THE PROLOGUE: THE WORD OF GOD

John 1:1-18

In the Beginning

Verses 1-5: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome] it.

The first 18 verses of John are known as the Prologue. It is the only material that proceeds the launching of Jesus' ministry. The Prologue here is an introduction as well as a summary of the Gospel of John.

1 "In the beginning" refers to the beginning of the universe, the beginning of all things, as mentioned in Genesis 1:1. While echoing the opening words of the OT, John says three profound truths in this verse.

First, the Word was in the beginning. The Word already existed from the timeless beginning. John presents Christ as the embodiment of the Word (logos, Greek). He alone describes Christ as "the Word" and does that six times in his writings (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1; Revelation 19:13). The English term "Word" is an inadequate translation of the Greek term logos. Logos means a collection of words or ideas. "Alternatively, logos can refer to outward expression, hence 'speech' or 'message', which is why 'Word' is still thought by many to be the most appropriate term." 1 It may also refer to the eternal principle of order in the universe.

Second, the Word was with God. This will be fully developed in verse 2. Third, the Word was God — God's own Self. The Word shared the nature and being of God. When all things began, the Word already existed. Jesus already existed before the earth and the heavens were created. Although Jesus became like us, He never ceased to be God.

2 The verse simply repeats part of verse 1. The Word was in the Father's presence. To be with God means that Jesus is distinct and separate. There is a relationship between them. The Word was with God in the timeless beginning. Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am" (8:58). He is eternal; He has neither a beginning nor an end. The false teachers (such as the Mormons and the Jehovah Witnesses) would have us believe that Jesus is not coequal, coeternal or coexistent with the Father.

3 Both positively and negatively, the verse insists that the Word served as God's Agent in the creation of all things; God is the Creator, while His Word is the agent. Positively, "Through him all things were made." Negatively, "without him nothing was made that has been made." All things were created by Christ and for Him. Without Him, nothing came to be.

4 Christ is described as life. The Son shares the self-existent life with the Father and is able to impart life to others. He not only has life and gives life, He is life. Christ is also light because He appears as such in His glory. In fact, life and light are essentially the same and cannot be separated. In the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the glory of God is perfectly disclosed. There has never been any spiritual life or light enjoyed by men and woman, outside of Christ.

5 The light, referred to in the previous verse, shines in the darkness and darkness cannot overcome it. Where light goes, darkness disappears. This is true of ordinary light. A small electric lamp dispels a roomful of darkness. The spiritual illumination dispels darkness of sin and unbelief. Although light and darkness are opposites, they are not opposites of equal power. The Jews made futile attempts to extinguish the light, Jesus Christ. Jesus is light, while Satan is the power of darkness (Luke 22:53). Satan works hard to keep people in darkness because light means eternal life and heaven.

John the Baptist

Verses 6-8: There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

6 As a good illustration of a ray of light still shining in the darkness, the evangelist abruptly introduces John the Baptist. He follows the synoptic Gospels by beginning the public ministry of Jesus with the witness of John the Baptist. Jesus does not begin His ministry in a vacuum but in an environment created by his cousin, John.

John was a man "sent from God" to be the forerunner and herald of the Messiah. An angel of the Lord announced John's birth and public ministry to his father, Zacharias, and his mother, Elizabeth (Luke 1:8-17). John is regarded as a prophet (Matthew 21:26). He is known as the Baptist because his main purpose was to baptize people in preparation for the coming Messiah. Through this ministry, he bears witness to Jesus.

7 Although John the Baptist is an important figure, the greatest man who ever lived up this point (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28), he was a man with one mission — to testify about the light. A full account of John's witness is presented in verses 19 to 34 and later in 3:27-30. The main purpose of the witness is that through him all may believe. Witnesses such as John are agents of belief, while Christ Himself is the object of belief.

8 To dismiss any false exaltation of John, the evangelist says that John was not the light. He only came as a witness to the light. "He was the first in a line of witnesses that stretches through the centuries to this day." 2 Like John, Christian ministers and even lay believers are witnesses. Like Jesus, John was sent as a messenger, but the similarity ends there. Jesus later refers Himself as the light (3:19), while John is referred to as the lamp (5:35). John stands in the shadow of Christ; the former is a witness to the latter.

Rejected, but Also Received

Verses 9-13: The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

9 The true light was coming into the world, bringing light for all to share. The light shines in darkness and is everywhere present illuminating everyone. Though the light shines, it is not comprehended. As Roger Fredrikson said, "No man is destitute of the illumination of this light, for God has revealed something of Himself to all men. This is the common light of nature." 3 Jesus is the exclusive revelation of God to mankind. He is the reality to which John the Baptist points.

10 Verses 10 and 11 summarizes the story of Jesus Christ — the story of rejection. The true Light was rejected by the darkness — evil forces. People were spiritually blind and ignorant and could not see the Light. The world is God's own world, created through the Word. Though the world was made through Him, people did not recognize Him for who He was. The Creator became Savior but most people in the world did not know Him.

11 He came to His own people, the Jews, whom God had separated from other nations and who were prepared for His coming by the prophets, but they rejected Him. As Jeremiah said, "From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors" (Jeremiah 7:25, 26).

For the most part, the Jews are the ones who rejected Jesus. Both the Jewish authorities and the Romans handed Jesus over to death. They hated Him without reason (John 15:25).

12 However, some did believe Him and believed in His name. In some cultures, a name reveals the person's character. To believe in His name means yielding ourselves to be possessed by Him.

Though the rejection of Jesus was universal, some individuals did receive Him. To receive Him means to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. These He enabled to become children of God. When we believe in Christ and receive Him as Lord, He gives us the right/ authority or privilege to become sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty. The believer becomes a child of God, but only Jesus is the Son of God.

