John 1:1-9

The Word Became Flesh

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 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.


6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.



Dig Deeper

It seems like everywhere we turn these days, we see the idea of "karma" being put forth. Karma certainly has it's roots in Eastern religions, but it has moved well beyond that these days, with everyone seemingly giving their own spin to what the concept of karma is or what it means. If we were to boil it down to it's most simplistic and most universal roots, karma means something along the lines of a state of equilibrium that is present in the universe ensuring that justice will be done in the long run (kind of a what comes around goes around mentality). This concept has so deeply infiltrated our culture that there is even a television show named "My Name is Earl" (admittedly I have never seen the show but I have seen commercials and have read about it), whose entire premise has to do with a previously shady character going about trying to set things right from his past so that he can achieve good karma.

Most of us have a basic understanding of what karma is, and those who are truly familiar with the concept know that it is decidedly not Christian or biblical in it's popular understanding. What if I took the idea of karma, however, to preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ? What if I took the underlying idea that there must be something or someone that ensures that divine justice take place in the universe eventually, and applied that to Jesus? What if I made a statement that Jesus Christ was the true karma, and that only within him, in his life, can true karma ever take place? What if I boldly declared that real karma can be found in the living, breathing, person of Jesus Christ alone?

This may sound shocking but this is something of what John has done in the opening passage of his gospel. What is translated as "the Word" throughout his book is actually the Greek word logos. Logos was a well-known and much-discussed topic of religion and philosophy in the Greco-Roman world. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus used the word logos, which can simply mean "word" or "explanation," as a specific term that referred to the ordering principle of the universe. Later, the Stoics taught that logos permeated the universe and gave rationality and an order to all things. Greek philosophers argued that the logos within humans enabled them to move in harmony with the logos of the universe. Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, wrote that "The Logos is designed to distinguish the beneficial from the harmful, and thus also the right and the wrong. . . Man. . . alone has the ability to perceive good and bad and right and wrong [because only man can possess the Logos]." It is into this philosophical discussion that John steps and blows it all up with the controversial assertion that the logos, in a sense was a correct philosophy, but only in as much as people understood that Jesus Christ was the embodiment and the existence of the logos. The logos is not just some abstract principle, but a living breathing human (although he's more than that as well), and John is going to show us exactly who he is. He is the ordering principle of the entire universe and everything in it.

John opens his Gospel with an incredibly, almost poetic introduction that goes beyond Matthew and Luke's birth narratives. John's intention is to show us the place of the Messiah, the true logos, in the eternity of the universe. The whole of John's gospel is every bit as unique as his opening section. If the other three Gospels, known as the synoptics have walked us through the life and times of Jesus' birth, ministry, and death, then John has taken us to the top of the mountain, to a place where you can look down and see everything. In John we can look out at the whole landscape of Christ against the backdrop of eternity and let it take our breath away.

John doesn't give us a birth narrative put describes the living word in eternal terms. This section not only gives the eternal perspective of the word, but it serves as an introduction for many of the theological themes that John will develop throughout his gospel.

Even a casual reader of the Bible will see that as John begins with the phrase, In the beginning, that he intends for us to hear an echo of the opening verse of the book of Genesis. In John's mind what he is about to write is an act of new creation, one that hearkens back to initial formation of the universe. This new creation, however, has everything to do with the Word, whom John will reveal in the next section, is none other than Jesus Christ. The Word, John says, was both with God and was God. How can both of those statements be true? They only can be if we expand our understanding of the world and realize that we can apprehend God without ever fully comprehending Him. The Word is God in His essence, yet He is not synonymous with God; He is distinct because the Word can also be said to be with God. This also makes the point that the Word is eternal and is not created, but fully God in His essence. Right here in the first verse, then, we have two primary themes of John's gospel. The new creation is here in the Word, and the Word became flesh, he became human, but he is God. If, in other words, you want to see God, take a good, long, hard look at the Word.

In verse 3, having already declared the divine essence of the Word, John demonstrates his divinity through his mighty works. Through him all things were made. Again John stresses the eternity of the Word, as without him nothing was made that has been made, while at the same distinguishing the Word from the Father. John doesn't claim that the Word created, that was the role of the Father, only that everything was created through him. Thus, the Father and the Word are intimately connected, but not synonymous. They share the same essence but are not identical.

John continues the creation theme in verses 4-5, while introducing a double meaning, something that John does frequently throughout his Gospel. The Word was the light and life of the original creation, but also of the new creation. In him was life, says John, introducing yet another theme of the Gospel. Those who desire the life and light of the new creation must find that life in the Word. John will go on throughout his gospel of new creation to demonstrate how the Word is the only life. He is the only light of creation and the darkness has not overcome it. The Word challenged and defeated the darkness of the initial creation and now will do the same for the darkness and evil that is found within the fallen creation.

Some people in the generation following Christ still exalted John the Immerser and thought that perhaps he was the Messiah. Maybe they thought, he was the light of the new creation. John, the evangelist, wants to make quite clear that that was not the case. John's role was vital, but he was not the light that overcomes the darkness of chaos. He came as a witness to that light. As he writes his gospel, John desires to make it clear to anyone who might be confused that John the Baptist clearly and consistently pointed away from himself and to the Word as the true light. John the Baptist was important but subordinate. Throughout his gospel John will stress the importance of the Baptist as a witness (1:7, 8, 15, 19, 32, 34; 3:26; 5:33). In the ancient world, the concept of a witness was importance as it established the veracity of an individual. John will show that there are seven (a thematic number that will pop up frequently throughout the gospel) witnesses to the Word: The Father (5:31-32, 34, 37; 8:18; Jesus himself (8:14, 18; cf. 3:11, 32; 8:37), the Spirit (15:26; cf 16:14); the works of Christ (5:36; 10:25; cf. 14:11; 15:24); Scripture (5:39, 45-46); John the Baptist; and various other human witnesses (4:39; 12:17; 15:27; 19:35; 21:24). Testimony substantiated the truth of the matter and John the evangelist is careful to show that Jesus had plenty of it. After all, the matter of the true light that gives light to every man coming into the world, is no small matter. It is an act of new creation that can be appropriately testified to.



Devotional Thought

Could it be said of your life that you serve as a witness to the light of the Word? If people were to examine your life for evidence of the new creation and the light of life that comes from entering into the life of the Word, would they find any? Determine today to live in such a way that you clearly demonstrate the new creation and life that has been made available to the world caught in darkness through the Word.