Second passage reference Matt 2:1-12.
The Gospel of Matthew tells us the story of the Magi, this group of astronomers from the East who follow a new star, and seek to find who the star belongs too. The Magi know that this star is not just any star, they know it is significant beyond anything they have ever seen in their lives. So they pack up, head out and follow the star.
When we read the Gospel of Matthew we see that Matthew is the only one who tells us about the Magi and the star, however, though Matthew tells us the story of the Magi and the star, Matthew does not dwell on the significance of this new star. To find out about the significance of the start that the Magi see, we need to turn to the Apostle John. John in his Gospel tells us the significance of this new star.
Each Gospel writer approaches the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth from a different angle. We see Matthew and of Luke describe a wonderful story of how Jesus Christ came to dwell among us, Matthew and Luke are the ones who give us the traditional Christmas story. These are the stories we hear every year, stories we live and cherish every Christmas season.
Mark doesn’t say a word about Jesus’ birth. Instead, Mark just gets right down to the business of Jesus’ ministry on earth and Mark starts his Gospel with the baptism of Jesus.
Then we have the Gospel of John.
John doesn’t tells us a traditional Christmas story does he? But John doesn’t ignore the Christmas story all together. Instead, John gives us an abstract version of the Christmas story with references to the Word, light and darkness.
The power of the beginning of Matthew, Mark and Luke is that they show how human Jesus really was. However, when we read the beginning of Matthew, Mark and Luke we MAY get the impression that the Christmas story is when the life of Jesus began, we may get the impression that Jesus was only human. Then the Gospel of John steps in for us and clears up any wrong impression we might have had that Jesus is merely a human being. John reminds us how timeless Jesus is, how divine Jesus is, how overwhelming Jesus is.
This infant we see in the nativity scene is not like any other child in existence; This infant Jesus, incredibly holds complete power over all things, even as a newborn baby. All the power of the universe is in Jesus, from the moment of Mary’s conception.
Let’s see what John tells us about who Jesus is.
It is of no coincidence that this star appears the night Jesus was born. The Magi show up about one year later to see Mary, Joseph and Jesus, not on Christmas night as is depicted in our nativity scenes. So it takes about a year for the Magi to locate Jesus.
This new star that appears on Christmas Eve is in reality, a new light, and like the infant Jesus, the light of the new star appears to be insignificant, for to the human eye really the star appears to be just another light twinkling in the sky. Yet, even though the human eye can only see a small speck of light in the sky, though the human eye can only see a newborn infant, the reality is that star is huge and powerful, it is like our own sun, a life giving force and in parallel this infant Jesus is mistaken for just another infant, just as this new star is taken for a small twinkling light in the sky, but, in truth, like the star, Jesus is overwhelmingly powerful, he is not only the source of light, he is life itself.
The twinkling light is in reality a star as large as our own sun and the infant Jesus is in reality the creator - how do we know? John tells us so.
Here in John 1 verse 1, we see the phrase, “In the beginning was the Word...” What John does here is he parallels the opening of the book of Genesis with the opening of the Gospel of John. In Genesis 1:1 we read, “In the beginning God…”
Further we see in 1Corinthians 15:22 that Jesus is the second Adam, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” Now understand that in the first Adam we all experience death (1Cor 15:21) and this death that we experience is spiritual death, which is separation from God. When Adam and Eve sin in Genesis, they are removed from the presence of God as they are forced out of the Garden of Eden - they are in fact spiritually dead. This spiritual deadness is passed on to all their heirs, that would be you and I. So we experience death through the first Adam. But, we receive life through the second Adam, Jesus Christ.
John is writing about a new beginning while at the same time as he is writing about the beginning of creation. Jesus, who is the Word, was at the creation of the universe, and now Jesus has come in the form of a human, for a new beginning. Genesis describes God’s first creation, john describes the new creation, John describes how this second Adam, Jesus has come to make a new creation. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” (Colossians 1:15-16)
Notice in John 1:1 that not only was the Word at the beginning, but that the Word was also with God. Now what does not come through in our English translation is the sense of intimacy that is described in this second phrase “the Word was with God.” What is expressed here is the greatest kind of intimacy possible with God the Father. The Word is so close to God the Father, that he is in fact, God. John tells us so, “the Word was God.”
A person’s word reveals who they are and here the Word of God reveals God for who he is, he reveals the very nature of God himself. Genesis brings us back to where the beginning starts at a point in time, John in his Gospel here, takes us beyond that beginning of a point in time. The Word exists in the beginning and even more, the Word exists, beyond the beginning, but he exists in the closest possible relationship with the Father - there is no differentiation between the two - John is telling us that Jesus and the Father are one, but at the same time, they are not identical in essence.
Jesus and the Father are one, yet they are two distinct persons. This is the nature of God.
When John uses the word “was” he is not using it in the simple past tense. John uses the word “was” in the sense that the Word, continually was. John expresses neither a completed state, nor a coming into being - John is telling us that clearly the Word is not created. In English we might say, the Word just is. Jesus plainly states this about himself, “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58) The phrase, “was God” is not just saying that something is divine about Jesus, but that Jesus is divine.
In verse 2, John reiterates the closeness of Jesus and the Father to clear up any doubts that these two were working together at the creation of the universe, and now at the new creation.
In verse 3 we see that all things were made through the Word, Jesus. John clarifies this by saying that there wasn’t anything made without Jesus. See, like the first creation, the second creation is not carried out by a subordinate being, it is carried out by God himself. God did not assign others to carry out the creation of the universe, he did it himself; In the same way God does not assign the new creation to be carried out by someone else, he carries it out by himself. God creates the universe by himself, God brings about the new creation by himself, but by God brings about this new creation by the agency of the Logos, the Word, who is Jesus Christ. So Jesus is literally the will, purpose and power of God revealed in human form.
