"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it”– John 1:1-5.
Science can help us grow spiritually by growing our appreciation of the dimensions of the universe that God created and sustains. Until the 1920s, the Milky Way was thought to be the entire universe, but now we realize there are billions of galaxies. The universe is incredibly wonderful, so how much more wonderful must be the One upon whose purpose and power it depends! The inner-geek in me also finds it interesting that when looking at telescopic images of distant galaxies, we are actually looking back in time, since those galaxies are light years away. That is where John’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry begins, not at His birth like the others, but all the way back before any stars or galaxies or any matter at all (for that matter) existed. Jesus’ story begins before the universe began.
“In the beginning…” is an obvious allusion to the Bible’s first four words “In the beginning God” and that is John’s point. Jesus is God, but it is not that simple. From the start, the Bible interchangeably uses singular and plural pronouns to talk about God. For example, in Genesis 1:26-27 we read, “Let Us make man in Our image...God created man in His own image...male & female He created them.” In our text the reason becomes increasingly clear. There is one & only one God, but He is & has always been a perfect community of sorts - a tri-unity or Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We see both the distinctness and unity of Father and Son in our text. The Word was with God (distinction) and the Word was God (union). John drives the message that Jesus is divine home by emphasizing that absolutely everything that exist was created through Jesus, the Word. John prefaced Jesus’ role in creation with the direct statement that the Word was God in case anyone might think the Word was God’s first created being through which He created the rest. No -The Word was God!
Let’s look a bit closer at the word ‘Word’ as it was understood by the original audience to which John was writing. The word he used was ‘logos’, and it was rich with meaning to Greeks and Jews alike. To the Greeks ‘logos’ meant something similar to divine or ultimate reason. Here is why. A philosopher named Heraclitus taught that we can “never step into the same river twice.” He meant that everything was completely dynamic - in a constant state of flux. When asked why then everything is not in a state of chaos, he replied that controlling the constantly changing universe was an unchanging divine mind or reason that he called ‘Logos’ - the Word. He had passed off the scene prior to John’s day but his teaching permeated the Roman Empire's Greek culture. To the Jews God’s Word was packed with meaning, since God had been communicating His written word to and through them for years. They understood God’s word to be absolutely authoritative and creative. They knew God’s word was concrete - a deed done. They knew Isaiah 55:11: “My word which leaves My mouth will not return empty without accomplishing what I desire.”
Like many, you may have thought our relationship with God seems one-sided: We pray. We sing. We obey. We worship. God is silent. That is false. Jesus, the Word, is the eternal revealer of God. God’s Word reveals God generally and indirectly through creation. Through this we can know His power. God’s Word reveals God specifically and directly through the Scriptures -1 Peter 1:10-11. Through this we can know His plans. God’s Word reveals God supremely & personally through His incarnation. Through this we can know His personality & heart. Jesus is like a window opened in time through which we can look back into eternity and know what God has always been like - Like Father...like Son. Does the Father hate sin? So does Jesus! Does Jesus love sinners? So does the Father!
We have talked about Jesus as Logos. Let’s look at Him as Life & Light. Life and light go together like death and darkness. Think about plants. I had a plant once that I gave a near death experience. It was a depressing season in my life, and I kept this hanging plant in the dark with me. After a kick start woke me up, I went to work on the plant. I removed all the withered death from it leaving only a sprig. I gave it plant food, water and light. Whichever direction I wanted to the plant to grow determined where I put the light, because life reaches for light. They go together, and in Jesus we see the perfect combination of the two. Life - the eternal, ongoing, vibrant life of God is the power source fueling the Light of the world. The powers of death and darkness are not as strong as the Life and Light which created all things, including those principalities which used their God-given freedom to corrupt themselves and the world. The principalities of darkness seek to keep truth hidden. Jesus brings Life to Light, and He has proven invincible by proving to be incorruptible. He came into a totally corrupt environment dominated by the devil, death and darkness and came out still spotless - shining bright. That's Good News! The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it!
“In the beginning…” is an obvious allusion to the Bible’s first four words “In the beginning God” and that is John’s point. Jesus is God, but it is not that simple. From the start, the Bible interchangeably uses singular and plural pronouns to talk about God. For example, in Genesis 1:26-27 we read, “Let Us make man in Our image...God created man in His own image...male & female He created them.” In our text the reason becomes increasingly clear. There is one & only one God, but He is & has always been a perfect community of sorts - a tri-unity or Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We see both the distinctness and unity of Father and Son in our text. The Word was with God (distinction) and the Word was God (union). John drives the message that Jesus is divine home by emphasizing that absolutely everything that exist was created through Jesus, the Word. John prefaced Jesus’ role in creation with the direct statement that the Word was God in case anyone might think the Word was God’s first created being through which He created the rest. No -The Word was God!
Let’s look a bit closer at the word ‘Word’ as it was understood by the original audience to which John was writing. The word he used was ‘logos’, and it was rich with meaning to Greeks and Jews alike. To the Greeks ‘logos’ meant something similar to divine or ultimate reason. Here is why. A philosopher named Heraclitus taught that we can “never step into the same river twice.” He meant that everything was completely dynamic - in a constant state of flux. When asked why then everything is not in a state of chaos, he replied that controlling the constantly changing universe was an unchanging divine mind or reason that he called ‘Logos’ - the Word. He had passed off the scene prior to John’s day but his teaching permeated the Roman Empire's Greek culture. To the Jews God’s Word was packed with meaning, since God had been communicating His written word to and through them for years. They understood God’s word to be absolutely authoritative and creative. They knew God’s word was concrete - a deed done. They knew Isaiah 55:11: “My word which leaves My mouth will not return empty without accomplishing what I desire.”
Like many, you may have thought our relationship with God seems one-sided: We pray. We sing. We obey. We worship. God is silent. That is false. Jesus, the Word, is the eternal revealer of God. God’s Word reveals God generally and indirectly through creation. Through this we can know His power. God’s Word reveals God specifically and directly through the Scriptures -1 Peter 1:10-11. Through this we can know His plans. God’s Word reveals God supremely & personally through His incarnation. Through this we can know His personality & heart. Jesus is like a window opened in time through which we can look back into eternity and know what God has always been like - Like Father...like Son. Does the Father hate sin? So does Jesus! Does Jesus love sinners? So does the Father!
We have talked about Jesus as Logos. Let’s look at Him as Life & Light. Life and light go together like death and darkness. Think about plants. I had a plant once that I gave a near death experience. It was a depressing season in my life, and I kept this hanging plant in the dark with me. After a kick start woke me up, I went to work on the plant. I removed all the withered death from it leaving only a sprig. I gave it plant food, water and light. Whichever direction I wanted to the plant to grow determined where I put the light, because life reaches for light. They go together, and in Jesus we see the perfect combination of the two. Life - the eternal, ongoing, vibrant life of God is the power source fueling the Light of the world. The powers of death and darkness are not as strong as the Life and Light which created all things, including those principalities which used their God-given freedom to corrupt themselves and the world. The principalities of darkness seek to keep truth hidden. Jesus brings Life to Light, and He has proven invincible by proving to be incorruptible. He came into a totally corrupt environment dominated by the devil, death and darkness and came out still spotless - shining bright. That's Good News! The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it!
No comments:
Post a Comment