One of the reasons I’ve been so MIA in writing lately is because I finished up a two week intense class on the Gospel of John. One of the project was to complete a journal of the book, with 1 paragraph per chapter. I thought I would post those 200 word entries over the course of the next several weeks. I hope the few sentences both encourage you in your life with the Messiah and spur you to read this amazing Gospel.
CHAPTER 1
At the beginning of his gospel, John firmly plants his witness within the larger Jewish story by deliberately using “in the beginning…” and also using the Greek word LOGOS. Rather than being a contetualizatin technique for the Hellenistic culture, it is a depictin of the Word of God and used to link Jesus to both being WITH God AND God. Its was emphasized right in verse 1 that Jesus was God, not simply divine, of which he could have used THEOIS to indicate divine. Rather, he stretches the boundaries os 1st century Jewish monothesism to declare Jesus with God and God. And in continuing to emphasize and equate God with the Word, he declares himself as Creator; all things have their Being, all things are made in Him. This again emphasizes the transcendence of the Word/Jesus
What’s more: Jesus is the source of Life itself. “In him was light” is a universally religious equation with Life. Light = Life. This again is in keeping with the Jewish Story which saw the Messiah as the Light entering the darkness. And it is in this “Light of Men” that John testifies so all men may believe/trust in Jesus.
