Plot Twist - John 1:6-13

Introduction

The Sixth Sense tells the story of Dr. Malcom Crowe who is a child psychologist. After being celebrated for his work as a psychologist, he’s having an argument with his wife when one of his former patients, Vincent, shows up at his house and shoots Dr. Crowe in the abdomen before shooting himself. Vincent had experienced terrifying hallucinations and Dr. Crowe had not been able to help. The next fall, Dr. Crowe begins working with another child, Cole, who was having similar hallucinations as Vincent. Cole tells Dr. Crowe that he sees dead people and is able to talk with them, and over time, Dr. Crowe comes to believe that he’s telling the truth. And, he realizes that this is exactly what happened with Vincent as well.

And, just as the story seems to find his resolution with Dr. Crowe being able to understand his failure with Vincent and reconciling with his wife, comes a bombshell plot twist: Dr. Crowe actually died the night Vincent shot him and had been dead throughout the whole movie. But, he had to resolve his unfinished business before he could rest. Now, the theology is terrible, but the story is good, isn’t it? We love a good plot twist.

God’s Word

Last week, John introduced us to Jesus by telling his who He is, where He’s from, and what He came to do. He even gave us the big picture of what happened during Jesus’ ministry — the light came into the world and the darkness couldn’t overcome it. But, this week, John lets us know up front that there’s a plot twist. Jesus’ life isn’t just one of victory and celebration. That’s what you’d expect for the Savior King. No, Jesus’ life doesn’t take the path you’d expect, and so John shares The Twisting Plot of Jesus’ Story: (Headline)

There’s a “surprising witness.”

John 1:6–8 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.”

In verse 6, we’re introduced not to John the Apostle, but to John the Baptist. And, his introduction is the perfect segue from the OT to the NT. In the OT, God would send his word through prophets to speak to his people, to call them to repentance, and to save them from themselves. As the Old Covenant Era gives way to the New Covenant, God sends one final prophet, one final messenger as the forerunner to call people to repentance and to “bear witness” as to what God is doing through Jesus.

A witness shares an “experience.”

And, just as it is for us today, this language of “witness” carries with it legal connotations. But, when we think about a witness, we think of someone sharing with us what they saw and experienced after the fact. A number of years ago, my dad was in a bank when it was robbed. When he was asked to give a statement, what they wanted was an eyewitness account of what he saw. But, John is different than that, isn’t he? Jesus’ ministry is just starting when John the Baptist comes on the to scene. He isn’t talking about having witnessed something past so much as he is telling what is coming in the future.

So, what is meant by “witness” when referring to John here? A “witness” is someone who shares their experience in such a way that it corroborates with the evidence to prove the case. The prosecution presents to the jury and judge the evidence that John Dillinger robbed the bank, and then the prosecution produces the witness to corroborate and say that’s what they’ve seen. Well, John is doing exactly this just in a bit different order. God has given his people all of the evidence through the Scriptures so that people can recognize his Messiah. He’s told them about the “root of Jesse” and the “Suffering Servant” and the one who will heal the “deaf, blind, and mute.” And now, before all of this takes place, He sends John to tell them that this Messiah has come so that those who are there can match their experience with Jesus with God’s evidence of Jesus. He’s sent John the Baptist to prepare the hearts of his people for their Savior “that all might believe through him.”

And, we share in the witnessing mission of John the Baptist. After all, we’re called witnesses too! In Acts 1:8, Jesus says “….you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”” John was called to point forward to the Savior whom God had sent so that others could connect experience and evidence, and our responsibility is to point back to the Savior God by corroborating God’s evidence with our experience. “Bearing witness” always involves sharing an experience and sharing it so that it aligns with the evidence.

A witness will be “intimidated.”

Now, it’s important to remember that wherever there is a witness intimidation and shaming are sure to follow. The predator wants to prevent the witness from speaking. John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded for it. The secularists today want all of us to be quiet. So, in America, you won’t imprisoned and beheaded like John, but you will be shamed and intimidated. You’ll be called unintelligent and backwards. You’ll be excluded from friend groups you want to be a part of. You’ll be given labels that no person wants to carry. But, the church must not be shamed into losing her witness. It’s not unintelligent to say what God has done for you. It’s not ignorant to give God public credit for his intervention in your life. No, it’s honest, but our enemy doesn’t want anyone else to know. You know, in a mountain of evidence, a witness is always most compelling and persuasive. That’s why they want you to be quiet. Your experience conflicts with their agenda, and your experience might persuade their neighbors and family and friends to take a fresh look at the evidence.

