In the Beginning, There Was the Word (John 1:1-18)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

How does the creation narrative point me to Jesus?

It might seem like a leap to jump from Genesis 1 to the Gospel of John, but there is a strong connection. Before moving on to Genesis 2, it’s helpful to pause and recognize Christ’s connection to the creation narrative.

Yesterday, we referenced Colossians 1:16, which says, “For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.”

John 1:1-3 backs this up when John says, “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.”

The Word, or Logos in Greek, is where we get the word logic today. This was significant to both John’s Jewish audience and his Greek audience. It was a word his Jewish readers would be familiar with from the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint).

One commentator notes, “In the OT, the ‘Word’ of God is often personified as an instrument of God’s will. So, for his Jewish readers, by introducing Jesus as the ‘Word,’ John is in a sense pointing them back to the Old Testament where the Logos or ‘Word’ of God is associated with the personification of God’s revelation.”[1]

Logos was also a word non-Christian Greeks would relate to, given its natural connection to philosophy. As the same commentator notes,

In Greek philosophy, the term Logos was used to describe the intermediate agency by which God created material things and communicated with them. In the Greek worldview, the Logos was thought of as a bridge between the transcendent God and the material universe. Therefore, for his Greek readers the use of the term Logos would have likely brought forth the idea of a mediating principle between God and the world.[2]

The word “became” (Ginomai) has the imagery of being born or created and literally means to become something it was not. In this case, the Word, Jesus, becomes something he was not — flesh. Flesh, in this sense, means taking on the characteristics and embodiment of a human being. In a moment of time, a sinless and perfect God became the very form he had created. By doing so, Jesus did not merely appear to be human. He became human. This reality shocked the Greeks of that day because they strongly emphasized the separation between the spirit world and the fleshly world.

As Irish mathematician, bioethicist, and Christian philosopher John Lennox says, “we live in a word-based universe.”[3] According to Lennox, “this universe is not simply a product of natural unguided forces. It is a product of a rational creator, an intelligent creator, and I believe even more than that a personal creator.”[4] For him, “the anchor point is that the logos became human, and we beheld his glory.”^[5]

The word “dwelt” literally means tabernacled among us. Underneath the Old Covenant, God’s presence was experienced in the midst of the tabernacle. Every year, Jewish people would make their way to the temple of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to God. But now, the very presence of God is in the form of human flesh, walking and interacting with people as he lives among them. This reality was shocking to the Jewish readers. John stated that the presence of God was no longer confined to the inner walls of the Jewish temple but that it was moving and interacting with the beggars and sinners of that time.

The “glory” Jesus revealed was that of his Father. In Exodus 34:35, Moses’ face was radiant after seeing the back of God, and the Israelites were forced to put a veil over his face so that they could see him. Similarly, Jesus revealed the complete, but not exhaustive, glory of God the Father. There is always more of God’s glory for us to discover.

A Meditation to PRAY

Praise | Thank you Jesus for creating this world and coming to this earth to walk among us, set an example for us, die for our sins, and offer hope of eternal life.

Release | You were willing to become flesh for me. I give you my fleshly body, that you would use me as you please.

Ask | Although I cannot see your physical body, I know you still dwell near me. Show me how you are with me today.

Yield | I surrender the desires of my flesh and commit to following your example.  

A Challenge to Act Like Christ  

By affirming Jesus is truth, John asserts that his words are reliable. Later, in John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Truth is essentially that which is in complete harmony with reality and true regardless of time or culture. Not only does Jesus state that he is the truth, but he also presents himself as the only truth. Besides him, there can be no other. What is not from truth is from a lie. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus is clear, “No one can serve two masters.” You must serve only him, or you are not serving him.

Ultimately, the good news of Jesus Christ is that he can be known by you and me today. He is not distant and disinterested in the needs of his people. The reward of knowing God is eternal life. John 17:3 states, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Ultimately, eternal life is not a place, it is a person. Jesus came down and became flesh. He got his hands dirty. Whereas other gods call us to come up to them, Jesus Christ came down to where we are.

*Unless you specify otherwise, comments and questions you ask may be featured in upcoming podcast episodes.

[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Word-God.html

[2] https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Word-God.html

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9RIIiLeZ6o&ab_channel=DailyDoseOfWisdom, 6:45

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9RIIiLeZ6o&ab_channel=DailyDoseOfWisdom, 8:00

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9RIIiLeZ6o&ab_channel=DailyDoseOfWisdom, 6:45