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The Word Became Flesh
JOHN, the Book, the Man – Part 1
January 14, 2007 Dr.
Rick Isbell
John, the book, the man.
The Gospel of John was written by the Apostle John near the end of the first century.
- John was called the beloved disciple
- A true friend of Jesus
- Tradition tells us that John was the last of the disciples to die
- John writes from a tender heart that reads like a friend writing you a letter
- John is the first book that new Christians are often encouraged to read
John clearly stated why he wrote this book and even though we will dissect it and examine many themes and life lessons in it, it all points back to one verse that lays it all on the line:
20:31 “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
Let’s read together the words of John 1:1-18
This section is known as the Prologue ~/ introductory statements
Grand introductory statement that reads like Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God…”
All the other Gospels begin by placing Jesus in a historical context –
- Matthew – in the genealogy of David and Abraham
- Mark – Jesus entering Galilee and calling the first disciples
- Luke – the Christmas story, the birth of Jesus
But John wanted to take us all the back, beyond the creation of this world and time as we know it…
- before the human race…
- before life itself
- to say that Jesus’ impact on this world began even before this world began
And John introduces the first dramatic theme of this prologue:
!
Theme #1: WORD
John is seeming to say that “I want to know about what Jesus did and the ministry of His life and teachings, but you are not going to get all of that unless you can grasp the fact of WHO He is and not just WHAT He did.”
Jesus is God manifest in the flesh
- What He did and what He said is God doing it and saying it.
*1:1 * As far back as man can think, *in the beginning… the Word *was existing.
The term “Word” is the common Greek word /logos, /which meant “speaking, a message, or words.”
- “Logos” was widely used in Greek philosophical teaching as well as in Jewish wisdom literature and philosophy.
- John chose this term because it was familiar to his readers, but he invested it with his own meaning, which becomes evident in the prologue.
* *
*The Word was with God *
- The word “with” translates to “in company with”
o So the Word, Jesus, had a unique relationship WITH God
- But John then added that *the Word WAS God.
*
o Some, Jehovah’s Witnesses, translate this clause, “The Word was a god.”
This is incorrect and is polytheism~/more than one God.
o How do you reconcile that with the commandment to have no other God’s before me?
o Others have translated it “the Word was divine,” but that is ambiguous and a watered down view of who John said that Jesus is.
*1:2* The Word has always been in a relationship *with God *the Father.
- Christ did not at some point in time come into existence or begin a relationship with the Father.
*1:3 * Why is there something rather than nothing?
- That is a debated question in philosophy.
- The answer is God.
- He is the Creator of *all things *in relation with the Word.
*1:4 * Life is man’s most important asset but it is only available from God and the Word.
- Man’s spiritual and physical *life *comes from Him.
Here in VS 4 we see the second major theme of the Prologue:
!
Theme #2: LIGHT
Light is commonly used in the Bible as an emblem of God;
- darkness is commonly used to denote death, ignorance, sin, and separation from God.
- Isaiah described the coming of salvation as the people living in darkness seeing a great light
* *
*1:5 *Light’s nature is to shine and dispel *darkness.
*
- Darkness is almost personified in this verse:
- darkness is unable to overpower light.
- By this, John foreshadows points he will later make in his Gospel record: (a) *Light *will invade the dominion of *darkness.
*
(b) Satan, the ruler of darkness and his subjects will resist the light, but
they will be unable to frustrate its power.
(c) The Word will be victorious in spite of opposition.
/ /
The third dramatic theme of the Prologue begins in VS. 6 and it is:
!
Theme #3: WITNESS
*1:6 * *A man named John *came on the stage of history.
- This John did not author this Gospel but was the great forerunner of Jesus known as John the Baptist.
- He *was sent from God, *which was the secret of his importance.
- Like the Old Testament prophets he was equipped and commissioned by God for special ministry.
* *
*1:7 * He came as a *witness *
- sent for people’s benefit to be an additional pointer to the truth of Jesus,
- People in sin are in such darkness that they need someone to tell them what is *light.
*
- John’s goal was that *all men might *come to trust in Jesus.
* *
*1:8* John the Baptist was great but John the Disciple made sure to state that John the Baptist *was not the Light.
*
- Some historical evidence suggests that some followers John the Baptist continued after his death and even after the death and resurrection of Jesus
- John saw that this was not necessary because the One of whom John the Baptist preached was already here doing His saving work
- Twenty years after Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 18:25; 19:1-7) Paul found about 12 disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus.
- A Mandaean sect still continues south of Baghdad which, though hostile to Christianity, claims an ancestral link to the Baptist.
/ /
*1:9 * Christ *gives light to every man.
*
- This does not mean universal salvation or general revelation
- or even inner illumination.
- Instead, it means that Christ as the Light shines (phōtizei) on each person either in salvation or in illuminating him with regard to his sin and coming judgment
* *
*1:10* *The world *(/kosmos/) means the world of men and human society which is now in disobedience to God and under the ruler-ship of Satan
- The /Logos /came among people in the Incarnation, but mankind *did not recognize *its Maker
- The failure to recognize (egnō, “know”) *Him *was not because God’s nature was somehow “hidden” in people, as some suggest.
Rather, it is because of human ignorance and blindness, caused by sin (John 12:37).
* *
*1:11 * In some ways this is one of the saddest verses in the Bible.
- The /Logos /went to *His own *home *but *He had no welcome.
- Jesus went to *His own *people, the nation Israel, but they as a whole rejected Him.
- In rejecting *Him, *they refused to accept Him as the Revelation sent by the Father and refused to obey His commands.
- Isaiah long before had prophesied of this Jewish national unbelief: “Who has believed our message?”
(Isa.
53:1)
* *
*1:12* That unbelief, however, was not universal.
- Some *received *Jesus’ universal invitation.
- *To all who *accepted Jesus as the Revealer of the Father’s will and as the Sacrifice for sin, *He gave the right to become children of God.
*
- Warren Wiersbe says, “People are not naturally children of God but can become so by receiving the gift of the new birth.”
* *
*1:13 * The new birth does *not *come by *natural descent nor *is it the result *of *a *human decision *nor is it the result of *a husband’s will.
*
- it is a supernatural work *of God *
- A person welcomes Jesus and responds in faith and obedience to Him, but the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is “the cause” of regeneration
*1:14 * *The Word *(/Logos/) *became flesh *
- Christ, the eternal /Logos, /who is God, came to earth as man.
- He did not merely “appear” like a man; He became one
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