It reminds me of a story that John will recount in chapter 9. There’s a man who has been born blind that meets Jesus. Jesus hocks a few loogies into the dirt, makes mud, and wipes it over his eyes. When he removes the dirt, “light” breaks through his eyes for the first time. The Pharisees can’t stand it, and they’ve warned everyone that if they give credibility to Jesus they will be thrown out of the synagogue. So, with the threat and the intimidation hanging over every witness they speak with, they go to the man’s parents who confirm the man was born blind but who are too afraid to tell them how he was healed. Well, they go to the healed man again and again, and finally exasperated, the man says: “Look! All I can tell you is that I once was blind, but now I see!”

That’s what our world needs. We don’t need dry theologians that depend solely on rational arguments. And, we don’t need flighty existentialists that only want to talk about what they’ve felt and experienced. But, we need a church who will boldly corroborate the evidence of Scripture, and say, “This is what happened to me! I have met the Jesus exactly as the evidence presents him. I once was blind, but now I see!” We need people who will boldly testify to how good God has been to them. We must “bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.”

There’s a “stunning rejection.”

John 1:9–11 “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”

Then, comes the plot twist. Notice here that Jesus is referred to as the “TRUE light.” “True” in John doesn’t just mean that Jesus is the true Savior in light of a bunch of false start messiahs. That’s part of it. But, “true” even more refers to Jesus as the “ultimate” Savior or the “fulfillment” Savior that had been predicted. That is, “TRUE light” is John’s way of saying, “This is the one God’s been talking about.” He showed them A light in the wilderness when the pillar of fire guided them toward the Promised Land, but here is THE light — the TRUE light — that will guide them to ultimate salvation. In the wilderness, God have them some bread that will sustain them for while. But, here is THE bread of life that will sustain them forever. Jesus raised up a savior in David to slay the giant, Goliath, but here is THE Savior — the TRUE Savior — who will slay their enemy forever. In the past, God showed them flickers, but now, the “true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”

So, the expectation would be that the next verse would read of the parade and celebration that He was here, wouldn’t it? Liberated people don’t have to be taught to shout for joy at the sight of their deliverer. But yet, when the Creator stepped into his world, “the world did not know him.” When He came to his very own, “his own people did not receive him.” The “true light” broke into the darkness, yet they still couldn’t see it. This is not how you expect the movie to go, is it?

He was “treated” as a “criminal.”

Perhaps, no other verse in all of the Bible more clearly describes the extent of human foolishness and sinfulness than verse 11. “He came to his OWN, and his OWN people did not receive him.” Now, remember this is written into a hospitality culture where your treatment of your guests is interwoven with your public reputation and integrity. A person who wasn’t hospitable in the ancient Near East was considered a person of low moral fiber, stinginess, and unbecoming. Unless of course, the person seeking hospitality was a person of ill repute themselves. So, the statement here is that God sent his Son to live among his own people, and He was treated like a criminal or tax collector. God had given them the signs. God had delivered them from Egypt. God had sustained them through the millennia, and God had given them the prophets to tell them how He would save them. And yet, when their Savior came, when God came for them, they rejected him.

The highest degree of emotional anguish that I’ve ever witnessed in my ministry has been when good parents loved their children and sacrificed for their children only to be rejected by their children. I was discussing this with one mom years ago as we were processing her grief, and I said, “You’ve experienced something like a death. It’s like your child has done. And, in a moment of raw emotion, she responded: “It’s worse than a death. If he would’ve died in a tragedy, at least I would’ve believed that he died loving me. But, now everyday, I have to live with the realization that he doesn’t like me or want me.” That’s akin to the grief that is behind verse 11. It’s a stunning rejection.

They weren’t “close enough.”