13 Spiritual birth is not the product of sexual desire, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh. It is not the product of sexual relationship between a man and a woman. This implies that salvation cannot be obtained through heritage, human desire or man-made system. One does not become a member of God's family by being a Jew or belonging to a Christian family. The new birth is a gift from God. It is a gateway to new life and an entry into God's family.

The Word Became Flesh

Verses 14-18: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, "This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'") 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

14 Incarnation is one of the great mysteries in Christianity. It is summarized by John in this verse. The invisible, infinite, eternal God became a man in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Word became flesh (human form having a human body, soul, and spirit) and set up his Tabernacle with us. Jesus is the incarnate Word. Through incarnation, Christ became the God-man, the Jesus of history. Through incarnation, the invisible became visible and the infinite became finite. Jesus condescended to live and dwell among humans for thirty-three years. In Him, the fullness of God dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). According to Hebrews 1:1-3, Jesus is the last Word of God to mankind.

Jesus is not only human, he is divine. The apostle John testifies that he has seen His glory. He is possibly referring to Christ's glory during His transfiguration. The glory refers to Christ's shining splendor and greatness. Although John had spoken of Jesus as light and life, he now expands by referring to light, full of grace and truth. The grace and truth Jesus reveals fills in what was lacking in the law.

15 John the Baptist is a prime example of those who accept Jesus Christ. Although Jesus was born six months after John (Luke 1:36), John was less prominent than Jesus. Jesus existed from eternity past and outranked John. John had the difficult task of preparing the nation of Israel to receive their Messiah. He cried out, "This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'"

16 The NIV puts verse 15 in parenthesis. So verse 16 follows logically verse 14. "The incarnate Word was full of grace and truth, and from that fullness of his, says the Evangelist, we have all drawn." 4 There is no limit to the supply of grace God has made available through Christ. The grace given to Christ can never be exhausted. Grace continues to overflow. This is the only passage (vs. 14,16,17) the word "grace" occurs in the gospel.

17 The law, which was given through Moses, can save no one. The law made some rigid demands and required merciless justice. God's grace was fully revealed through Jesus Christ. The old covenant came through Moses, while the new covenant came through Christ. While Moses gave the law, Christ came to fulfill (perfectly) the law.

18 Moses desired to see God, but God told him, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live" (Exodus 33:20) Moses was only allowed to see a glimpse of God's glory when he saw His back. No one has ever seen God, but the only Son has made Him known. This is the first time John uses the title Son for Jesus Christ. John uses this title for Him at least ten times in this gospel.

THE WITNESS OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

John 1:19-34

John Witnesses Before the Pharisees

Verses 19-28: Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Messiah." 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord." 24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

19 John the Baptist is the first to give his witness or testimony about Jesus Christ. John is a religious leader outside the mainstream. People are following after him in droves. The religious leaders in Jerusalem are worried as their congregation is dwindling. They decide to send a delegation to inquire about John's identity and ministry. The delegation consists of some priests and Levites. (According to verse 24, some Pharisees are also included.) The priests serve as intermediaries between God and man, and are descendants of Aaron. The Levites belong to the tribe of Levi but could not be priests. They assist the priest in temple worship.

20 John openly confesses and denies that he is the Messiah. "Messiah" is the Hebrew word which means the "Anointed One." "Christ" is the Greek translation of "Messiah." The Messiah was often expected to be a great king like David or a great prophet like Moses. John's confession that he is not the Christ is a positive witness to the true Christ.

21 If he is not the Messiah, is he Elijah? Based on the prophecy in Malachi 3:1 and 3:5, the Jews were expecting Elijah before the day of the Lord. John denies that he is Elijah, at least in the literal sense. John is not really Elijah as the Jews expect. But there is a sense in which John is Elijah (Matthew 17:10-13). He is Elijah-like, coming in his spirit and power (Luke 1:17).

They further probe by asking, "Are you the prophet?" They have a particular prophet in mind. They refer to the prophet like Moses, whom God promises to raise (Deuteronomy 18:15-18). John denies being that prophet. He chooses to deny both identities.

22 Having run down the list of possibilities, the delegation needs a definite answer from John to include in their report to those who sent them. They finally ask, "Who are you? ... What do you say about yourself?" If John does not have the credentials of the Messiah or the prophet, who is he? They are desperately looking for a positive answer. They press John to say who he is.

23 John humbly refers to himself as a voice crying in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3). In the original context, the OT prophet hears a voice calling for a leveling of hills and valleys and a straightening of the path so that God may lead His people home from exile. John's purpose is to make straight the way of the Lord. His only authority for baptizing is to prepare the way for a greater One to follow. "He is standing in a place of transition, between two worlds, the old and the new."

24 Here we learn that the Pharisees are among those who sent the delegation to interview John. The word "Pharisees" means "separated ones." The Pharisees are separated from everything that may cause ceremonial impurity. The high priests and the chief priests were Sadducees; they would have been more interested in John, who was from a priestly family.

25 The Pharisees question John about his authority to baptize if he is not the Messiah, Elijah or the prophet. Baptism was not invented by John. It was used as an initiation rite for Gentiles who were converted to Judaism. The Gentile proselytes were immersed in water as a way of cleansing them from sin before entering the Jewish community. But John was asking the Jews to be baptized. This is new and requires an explanation from John.

26 John's response is simply that he baptizes with water. He begins to make a contrast between himself and Christ. His duty is to provide water baptism as a means for God's cleansing. The Messiah will come and provide spiritual baptism. John's baptizing is a witness to the Messiah, who is already among the people, though they do not know this.