< John 1 >

While Luke, writing of Jesus as the Son of man, traced his human ancestry through Mary back to the first man, John, writing of him as the Son of God, recorded his divine antecedent. Although Jesus came into existence when the power of God came upon Mary, Luke 1:35Waiting for response for Luke 1:35 he was in the mind of his Father from the very beginning: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”.vs.1,14Waiting for response for John 1:1,14 “Word” is “logos” in the Greek (from which we get “logic”) and means, not only the spoken word, but also the thought expressed by that word. Its use here shows that he was in the mind of God from the very beginning. Indeed the purpose of God in Christ was recorded in his word long before Jesus was born, and throughout his life Jesus showed by speech and action he was the embodiment of the Word of God.

The book of Genesis describes how God spoke and thereby created the heavens and the earth, not just by his great power, but also according to his predetermined purpose, so that “we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God”. Hebrews 11:3;Waiting for response for Hebrews 11:3 Psalms 33:6Waiting for response for Psalms 33:6 It is instructive to compare what is written here about the Word with what is written about Wisdom. Both the Word and Wisdom were with God in the beginning and both are personified, a figure of speech by which an abstract attribute is spoken of as a person: “The LORD possessed me [Wisdom] in the beginning of his way, before his works of old”, Proverbs 8:22Waiting for response for Proverbs 8:22 and, “The same [Word] was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made”.vs.2-3Waiting for response for John 1:2-3 Of course, neither wisdom nor the word is a person, but Jesus was certainly an embodiment of both.

The Word of God in the prophets enlightened the world and brought life, v.4Waiting for response for John 1:4 and John the Baptist was one of these prophets.vs.6-7Waiting for response for John 1:6-7 He bore witness to the true light, which is the enlightenment that enables men and women to become the children of God.v.12Waiting for response for John 1:12 Just as Jesus was born according to God’s will, so those who believe in him are born again “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”.v.13Waiting for response for John 1:13 Initially, of course, we are all born by the will of human parents, but God has provided that by belief and baptism we may be reborn as his children. The essential requirement is to learn God’s will and do it.

John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Messiah v.15Waiting for response for John 1:15 but he did not know which man in Israel this was until he baptized Jesus and saw the Holy Spirit anointing him.vs.31-33Waiting for response for John 1:31-33 He then declared of Jesus: “this is the Son of God” v.34Waiting for response for John 1:34 and that he was “the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world”.vs.29,36Waiting for response for John 1:29,36 Only a few took any notice of this witness, including Simon Peter,v.41Waiting for response for John 1:41 Andrew his brother,v.40Waiting for response for John 1:40 and Philip. Nathanael had difficulty in accepting that Jesus was the Messiah vs.45-46Waiting for response for John 1:45-46 because Jesus came from Nazareth, whereas the scriptures prophesied the Messiah would come from Bethlehem.vs.45-46Waiting for response for John 1:45-46 Philip could not explain this apparent contradiction, although we can easily do so, therefore he told Nathanael to “Come and see”.v.46Waiting for response for John 1:46 Some people today are put off by “apparent contradictions” but if they would “come and see” what the scriptures really say they might believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the King of Israel v.49Waiting for response for John 1:49 and look forward to the day when angelic communication with heaven will no longer be invisible, as now, but will be openly seen when Jesus reigns in Jerusalem.v.51Waiting for response for John 1:51 Many will live and reign with Jesus in that day and they will all be “Israelites indeed”,v.47Waiting for response for John 1:47 and the New Testament informs us how to become such and be acceptable to the God of Israel.