John 1 in Detail

30 Day Breakthrough Day 1

John 1

The Word Became Flesh

 ¹ 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 (or understood) it.

Wondering if John wrote this book… was he talking in third person when he was speaking about himself? I am guessing so. Why was he restating Genesis? – Thanks to Pastor Brad I know that a John did write this book, but this John 1 in talking about John the Baptist…… so confusing huh?! 

John’s opening echoes Genesis (Gen 1:1), but whereas Genesis refers to the God’s activity at the beginning of creation, here we learn of a being who existed before creation took place. In the beginning the Word already was. So we actually start before the beginning, outside of time and space in eternity. If we want to understand who Jesus is, John says, we must begin with the relationship shared between the Father and the Son “before the world began” (Jn 17:5, 24). – biblegateway. John does not reflect philosophically on the Holy Trinity but bears witness to it as the eternal reality, leaving it to later teachers to try to expound its bright mystery.

Just as we are already known to God before we are born the Word was already in place before the beginning of time, because the Word is God and God is the Word.  Having John state that EVERYTHING was created by God, made it to be known that nothing was an exception.

Jesus’ life, manifest in the incarnation, is our light (Jn 1:4).  In order to have life we need to know God, and Jesus is our source of such knowledge. As our light, his life is our guide. He is our wisdom, that which reveals all else to us and enables us to see. Jesus himself is the presence of God’s own life and light and that he makes this life and light available to human beings.

⁶ 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.

 ⁹ 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— ¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

I love how it is written that John did not come trying to be the light for people, but a witness to the light! I always say to myself be the light and the people around me will follow; but I need to be a witness to the light. I need to shine God’s glory not my own.

“The light of Jesus is as universal as the light of creation. He did not come merely to some Gnostic elite, nor did he come to a single nation or culture. This light is the Word that became flesh in a given time and place. ” His light shines on everyone as does the sun He created!! We have to choose to receive that light.

“John does not say “he made them children of God” but “he gave them power to become children of God” It is Christ’s blood and the Father’s will that produce children of God not their Earthly parents or our bloodline. This Spiritual life is not forced on the believer but must be received.

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^[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

This Word, the agent of creation, has become a creature. He who brought the universe into existence now is born within the universe as a human being. This thought is so familiar in Christianity we may no longer be staggered by it, but for those non-Christians this is the last straw on the crazy train. It is beyond theirs (and ours) to comprehend this concept. Then throw the Holy Spirit in the mix and wow we are confused. One God, three things at once?! I have had someone ask me about that before early on in my faith. “How can God be God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit all at once…?” I had no clue ether, I just knew if the bible said it; it was true.

V. 14 talks about glory; glory is more than an image of honor, it is used to refer to God’s revealed character. John presents Jesus as the fulfillment of Judaism But this replacement comes through fulfillment, not rejection. Replacement does not mean there is no longer any role for the Old Testament, but it does mean any attempt to know God that is not centered in Jesus is defective, since in him is the fullness.

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus

 ³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” ³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”³⁹ “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

 ⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas”(which, when translated, is Peter^[g]).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

 ⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

 ⁴⁶ “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” ⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

 ⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” ⁵⁰ Jesus said, “You believe^[h] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” ⁵¹ He then added, “Very truly I tell you,^[i] you^[j] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’^[k] the Son of Man.”

John, the Baptist is a witness to Jesus and a model of true discipleship. He saw Jesus and they followed Him!! What if they picked the wrong man?? Because John had such a relationship with God he knew that he knew. The followed Jesus and He turned around saying what do you want?!?! Oh my! That would be scary I think. This is the man everyone has been waiting to save them and they get that reply. After they asked where are you staying, He only says Follow Me. That is so like God to give no info; just follow me.

Everyone spread the word and gathered around Jesus and start to question His identity. Could this be the Messiah they had be waiting for? Jesus is truly King, but his kingdom is not of this world (Jn 18:36). He is indeed the Son of God, but in a sense far beyond anything expected by Moses and the prophets. Each of Jesus’ titles affirmed in this chapter is true, so the disciples have glimpsed something of Jesus’ identity.

We can never entirely understand the power of God, we just need to know that we know; He is our creator, Jesus saved us, the Holy SPirit guides us and all we need all of this to even see a glimpse of what, and who God is!