And, it’s a warning that should send a shudder down all of our spines. The Jewish people show how close you can be to Jesus and still miss him. They had his word. They had a prophet pointing at him and saying, “This is him.” They had generations of anticipation. Yet, they still missed him. They still couldn’t see him. They still nailed him to a tree like a criminal. As close as they were, they weren’t close enough. It’s not all that different from us. We live in the Bible belt. The southeastern US has to have the highest concentration of Bibles anywhere in the world. We’ve grown up praying over our meals. Our grandmothers were telling us the stories of Jesus before we could walk and talk. We have churches on every corner. But, as close as we are to Jesus, as close as we are to the gospel and the word, it’s possible for us to still miss him. Oh, do you really know him? Not have we heard the stories. Not have we heard the predictions. Not have we read the Bible. You can be close and still miss him. Do you know him? I can think of no greater condemnation than to stand before the Lord with unprecedented access to the gospel only to have lived your whole life indifferent to him. It would be a stunning rejection when you come into the presence of Jesus. Do you know him?

There’s a “supernatural birth.”

John 1:12–13 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Last week, I told you that John chooses not to start his gospel with the virgin birth. But, just because he doesn’t start with a virgin birth doesn’t mean that he doesn’t start with a miraculous birth. Whose birth is that? Well, it’s yours and mine and those in the first century that received Jesus.

We are “born of God.”

AW Pink meditates on the idea that the Light of the World came into the world, and yet the world didn’t recognize him or know him. How can that be? Whenever there’s a light shining, it’s hard to miss. “Who needs to be told of his shining? The blind!” (Pink) That is, every person with seeing eyes can see the light, but the blind sure can’t. So, there’s going to be yet another plot twist. This light is going to come into the world, and the world won’t see it. The Savior’s own people won’t recognize him or love him. They’ll crucify him. But, there will be some among them and some among the Greeks and some among the Romans whose eyes God will open so that they can see. And, how will God accomplish this? Through a supernatural birth. They will be “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

If you find it true of yourself that you see the “true light” and that you love Jesus and cherish Jesus and believe in Jesus, it’s not because of the “blood” that runs through your veins or your genetic code. It’s not because of your parents were or weren’t. It’s not because you were born white or black or hispanic or Jewish. It’s not because your family has money or because they’re poor. It isn’t because your intelligent or simple. And, it isn’t because of your sincerity or passion. “The phrase “will of the flesh” pictures a man and woman coming together with great passion to conceive a child.” But, hell is littered with spiritually sincere and passionately religious people. Your spirituality cannot cause you to see the light no matter how deeply you search it out. And, it isn’t because of your effort. “The will of man” speaks of the husbands initiative in conceiving of a child. It’s parents willfully seeking to have a child because they want one. That is, just because you decide you’re going to be child of God and try to do all the things so that you show yourself a child of God doesn’t make you a child of God. The difficulty that many of our neighbors have with the gospel is not that they want to be children of God or even that they don’t try to do good things. Most of them do believe themselves to be God’s children, and most of them do good things. The problem is that they don’t love the actual Christ.

We are “Willa.”

So, you see, John’s point is that seeing Jesus as He is isn’t something that you can do at all. It’s a miracle. It’s a supernatural birth. It’s the initiative of God. It’s God opening your eyes so that you can see the light and love the light and choose the light. That is, we’re all Willa. One of my professors told the story of one of his children. I believe she was his ninth child. One day, he got a call from a friend of his that was involved with the care of neglected children. My professor’s friend told him they had a four year old little girl that had endured serious neglect. Her mother did not want her when she was born and never bonded with her. To the best of their knowledge, this little girl had never been hugged or nurtured. She was hardly unable to stand because she had been sat down all of her life so that her leg muscles never developed properly. Without even consulting his wife, my professor told his friend that they would adopt the little girl. When he went home and told his wife, she began thinking of names for their new daughter. And, she said, “We’ll name her Willa. Because Willa means “desired one.” She’s going to be our daughter because we desire her and want her to be.”

That’s our story, church. We aren’t beloved by God because of whom we were born to or because we’re impressive or because we try really hard. We’re “born of God” because we’re his desired ones. And, that’s the story John is telling. He’s telling us about how our God came to us was rejected by us, and yet, through that rejected, still adopted those of us who “receive him.” Will you receive him?