Gospel Prologue

Intro

John 1:1-18

I want to do one more message in the Psalms, but I am switching that last message with the start of a new series because of Thanksgiving. So today...

Today we begin a journey through the gospel of John. We will take our time making our way through the gospel so that we can more fully understand what is going on and the narrative flow of what John is presenting. As we embark on this journey, I would like for us to try to see this gospel from fresh eyes. It’s an impossible task to be sure, but perhaps some ideas to try as we go might be helpful. First of all, try to understand that this gospel is written much later than all the others. One Commentary suggests that somewhere between 70 AD to 110 AD is likely. Scholarly debate on the date of the writings of various books is a deep and intellectual persuit that if you are interested, you can find a great deal of information. However, for most of us who want to focus on what the gospel says instead of when it was written exactly, we will spend our time focusing more on the words recorded and ponder why.

John is the most unique account of the life and ministry of Jesus among the four gospels as the other three are known as the “synoptic” gospels… basically synonymous with one another, or bearing great similarities. Scholarly debate goes on whether John used the other gospels as a source of information or not, but if we trust that John, the disciple, indeed wrote this book, then he would have had access to his own memories of the events, rather than relying upon the other gospel’s accounts.

Additionally, try to understand why John might be sharing this gospel. Of the disciples, he might be the only surviving one at this point in time as only John reaches old age… all the others are martyred for their faith. That’s not to say John wasn’t punished or persecuted, he did live in exile, which is likely where he wrote the book of Revelation.

John’s purpose in writing this gospel is to present Jesus Christ as the Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. He will use multiple metaphors throughout the gospel, and we will see some of them start here in the prologue. John is continually pointing to Jesus and occassionally hilights when others point to Jesus.

This first part of the gospel is broken down into four sections, occassionally punctuated by mentions of John the Baptist.

Ultimately John declares that Jesus is… You could finish that statement a number of different ways, but let’s discover how John finishes it. Jesus is...

The Word of God

John 1:1–2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

The introduction to the gospel of John is a masterpiece. To think that a fisherman would be able to do so much with such a profound statement would be beyond belief if not for the fact that John is aided by the Holy Spirit as he writes this account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

In one short statement, John successfully declares several amazing things about Jesus, all the while echoing the beginning of the creation account in Genesis. In the beginning… Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” And how did God create? He spoke. Genesis 1:3 “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.” John identifies Jesus as the Word of God… that which was spoken. Unlike how certain cults try to deny Jesus’ full divinity and oneness with the Father, John clearly declares that Jesus is simultaneously the Word of God, distinct from the Father, and yet somehow also one and the same as the Father. John declares that the Word (later identified as Jesus) was with God in the beginning. Never does it say that the Word was a separate created being, rather that He was there with God in the beginning and was with God and was God all at the same time.

To be sure, this is a mystery, and is hard to explain. John does his best, but leaves things mysterious and miraculous.

Word and Creation

John 1:3–8 “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.”

John is making the case that Jesus Christ was with the Father in creation and he wants us to know that Jesus was an integral part of that creative act. Again, God spoke everything into existence and John here presents Jesus as the Word of God through which all things were created.

More than this, John now introduces a new metaphor for Jesus. Not only is He the Word, but he is the life and the Light of men. I want you to think about those words for a moment. How significant are life and Light to the Bible? While I am tempted to blast through a series of quotes from throughout the Bible, I will restrain myself for the moment, as the gospel of John has many of these quotes. This indicates that John is intentionally introducing a topic that he will later flesh out in greater detail.

Another theme that John introduces here is the notion that Jesus will be rejected by those He came to save. The Light shines in the darkness,a ndt he darkness did not comprehend it. Continue to watch for this notion of rejection throughout the remainder of this message and in the coming weeks as we progress throught he gospel.

Throughout the prologue, John (the disciple and author) references John the Baptist. Interestingly, throughout the entire gospel of John, he never refers to himself by name. He has no problem identifying this other John and here in the opening verses showcases him as a man sent from God. May we all be identified as such!

He describes John as one sent to testiby about the light so that people might believe. This is the prophetic fulfilment of the prophesy of Isaiah 40:3–5 “A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.””

