Recently, I gave copies of the Gospel of John to some guys who were not believers. They were part of a rough crowd that worked hard during the week and drank hard on weekends. John is the Gospel we tend to send people to first. We want them to grasp that God so loved the world. But after I gave these guys the book of John to read, I began to read it from the perspective of someone who didn’t grow up in the church. And I have to admit that the first chapter of John kind of blew my brain. Most of it would make little or no sense to one who did not know anything about Jesus or the creation of the world. I can only hope that they hung in there and kept reading.
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” John 1:1-5
The concept of the Trinity is difficult for our human minds to wrap around. How can God be three and yet one? John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one who adored Jesus, the one who was given a long life and died of old age, not execution, the one who knew the high priest at the time of Jesus’ death, the one who was there to see the empty tomb and talk with Jesus after the resurrection, the one who believed, has much to say about this in his writings.
He begins, “In the beginning was the Word.”. “Word” is used in an interesting way here. Young people today, when they agree with something that was said will often say, “word.” It is sort of like ‘Amen’ or ‘that’s the truth,’ a statement of agreement. That may not be so far from how it is used in this passage of Scripture. The ‘Word’ here was with God and was God! This ‘Word’ also created and “in him was life.”
Isaiah 55:10-11 says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
I don’t believe what John said in the beginning of John 1 was an accident. He is trying to help us understand that Jesus and God, while separate, are one and the same. And the words spoken by Jesus are full of power and do not return empty, but will accomplish what God has in mind.
“He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, or of a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:10-13 How sad to not recognize our own Papa! But those who believe the Word have the privilege of becoming Children of God. John is already weaving the spirit and the flesh together here. God is Spirit, but he came in the flesh so we would know who our ‘Daddy’ is.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth… From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” John 1:14; 16-18 John begins his book with a big bang – the one that started the world. But this big bang is not the one that is taught in science books. It is the God of the universe who cares enough about his created to come in the flesh and make himself known to us. He wants us to know who our Papa is and how much he loves us.
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