John 1:1-5 (ESV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Can you imagine the upheaval of both the Jewish and Greek belief systems when this statement was made? It must have been earth shaking.
Look at the word “Word.” The Jews knew the “Word” as the Word of God (1 Sam. 9:27, 16:23). So, when John started his gospel with the fact the Word was in the beginning, the idea was one deeply seated in Judaism. It was nothing new for them.
The Greek word translated “Word” is the word logos. In Greek philosophy, the Logos was understood to be the force that regulated the universe, kept the sun rising and setting, brought the seasons, and such. So, the Greeks also felt comfortable with the beginning of verse one of John’s gospel.
When John tells us the Word was with God the Jews and Greeks were still nodding their heads in agreement. It’s when John says the Word was actually God and then was with God that stunned both cultures, the Jews more than the Greeks. For a first century Jew to think God was more than one Person was unthinkable even though some Old Testament writers implied to this.
Isa. 44:6 says: Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. He names two Persons “the Lord the King of Israel” is one. “His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts” is another. In both places “Lord” is the divine name, the Tetragrammaton. So, it looks like Isaiah knew God was more than one Person. I just doubt the first century Jews did.
John makes it clear just who the Word was. In verse 14, He says “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Word was Jesus.
At 2 Chronicles 6:18, Solomon, when dedicating of the temple, said this: “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!” This is a fascinating question to ponder. John puts it to rest, though, with a resounding “Yes!”
John continues to tell us of Jesus’ divinity. Not only was the Word God, He was the Creator of all things in verse 3. Verse 4 tells us Jesus was life and the life was the light of men. The fact Jesus was the life relates to verse 3 where He created all living things. And, He was the light of men. Light is important for us to recognize things, to understand things more clearly, and to illuminate what is true and what is not, what is right and what is wrong. Jesus as our Light did that.
Why is this important?
John’s gospel was written late in the first century, well after all the other apostles were martyred. He had seen what needed to be added to Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s accounts to make it clear just who Jesus was, to complete the message. Only about 10% of what John writes can be found in the other gospels. He wanted to make it clear exactly who Jesus is and was. John says so himself: John 20:30 (ESV) Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
You might wonder how being the Son of God is the same as Jesus being God since we are all children of God (John 1:12). Jesus is the only, unique, one of a kind, Son of God. John tells us exactly what Jesus meant when He told the Jews God was His Father: John 4:18 (ESV) “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”
Jesus is every bit equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. John gives us a clear and obvious demonstration of this. Let us never think differently
Believers Armed and Dangerous 