This passage is often quoted around Christmas time as the angel’s foretelling of John the Baptist’s birth in Luke 1 reiterates the Isaiah prophesy. John wants to make it clear, however, that John the Baptist is not the “Light.” Anticipation for the coming Messiah was high and many thought John might be Him. However, John the gospel writer, and John the Baptist himself take great efforts to correct anyone who thinks such things. John came to prepare the way for Jesus. That was his entire mission in life.

Note that like John the Baptist, we too simply point to Jesus. Jesus is the reason why souls are saved and thus we introduce people to Him so that they might have encounter with the Light of the World for themselves.

Word and Revelation

John 1:9–13 “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

(*Note* not the book of Revelation, but God revealing Himself) Look at how John continues to portray Jesus. Still on the topic of Jesus as Light, he declares that the Light came into the world to enlighten every man. Of course we view enlightenment as something that happens on an intellectual level, or perhaps as some religions use the term, spiritual level, but what John here means is that the Light of the world that saves anyone is sheding light on the true spiritual condition of people. We have the light shone on our sins and on our shame and we see that we are depraved and in need of salvation!

Again, John points to Jesus’ rejection as being in the world that He helped make, and yet His own creation does not know who He is. He is rejected by the very people He so desparately wants to save! Even those who were considered “His own” rejected Him.

But here is the turn around, and another theme that I would like for us to watch out for throughout the gospel… Jesus was accepted. The theme of Jesus’ rejection is contrasted by those who actually accepted Him! Anyone can come to Jesus and be saved from their sins, and even though He has been rejected by the people of God, anyone who believes in His name can be saved. I would like for you to read that again (verse 12), particularly if you are not yet in a right relationship with Jesus. If you have never accepted Him as Savior, if you have never believed in His name, that’s all it takes for salvation! It is a gift of grace… a gift we do not deserve, and yet lovingly given anyway. And believing in His name, we become children of God, adopted into His family! And verse 13 explains the why’s and how’s of becoming a part of the family of God. It is the will of God that it be this way!

Word and Incarnation

John 1:14–18 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

Verse 14 is one of the most memorable verses in all of scripture because it describes the miracle of the incarnation in a way that helps us understand how a spiritual being like God can become one of us. The Word… this divine being that was present at creation, that is distinct from God and yet God at the same time, now becomes flesh and dwells among us. The idea here is that He takes up residence among us… that He pitches His tent among us… that He tabernacles among us. The glory of God dwelling with fallen humanity. The literal embodiment of grace and truth now counted among the people.

Again John points to the testimony of John the Baptist saying that he came to testify about this Word and offers some quotes of what John would have preached in the wildnerness about Jesus. John points to the Law as from divine origence, but now Jesus Christ (here named for the first time in the gospel of John) fulfills the law… realizes the plans of God… fulfills everything God has been working towards from the very beginning.

Jesus Christ came to reveal the unknown God to the world. He came to change everything. The question is whether or not He has changed you.

Conclusion

In bringing this message to a close this morning, I want to ask each of us why this matters? I think John did a great job with his gospel and that he lays things out fairly systematically and compellingly.

He very intentionally starts his gospel in a way that reminds us of creation. Jesus Christ was present at creation. He is not a created being, rather all things were created through Him. Jesus is the Word of God. Distinct from God, yet one with God.

John very intentionally links the Word of God with life and light. These themes are not fully developed here, but introduce a topic that John will go into greater detail on at a later time. However, even here we see hints of how Jesus will be rejected.

There are a couple of times here where John the Apostle talks about John the Baptist and he is very intentional about telling people how John the Baptist had a very specific mission to “testify about the Light.” John’s role was to prepare the way for Jesus and to get people ready to see Him for themselves. While John the Baptist’s ministry seemed to draw quite the crowd, and for all intents and purposes, had a form of popularity among the people, John readily reminded people that he was paving the way for the Messiah and that he was not the Messiah.

Even at the beginning of John’s gospel, he points to Jesus and the salvatioin He offers. Verse 12 is worthy to memorize, for those of you who like to commit significant verses to memory. John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

In closing the prologue to the gospel, John attempts to describe how a Spiritual being like God could become a physical being like us. Jesus came and set up His tent in our midst. He came physically and lived among us. In so doing, Jesus Christ has given this world the best look at God you could possibly ask for this side of eternity.

Through it all, a single question arises that I want to present to each of us this morning as I close. Jesus came, God in the flesh… what do you do about that? Do you receive Him or do you reject Him?