Sermon Tone Analysis
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Intro
Famous lines:
Once upon a time...
Score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.
It began with the forging of the Great Rings.
(Lord of the Rings)
John 1:1-5
Although not the earliest text in the Scriptures, the Gospel according to John is probably by far the most quotable.
Generally from an evangelistic perspective, it is the first book that most people recommend new believers or skeptics to read.
When we grow in our faith, it is one that we memorize and sing songs to, especially for little children.
In Academia, it is evaluated linguistically and historically with other ancient corpus of literature.
For a good while, it held the most memorized verse of all time, John 3:16.
Probably in today’s day and age it has been replaced by Matthew 7:1 “Don’t Judge”.
It is very unique as well as it stands apart from the other Gospels.
You will all recall that John is not one of the synoptic Gospels.
Meaning, whereas Matthew, Mark, and Luke all seem to carry with it the narratives, and miracles, and historical accounts of Jesus’ life, John’s is quite different.
Not only in the fact that it is not written in a historically chronological order, but it also seems to be missing very important elements found in the other gospels.
There are no narrative parables in John, no account of the transfiguration, no record of the institution of the Lord’s supper, no report of Jesus casting out a demon, no mention of Jesus’ temptations.
But not only does it not contain or mention certain events, it also seems to include other things.
For example, the first miracle of water into wine is only found in John’s Gospel.
His private meeting with Nicodemus is only found here.
The resurrection of Lazarus, which seems to be a very powerful event is only found in John’s Gospel.
Only in John is Jesus explicitly identified with God (1:1, 18; 20:28).
Here, too, Jesus makes a series of important ‘I am’ statements: I am the light of the world, the resurrection and the life, the good shepherd, the vine, the living water, the way, the truth and the life.
Only in John is Jesus explicitely identified with God (1:1,18, 20:28).
Here too, Jesus makes a series of important statements, known as the ‘I AM’ statements:
Bread of life (6:35)
Light of the World (8:12, 9:5)
Door of sheepfold (10:7)
Good Shepherd (10:11,14)
Resurrection and the life (11:25))
The true vine (15:1)
the way, the truth, the life (14:6)
Before Abraham was....I am (John 8:58).
But the differences can get complicated.
Some allege that there are contradictions between John’s account and the other gospels.
Such as John being Elijah or the level of progressive knowledge that people had in knowing who Jesus is.
Certain statements which seem anachronistic (statements found which belong in a different time period than the one that it is found)
John’s Gospel however, is God’s Word.
It was given to the church by the Holy Spirit for the well being and the edification of the body and to illuminate to the world the truth of who Jesus is and what he has come to do.
Why the differences then?
Well, we first need to remember that the writers of the Gospels all wrote during the lifetime of someone who knew Jesus Himself.
Matthew presents Jesus as the King, Mark has a portrait of Him as a Servant, Luke demonstrates that He is our Saviour, and John shows that He is the Son of God, that He is God.
In John 20:31, John says, “These things are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that believing you might have life through His name.
They all have slight differences, granted that John has more differences, but that does not necessarily mean that they are wrong.
For example, if Fox News and CNN both reported on the same event and each has differences, no one concludes that the event never happened.
If I were to describe game night to y’all last night and ____ were to describe it, the differences do not cause a person to throw out the event as a lie.
If that were the case, then do you completely disregard all the similarities?
Parallel incidents include the Spirit’s anointing of Jesus as testified by John the Baptist (Mk.
1:10 par.
/ Jn. 1:32), the contrast between the Baptist’s baptism with water and the Messiah’s anticipated baptism with the Spirit (Mk.
1:7–8 par.
/ Jn. 1:23), the feeding of the five thousand (Mk.
6:32–44 par.
/ Jn. 6:1–15), and the walking on the water (Mk.
6:45–52 par.
/ Jn. 6:16–21).
Many sayings (including Mt. 9:37–38 par.
/ Jn. 4:35; Mk. 6:4 par.
/ Jn. 4:44; Mt. 25:46 / Jn. 5:29; Mt. 11:25–27 par.
/ Jn. 10:14–15; Mk. 4:12 par.
/ Jn. 12:39–40; Mt. 18:12–14 / Lk. 15:3–7 / Jn. 10:1–15; Mt. 10:40 / Mk. 9:37 / Jn. 12:44–45)
No, rather we are learning of the same event from differing perspectives and the author, in this case, chose to include certain events and sayings in order to advance His purpose.
John was writing to Jews.
Hellenized Jews who needed strengthening and new believers who needed catechizing.
It is also a very controversial book from the very first words.
In the beginning....
Body
Do you know how to start a riot?
With an idea.
Richard Weaver, writing in the aftermath of World War II, diagnoses the ills of his age and offers a realistic remedy.
He asserts that the world is intelligible and that man is free.
The catastrophes of our age the catastrophes of our age are the product of unintelligent choice and the cure lies in man's recognition that ideas--like actions--have consequences.
A cure, he submits, is possible.
It lies in the right use of man's reason, in the renewed acceptance of an absolute reality, and in the recognition that ideas like actions have consequences.
Essentially, for Weaver to recapture peace and to elevate humanity into the best possible form there must be a return to reason, logic, philosophy and an understanding that we can do it on our own.
Followed to its final conclusion, we are gods who can right the wrongs and gods who are in control.
John’s Gospel written nearly 2000 years before Weaver’s book, presents a radically different idea.
We are not gods.
In fact, we are created beings.
And John’s opening statements do not just challenge this very fact, but goes head on against many other belief systems.
Because to have a counterfeit, no matter how good it is, means to have something of no value.
Whatsoever
Counterfeit money.
“In the beginning”- This echoes of Genesis 1.
We are reminded that there was a beginning.
All that we see, hear, feel, taste, and smell, that did not exist in the beginning.
It started to exist.
It is not eternal as several pantheistic religions may claim it to be.
The universe had a start, every finite thing had a start and so the finite became existent at the command of the infinite.
But Genesis, when it says in the beginning, does not mean the beginning of creation, but rather the beginning of all things.
The beginning of beginnings.
The beginning is absolute.
Likewise the Greek here is expressing the same thing, this is “En arche” it is not “en te arche” In Beginning, not in the beginning is the tone.
It affirms from the beginning of beginnings and not just the beginning of the world.
So this is doing much more than just affirming that the Word is from the beginning of time, but even before that.
And it is “en” not “egeneto”, which implies coming into existence.
It is en.
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