John 1:1-18 The Light of the World

John 1:1-18 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him everything was made, and without him not one thing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. 5The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6There was a man, sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as an eyewitness to testify about the light so that everyone would believe through him. 8He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light.

9The real light that shines on everyone was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11He came to what was his own, yet his own people did not accept him. 12But to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. 13They were born, not of blood, or of the desire of the flesh, or of a husband’s will, but born of God.

14The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15John testified about him. He cried out, “This was the one I spoke about when I said, ‘The one coming after me outranks me because he existed before me.’ ” 16For out of his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, who is close to the Father’s side, has made him known.

The Light of the World

I.

Darkness. That’s what things were like. Isaiah wrote about: “The people walking in darkness... living in the land of the shadow of death” (Isaiah 9:2, EHV). Even when God gave Adam and Eve their very first command—the way to show their love for him—he also told them there would be consequences for disobedience. Sin brought darkness into the land and the shadow of death.

When there is no Jesus, there is only darkness. The darkness of sin and the shadow of death are oppressive. When Isaiah wrote those words, Jesus had yet to be born, but it wasn’t just the fact that he hadn’t come yet that brought darkness and the shadow of death to the people.

For centuries the prophets had pointed ahead to Jesus, even though they didn’t specifically mention that name. Through the system of Old Testament sacrifices God pointed them through the darkness to the glimmer of light to come—the Messiah. They longed for him. They anticipated him.

But frequently the people turned away from Messiah to follow other gods and their own ideals. Willingly they plunged back into darkness. A world filled with sin can all too quickly turn a person away from God and back into the darkness.

Sadly, rebellion against God is not something that went away. John writes in today’s Gospel: “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11He came to what was his own, yet his own people did not accept him” (John 1:10-11, EHV). Messiah had finally come, just as the people had been hoping for centuries. Yet, when he came, many of them rejected him outright. Since he did not meet their expectations of what they wanted in a Messiah, Jesus was unacceptable.

II.

Many today do the same thing—they reject the light. During his earthly ministry, Jesus said: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me” (John 14:6, EHV). Yet many don’t want Jesus as the Bible presents him. Many would rather live in the shadow of their own sinfulness rather than in the sunshine of God’s salvation. Sin is just too important for them. They walk away from Jesus the Way and choose the path of whatever sinful behavior takes priority in their lives.

Take Christmas, for example. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. It has become such a habit rooted in the customs of the past that the whole world stops and takes a break. But what is the priority? The Way, the Truth, and the Life? It would probably not be incorrect to say that for most the secular celebrations that are the priority—the decorations and light displays; the Santas and the snowmen; the presents and the food.

III.

Into the dark scene of sin and unbelief and rejection, Jesus enters. Back to that passage from Isaiah. This time, we’ll look at the whole thing. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. For those living in the land of the shadow of death, the light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2, EHV).

How did the great light come? How did it dawn? Isaiah pointed ahead to that, too. “For to us a child is born. To us a son is given. The authority to rule will rest on his shoulders. He will be named: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, EHV).

The same Isaiah who also pointed out that: “All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth” (Isaiah 64:6, EHV). No human being had a chance of being right with God because we are all unclean and have a filthy cloth from our attempts at righteousness.

John says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, EHV). The Word is Jesus, and John identifies him as God. “The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, EHV).

Remember the names Isaiah used for the child to be born? Included in them were “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father.” The Word—God—became flesh and dwelled among us. Sin is a serious problem. So serious, Isaiah had told us, that all our attempts at righteousness would come off as filthy and unclean. If the darkness of sin and the shadow of death it brought with it were to be dealt with, a mere human being simply wouldn’t be able to handle it.

So the Word of God became flesh and made dwelled among us. This was “The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5, EHV).

After the Word became flesh and began to dwell among us, darkness would still try to overcome the light. The land of the shadow of death would like to snuff the light out. Herod would try to assassinate the newborn King. Satan would make attempt after attempt to get the Babe in the manger to commit just one sin, so all his efforts would be in vain. As he grew and Satan realized his time was growing shorter and shorter, he tried harder and harder to tempt Jesus to sin.

The powers of darkness would call for his execution—and even carry it out. On Good Friday it would appear that darkness had won; darkness would even cover the whole land for hours. But the darkness was short-lived. Jesus said from the cross: “It is finished!”(John 19:30, EHV) and the work of salvation was successfully completed. Easter morning dawned and he rose again from the dead and the Light lives forever.

IV.

“But to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. 13They were born, not of blood, or of the desire of the flesh, or of a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13, EHV). You and I have seen the light. The Holy Spirit has worked faith in our hearts so we that the light in the manger is the Light of the world. All sins have been paid for by him.

“No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, who is close to the Father’s side, has made him known” (John 1:18, EHV). You have seen the Jesus, the Light of the world. He has made the Father known to you. That light is spread to others through those who have seen the Light. Be like the shepherds who came to see Jesus and to worship and then couldn’t keep the great good news to themselves.

Share Jesus, the Light of the World. Amen.