The Word and the Light

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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 All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 4 In him was life,, and that life was the light of men. 5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

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

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.,

10 He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

The Word was the beginning.
John 1, like Genesis 1, opens with the line ‘In the beginning.’ This is no accident, John was Jewish so knew the Torah. He is intentionally calling our attention back to the beginning. Not only the beginning of time, but the beginning of scripture.
So what happened in the beginning? When we look back, we see that when God speaks, things come into being.

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

6 Then God said,

and so on and so on. When God speaks, things happen.
“and the Word was with God” brings in the relational aspect of God and the Word (logos).
The greek word ‘logos’ is very impersonal. Every word would fall under the category ‘logos.’ While this is the word John is using here, he is bringing a more personal meaning to it. He is using the same word, but he is not talking about the word. C;ear as mud, I know.
It begins to make more sense though, when we move into the phrase, the Word was God.
This phrase shows us that this was the same Word that created the universe.
Clearly John thought Jesus was the Son of God.
From this passage, we can draw lines to the fact that John believes Jesus is the Son of God. John shows us that Jesus is eternal and has his own identity within the trinity.
All things were Created through him?
If Jesus is God, it means he was there in the beginning. We can see this in a couple of places. God says so John in Revelation:

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

This verse from Revelation is particularly interesting because Revelation was also written by a man named John. Some of the early church fathers identified them as the same John. However, some scholars cite the notable differences in the style of these books which leads them to believe this book was written by a different John.
Regardless, one or two men named John believed Jesus was eternal and was there in the beginning, and will be there in the end.
We also see this cited in the beginning

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Here we see the Spirit of God cited as part of the beginning bringing in the final member of the trinity.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

The ‘us’ in this has been debated but is believed to be one of the possible first hints at the Trinity.

The Word is life and light.

Life in the ‘him?’ Verse 4
Life came from Him so it only makes sense that our eternal life would come from Him as well.
Light is used 7 times.
Purpose of repetition.

3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was an evening, and there was a morning: one day.

What is the darkness?
John continues to draw back this imagery from the beginning of how the world was dark. Just as the world was dark in the beginning, the world was dark before Jesus came but in a different way.
Rather than being physically dark, the world was dark without knowledge. Dark without knowing of the true things of God. The world needed the light so people could see the true things of God.
What is the light?
The light, as John is telling us, is the Son of God. The second person of the trinity. Jesus. Before Jesus, everyone’s relationship with God relied on them obeying the laws of the Old testament covenant and making sacrifices. When Jesus is growing up, we see his parents following the law closely in other places as well.

THE CIRCUMCISION AND PRESENTATION OF JESUS

21 When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus—the name given by the angel before he was conceived. 22 And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord,) 24 and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,).

Jesus himself even commands some to make sacrifices according to the law before his death.

A MAN CLEANSED

8 When he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 2 Right away a man with leprosy came up and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

3 Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

So how is the light different of Jesus different than when they were making sacrifices before his death, burial, and resurrection?

5 That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

Did sin just stop after Jesus came?
Obviously, we know the answer to that question. It did not. So what’s the difference?
Rather than having to kill animals and bring them before the Lord every so often, we no longer have to do that. But more importantly, we can be saved! We no longer have a dark cloud hanging over us that we have to atone for. Jesus has already forgiven us!
Another change: Before Jesus, the only people who could have a relationship with God, were the ones who were a member of God’s chosen lineage, the ones who followed the law given to them by one of their own, Moses: the Jews.
Now as Paul so elegantly says in Galatians

SONS AND HEIRS

27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.

And the last part is important because previously, the heirs of Abraham were only those who were of the Jewish heritage. And those were the only ones who were able to rely on God’s promise to Abraham as we all now do as believers in Jesus.
The darkness can’t overcome the eternal light that is Jesus!
We see the darkness of the world in our next point.

The Word wasn’t universally recieved.

How did the world not recognize it’s creator?
When we look through Israel’s history, we seem as slaves to many other kingdoms and aside from victories God provided, they had none.
Every time this happened, we saw Israel beg God for forgiveness and plead with him for a savior. But they were human. They didn’t want a peaceful savior, they wanted a warrior to deliver them from the clutches of Rome.
So when Jesus comes and says things like ‘turn the other cheek,’ they’re not interested. They rejected him. We see this especially so in Luke:

16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:

18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me

to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to set free the oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.,

20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”

22 They were all speaking well of him and were amazed by the gracious words that came from his mouth; yet they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

23 Then he said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. What we’ve heard that took place in Capernaum, do here in your hometown also.’ ”

24 He also said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 But I say to you, there were certainly many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months while a great famine came over all the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them except a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 And in the prophet Elisha’s time, there were many in Israel who had leprosy, and yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

28 When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged. 29 They got up, drove him out of town, and brought him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl him over the cliff. 30 But he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.

While his own people rejected him, the end of the passage we read tonight says this.

12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

but of God.
Because of God we are adopted into his family. And like adoption in our day, we gain certain benefits from being adopted.
Allison:
Benefits of Adoption
As adopted children of God we enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The reception of an inheritance along with their fellow heir Jesus Christ. Christians possess a sure future of blessing.
They experience a family relationship as brothers and sisters with other believers. (Galatians 3:26-28)
All because the darkness of of this world couldn’t, and still can’t overcome the light.
Are you thankful that the darkness couldn’t overcome the light?

Prayer Focus

Thankful for the Word.
Written (Scripture)
Spoken (In the beginning)
Incarnate (Jesus)
Thankful that the darkness couldn’t and still can’t overcome the light.
Thankful for the Son and his forgiveness.
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