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

In the Beginning Was the Word

 

John 1:1-18

 

Now we are opening the new year 2022 with excitement and great expectation as if we are given a brand-new gift from God. With the same excitement and expectation, we begin to study the Gospel of John. And very suitably, this book also begins with “In the beginning.” New beginning is always thrilling. That’s why many philosophers and scientists are trying to figure out how the world and things in it began to exist. For us, this is the Truth of truths, the knowledge of which everybody is thirst for. And the Gospel of John tells us about it very clearly and simply: “In the beginning was the Word.” When I was a beginner Bible student, my Bible teacher said to me many times that John is the Book of Life and Light. And my life journey was simply the process of learning that the Word is truly my life and my light. We call this “deduction,” a reasoning process beginning from the conclusion to observations and to the reaffirmation of the conclusion. It is good to keep our beginning excitement and expectation we have now throughout this year to the end. And it is even better to have the Word, our Beginning, our Life, and our Light, throughout our lifetime to the end.

 

While the other three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are called “Synoptic Gospels,” the Gospel of John is called “the Fourth Gospel” or “Special Gospel.” “Synoptic” means “from the same point of view.” The synoptic gospels present Jesus’ life and death in similar ways, and then conclude that Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ. We call this “induction,” a reasoning process beginning from observations to conclusion. The Gospel of John is “deductive,” opening it with the majestic declaration: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” In fact, the Gospel of John is full of such declarations about “Who Is Jesus,” including the famous seven “ego eimi (I AM)” statements: “I am the bread of life (John (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51); “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12); “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7,9); “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14); “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25); “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6); and “I am the true vine” (John 15:1, 5). Our lives are laboratories in which these statements are tested and affirmed.

 

Verse 1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “In the beginning” suggests that the Word is eternal, unchangeable, and durable. The most prevalent philosophy of today is “evolution.” People believe that we are making progress toward something better, stronger, or whatever. But we don’t know where we are from and where we are going. Even we cannot define what “progress” means to us, to our children, to the world, and to our nature. So we, without past and future, are trapped in “now” like a mayfly. Even our most glorious dream is nothing but a nightmare. In fact, “evolution” is white powder we put on our dying and decaying body. Apart from the Word, we are in “devolution,” not in evolution. 1Peter 1:23 says, “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” Here, Apostle Peter describes the word of God as “imperishable seed” and as “living and enduring.” Seed implies beginning. Seed also implies growing, prospering, and fruiting. This is what the Word is to us. With the Word, we can resume and continue the true “evolution” that God launched in the beginning. Then, like we have the glorious beginning, we will have the glorious conclusion. Truly the Word of God is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13).

 

Verse 1 says, “The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” People say that the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is the most profound mystery that we never be able to grasp fully. Still we try to understand God the Father, God the Son (the Word), and God the Spirit according to our human terms. Here is an idea of how to see the Triune God:

 

    God the Father is our End (Purpose), so we live for Him.

    God the Son is our Way, so we live through Him.

    God the Spirit is our Power, so we live by Him.

 

Still the Triune God is inseparable unity. Colossians 1:16b says of Jesus Christ, “All things were created by him and for him.” I don’t know how to approach this mystery. I think the best way is “believing and trusting” even when my reasoning and understanding does not reach the “reality of God.” With regard to the relationship between the Word and God, it says, “The Word was with God.” The original Greek word for “with” is “pros (πρός),” which means “toward” or “forward to.” The relationship described with this proposition is more dynamic than static. The Word is toward God. The Word pursues God unceasingly. The Word loves and pleases God wholly. Thus, if we have the Word in us, the Word turns our heart toward God. The Word teaches us how to love and please God. The Word leads us to be with God and be united with Him. In this sense, the Word is truly our Way to the Father.

 

Let me read verses 3 and 4. “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 Word is the Creator and the Life-giver. The Word is the origin of our existence and our life. What we must remember is that the Word is the foundation of our existence and our life even now. Hebrews 1:3 says of the Son, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification of for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Like the Word was the Creator and Life-giver, He is the Sustainer and Redeemer. Verse 5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” This verse reminds me of Genesis 1:2 “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” When God was about to start His creation work, the earth was dark, formless, and empty, but at the same time, the Spirit of God was embracing the earth in order to give birth and order to the creatures. In the same way, people were sleeping deeply in darkness, not knowing that the light was shining above. Still the light kept shining, and is now beginning the mysterious work of redemption, giving new life to the souls in darkness. This is even more marvelous than the first creation.

 

Verses 6-18 provides us a panoramic view of how the Word, namely, the light is coming to the world and becoming our life. It is truly the advance of the light onto the world, among us, and into each soul. This advance can be divided into four stages as follows:

 

    Verses 6-9: The light was testified by John the Baptist.

