into existence ended during creation and when he performed miracles, then the meaning as highlighted in the Aramaic is defeated or limited. Everything that be, is, because there is a creator-creation law in place. Aside the historical events in Genesis, man has been in creator mode—planting, building, forming, devising, crafting, birthing concepts and ideas through thought processes, the ground too not left out, the concept of seed time and harvest time; where the earth brings forth what is committed to it by means of sowing, Etc. The power and ability to think, process the thoughts and come up with a new concept or creation is part of the things He brought into existence when He made man. So apart from forming you in your mother’s womb, God still has your life in His hands and if you let Him, He’ll bring to life everything he has designed concerning you. If all he had to do was speak things into existence, the heavens and galaxies filled with stars, the cosmos, the ocean, land and sky all subject to his command, and you being the masterpiece, do you see how much more He can do?
“In him was life, and the light was the light of men…” the life here is plural, capturing human life, spiritual, eternal and every form of life. His light is the light of eternal life and the full revelation of God, rendering powerless the grips of ignorance. As a child, I hated dark places. My mom lived miles away from my grandparents and because I was very fond of my granddad, I often stayed at theirs until late into the night. The road leading to my mom’s house was a narrow path in between two buildings. At the end of that tunnel is a building where notorious boys hung out to smoke weed, drink, and have fun. There was never a time they were not standing by the corners calling at little girls. The sad thing is, that path was the shortest to my mom’s and it was stressful to choose the longer way. I usually plan my exit an hour before leaving my grandparents’. It would be so dark you can barely see a soul, to manage my fearful flight I would decide what words to mutter under my breath (usually was THE BLOOD OF JESUS, THE BLOOD OF JESUS, THE BLOOD OF JESUS until I emerge in the light or the bright moon on the other side), what speed to apply, if people are awake at
the time, the song to sing and the pitch to use. It was usually a tedious move. I was that little singing girl everybody in the neighborhood loved. I knew to sing louder when I see a shadow and hear footsteps as I ran along. My singing was my SOS.
Living a life outside of Christ is like walking through that dark path. Accepting his life comes with light, the kind that not only shines on the path you tread but the kind that shines on your heart. Sometimes as an instruction, a knowledge, an understanding or even as counsel saying to your frightened heart, darling, it is better to take the longer road to avoid any impending danger on this path, you’ll get to your mom’s house a bit later than you plan but you’ll arrive safely. And when taking that dangerous path is our only option, we are aware of who is with us, we know that he will go before us. Like my mini self ignorantly muttering the blood of Jesus under my breath when in danger, that act of faith comes by revelation of Christ’ power to save.s power to save.
In verse 9, 10 and 11, John tells us that this true light came into the world to enlighten everyone, but the very people he came to did not recognize him. They could not perceive the divine timing, they simply could not see him for who he truly was. My heart breaks every time I get here. Ignorance is like a dark piece of cloth tied around our eyes, preventing us from seeing where we are going. The worst kind is the one that covers the heart, such that even though you see, you have no discretion or interpretation of what you see. A man called John, another of Jesus’ relative, was sent to testify of this true light, for years he baptized many, heralding the coming of the Messiah. It is common practice that if a particular message lingers longer then my anticipation should increase. Perhaps the people thought the messiah would fall from the sky, appear with colored hair, holding a bell, bearing all the scrolls of the prophets everywhere he went, submitting himself to the Pharisees for ordination, anything but the simplicity with which he revealed himself. This leaves me reflecting on the many times I wanted a dramatic Jesus instead of the ever abiding one who has called me to trust him every step of the way. The jews have the prophecies of the messiah, in fact, they could recite them word for word without stress, the word given about him lived with them from one generation to the other. Yet they did not recognize the fulfillment of those prophecies. God sends us his servants to declare his word to us. Many times these words are recorded on sheets but tucked away in the corner of the room, breathing with us, coexisting with us. Without any form of contact, they become just words. But God’s word is not just words, it has life, and will produce what it talks about in due time. What prophecy is living with you? What word has the Lord given you? Pick up that note, if it isn’t written, start to connect the dots. The entrance of his word gives life and understanding—illumination, clarity and you will not have clarity if you stay on the outside. Listen for the move of God around you with wide eyes and a ready heart. There is this common phrase that I think is perfect to explain this, if God heals a friend, provides or performs a miracle for anyone around you then you ought to quickly realize that God is in your neighborhood and will soon get to your house. My prayer is Lord, open my eyes to see what you are doing and that my heart will know it.
Now let’s move on to the crux of our conversion, a defining moment, the point of opportunity made available to you and I. Verse 12, BUT as many as received him… drum rolls!!!
Spurgeon calls this a blessed “But”. Yes, we have seen that the majority of his own did not recognize him and as a result did not receive him, yet we are glad as put by Bruce Hurt that John 1:11 was not the end of the story! As many—no matter whether they are Jews or Gentiles, rich or poor, learned or illiterates, big or small, young or old, black or white, as many as receive Christ as their Lord, to them is given the power to become sons of God. The three outstanding action words in this transaction are receive, believe and become. We embrace and take hold of his name, then he gives us the right and authority to become his.
We can learn about him, but we need power to become like him. I love how the verse expressly takes attention away from our strength or abilities in proclaiming ourselves sons of God and rather establishes a kind of partnership instead. To be given power you will need to accept him. No one side is functioning alone. Throughout this chapter I see Jesus giving what he is full of. He could give us power to become sons because he is the one true begotten son of the father. In verse 16 he gives grace to come into completeness/fulfillment. We are given whatever we need for the perfection of our character, and to fulfill our lives’ purpose. And in verse 17, he unveils truth by wrapping it in tender mercy because we are told that Jesus was full of grace and truth.
Summarily, it is safe to say that the first chapter of John did not only reveal Christ as the Living Expression and the perfect lamb of God, he did not only also show how he chose his disciples, and the testimony of John the baptizer, but he also led us into a state of knowing, where he performs an identity surgery in the minds of all those who believe in him. As we learn about him in each text, we gain clarity about our faith in him. Answers to our numerous questions start to form because he is not afraid of our questions. This chapter is an invitation to wait and see and like he told Nathanael in verse 51, from now on, we will see (spiritually see) an open heaven, and gaze upon the son of man like a stairway reaching the sky, with the messengers of God climbing up and down upon him. Where Christ is the stairway that joins earth to heaven and brings heaven on earth. Welcome to the adventure of your life, unveiling mysteries with Christ.