The Journey He Made Series

John begins by presenting three truths to show that the Word is God in John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word- the Word existed eternally. He was already there, has no beginning of His own- when time began, He was there. He was with God- the Word is distinct from the Father. We begin to see the concept of the Triune God with this statement. He was God- the Word is the same as God in nature. There is Father, there is Son, there is Spirit- three godheads, one God. We see this truth stated again in Deuteronomy 6:4 (read).

He continues to talk about the Word is creator. John 1:3 tells us that all things were made through Him. The beginning of Genesis 1:26 contributes to this idea when God prepares to make mankind (read). Paul repeats the idea in Colossians 1:16 (read).

In John 1:4-5, he continues to describe the Word as light. In fact, he declares that this light is the source of life for all men and that darkness cannot overcome light. Have you ever gone on a tour at one of the national park caves? I remember going to Mammoth Cave once. The guide took us well underground, where no sunshine could penetrate. He had us turn off all our flashlights, then they turned off the lights along the path. The cavern became pitch black. I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. But then he took and lit a match. It wasn’t the brightest light, but it penetrated the darkness and I could see again, even if faintly. The darkness couldn’t stop the light of the match. John is proclaiming this to be true for the Word- from the beginning of time, light has always overcome darkness.

John continues to tell the journey of Jesus at the incarnation in John 1:9-14 (read). Again, he reverses the order to complete the chiasm. The light was coming into the world. What I love about this idea about Jesus being the light is that light doesn’t discriminate. It shines on everything and everyone. Jesus didn’t just come for a select few- He came that the entire world could know God and have a path of restoration. His arrival wasn’t just for the Jews, it wasn’t just for believers, He came so ALL could see.

He tells about how the Creator came to be among His creation. It makes sense- why do we create things- be it art, machine, music, etc.? We create to enjoy the creation. I believe that’s also true of God, so a part of the reason for Christ’s arrival was for God to be able to enjoy His creation once again. Yet there’s an unusual reaction to His arrival. It seems natural that the created would recognize the creator.

When my daughter Hannah was born, I got to be in the room and help. I remember the doctor picking up this small child as she began to cry and setting her on the table to be cleaned up. I went over to see her, told her, “Hello Hannah, I love you,” and put my finger in her hand. She immediately stopped crying and calmed down (and had me tied around her finger ever since). She stopped because she recognized her father.

But what does John say? The world did not recognize Him. Yes, there were people like the shepherds, Simeon, Anna, and the wise men who were told to go and see the messiah and they recognized Him. But even with their testimony, the world did not recognize Him. It’s easy for us to marvel at their inability to know the messiah, they should have known, the signs were all there, right? Yet the entertainment world shows people doing this all the time. Look at our superhero stories- Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, even Super Steve- all heroes with alter egos so no one would know who they are. All Superman had to do was put on normal clothes and a pair of glasses and everyone thought he was Clark Kent.