    Verses 10-13: The light came to the world.

    Verses 14-15: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

    Verses 16-18: The Word fills us with grace and truth. 

John the Baptist, a man who was sent from God, testified to people about the light. And verse 9 says, “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” What is true light? The meaning of “true light” can be understood only in connection to “life.” Verse 4 also says, “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” So we can say that light is life or that life is light. Actually, this is not a theological concept. This is a common sense. We pray for “bright future,” and seek something “absolute” that may shine the future life. For Abraham, his future depended on his heir who would inherit his enterprise. But he didn’t have a son. His precious enterprise had to fall into the hand of one of his servants. So, although he was a rich man and even blessed by God, he was not happy. His heart was gloomy because his “true light” was out. But God came to him and said to Abraham, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:1). God is saying to Abraham, “I am your True Light.” But Abraham replied, “What can you give me since I remain childless.” He is saying that as long as he is childless God doesn’t mean much to him. Still God insisted that only He is the true light for Abraham. God took Abraham outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.” Abraham was old and his body was as good as dead. His wife Sarah also became barren. Still the couple were childless. But God waited until the “true light” was on and shone in his heart. We need many things for our life and happiness. We want to keep “these things” on and shining around us for our happy life. But God advances into us, turns these lights off, and says, “I am your shield, your very great reward.” This is what Jesus is doing to us by saying, “I am the bread of life,” “I am the light of the world,” and so on. Jesus, the True Light, is truly our Life and Happiness.

 

Jesus, the true light, came to the world, but the world did not recognize him. His own people did not receive him. Yet verse 12 says, “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Why didn’t people receive the true light? It is because they wanted to be their own king. And it is also because they judged the Lord by human standards (John 8:15). In fact, Jesus is God’s gift to us for our peace and reconciliation with God. Jesus is God’s humble love to the sinners. Although we are worthless sinners, God’s love to us in Jesus is Father’s pure love to His children. Thus, receiving Jesus is receiving God’s fatherly love. By receiving Jesus, we are receiving the right to become children of God. It is not easy for us to understand what comes together with the right of God’s children. I would like to mention three keywords characterizing God’s children, which are freedom, love, and spirit. I got these from the Epistles to Galatians. The antonyms of these keywords are slavery, fear, and flesh. Simply saying, the right of God’s children lifts our lives up from hell to heaven. This happens when we receive Jesus as the True Light.

 

Verse 14 says, “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.” In Exodus 33:18, Moses asks God, “Now show me your glory.” Then God says to him, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” And God put Moses in a cleft of a rock and covered him with God’s hand while his glory was passing by. Seeing the glory of God was Moses’ greatest desire, and God answered his request in such a merciful way. I believe it is the ultimate desire for earnest people of God to see the glory of God. In John 14:8, Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, says, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Truly, “that will be enough for us.” When the desire is satisfied, they will not want anything anymore. Once they have seen the glory of God, what can be more beautiful and spectacular to their eyes? And Jesus answers to Philip, “Don’t you know me, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’” Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God’s glory to us. God revealed his glory in such a merciful way that we can see with our eyes and touch with our hands, and we are fully satisfied, even more than Moses was.

 

Let me read verses 16-17. “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus is full of grace and truth. In other words, Jesus is graceful and truthful. This is how he blesses us one after another. Living in this world, we may not grasp the full meaning of “grace and truth.” Jesus, full of grace and truth, is well contrasted with Satan, which is a liar, accuser, and murderer. Satan tempts us to commit sin, and then accuses us for the sin to death. But Jesus reveals our hidden sins only to forgive and covers with his grace of righteousness. There was a Samaritan woman who had five husbands in the past, and was living with another man. Jesus wanted to give her a spring of water welling up to eternal life. She wanted the blessing so much, but on the other hand, she was afraid that Jesus might know her past and think her unclean. As if he was seeing her inside, Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” Then she replied hastily, “I have no husband.” To her denial, Jesus said, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” Jesus shared what he knew about her past. It was her shame that she wanted to hide. Jesus covered her shameful truth immediately by saying, “You are right,” and “What you have just said is quite true.” Now she knew Jesus knew everything. And she knew Jesus was still loving her and blessing her. Now there was nothing for her to hide from the Lord. Only Jesus’ grace and truth filled her heart. She had never experienced such joy and freedom before. Only Jesus, full of grace and truth, can give us that joy and freedom.

 

I pray that our study of John’s Gospel may be the coming, dwelling, and filling of Jesus, the Word of God. Like the verse of Hymn “Blessed Assurance,” I pray that we may be “filled with his goodness,” and “lost in his love.”