Let’s stop here for a moment. Why does John use such abstract language to describe the beginning of Jesus ministry and who the person of Jesus is? Why doesn’t John just say it plainly so we can understand it?
Well, John does not have us in mind when he is writing this passage. He has in mind the ancient Hebrew minds and the ancient Greek minds who will be reading this passage. So he writes this passage based upon the Greek words “o’ logos” which translates into English as “the Word.” He does this because on one hand, to the Greek mind the logos is what lies behind the universe and maintains its order, and on the other hand, to the Jewish mind creation took place through God speaking. So, by using the word, “Word” John communicates exactly what he want to communicate to those he knows would be reading this book - Jesus is God, Jesus is creator, and Jesus has always been around.
For us here this morning we have two things going against us: One we are not ancient Hebrews, and two, we are not ancient Greeks. But to the early Christians reading this document, it was perfectly clear.
Now we see John telling us that not only has Jesus always been around, and not only Is Jesus creator, and not only is Jesus God himself, but further, Jesus is life itself. Jesus is life itself.
In Genesis it is clear that God is the source of all life. When God creates Adam in Genesis 2:7, God breathes life into Adam. Adam does not receive life from some complicated chemical process, or some biological metamorphosis, Adam receive life directly from God himself. So here in this passage we see Jesus as a duel source of life: First in Genesis as creator God Jesus give life to Adam, and then through his death and resurrection, Jesus again gives life to those tho believe in his name. Jesus, allows us to be born again as it were.
When John says that Jesus brings life, John uses the Greek word zoe. John chooses to use the word zoe because zoe/life is eternal life. John could have used the Greek word bios for life which refers to biological life, but he chose the word zoe. John could have used psyche for life, which refers to the presences of a living soul, but he chose the word zoe. John uses the word zoe to show that Jesus brings life on a deeper level, Jesus brings us not just biological life and not just a living soul, Jesus brings us eternal life. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fullest.” (John 10:10)
Jesus is the one who brought life to humanity originally, and Jesus is the one who brings us new life, the ability to be born again, the chance to have a spiritual life. In other words, Jesus is the Son of God who brings salvation to the world.
Next, we see John tie life into the concept of light. We see that Jesus is life yes, but at the same time, Jesus is also light (verse 4). John combines life and light to get across the idea of a deeper spiritual life.
When John speaks of light, he is speaking of spiritual vision. Perhaps a better way to put it in English is “understanding.” So we could say it this way: From Jesus we receive new spiritual life and spiritual understanding of the spiritual life. What good is a new spiritual life without the understanding of how spiritual things work?
This light that Jesus brings does a couple of things for us. First, the light that Jesus brings reveals divine truth to us about what real spirituality really is, and second, the light that Jesus brings exposes our sin that exists within our hearts. As a practical matter, the light of Jesus shows you and me that we really are not as good as we imagine ourselves to be. The light of Jesus reveals to us how much in need of God we are.
You and I, we need this light from Jesus to live as spiritual people, without the light of Jesus one cannot be a spiritual person, because without the light of Jesus, a person is spiritually walking in the dark. Only a person who is walking in the light of Jesus has the ability to be a spiritual person. Ephesians 5:8 tells us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” Why were we in darkness? We were in darkness because we did not have Jesus.
Who is in darkness? Anyone who does not have Jesus. If one is in darkness how can they be a spiritual person, how can they know God, for they are in darkness?
Understand that John is not claiming that Jesus is a way among many ways to spiritual life, John is presenting Jesus as the ONLY option to know God. Those are strong words. Yes, they are strong words for this passage is written in the strongest words possible to convey the point that Jesus is our only option.
Today we have all kinds of people that would argue with the point I just made that the only option to spiritual life is Jesus Christ. This is nothing new, John dealt with this in his day as well. John tells us in verse 5 that, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”
The word in the Greek translated “understood” is difficult to translate. What it means is more than not understand, it means the inability to grasp the meaning of, or the inability to comprehend.
What John is getting at is this: Those in the darkness do not have the ability to comprehend that Jesus is the light, and the reason that they cannot comprehend that Jesus is the light, is simple, yet profound - they are in the darkness. Since they are in the darkness they cannot see what is in the light. Those in the darkness are, well, in the dark about spiritual things, so of course they cannot comprehend the light, those things which are truly spiritual.
For people in the darkness to understand, the light must come to them.Until they are in the light of Jesus, they will remain in the dark.
Understand that John is not conveying the idea that the light is in an immortal struggle with the darkness. No, the light doesn’t struggle with darkness, the light just overcomes darkness. The light is so powerful that darkness has no chance of overcoming the light.
When we read the Christmas story in Matthew and Luke we may come away with the impression that Jesus was somehow a created human being….but when we look at John’s version of the Christmas story, there is no way we can walk away with the impression that Jesus is merely human.
We learn from John that Jesus has always existed; Jesus is the creator; Jesus is God himself. We also learn that as Jesus gave life to creation in the beginning, Jesus comes again to give new life. Jesus himself is this light, Jesus himself illuminates the way for people to see and understand about this new life.
The new star that first Christmas night was not only a small light as the human eye saw it, that star was as large as our own sun, full of power and might. In parallel, the infant Jesus was not just a helpless infant as the human eye saw it, like the star Jesus was full of power and might, the creator God, the one who would bring salvation to us all.
