March 11,2012
Lesson Focus:
The word brings light
and life into the world
Lesson scripture:
John 1:1-14
Introduction:
Last week we focused on divine wisdom at the Creation, especially in the Person of Jesus Christ as the Wisdom of God. This week we see our Lord as God becoming flesh and making Himself known to us in language that makes sense to us. In order to understand John 1:1-14, one must go to verse 14 first. John declares that the "word" is Jesus.The word took on a human body so that man would be able to relate to God,get to know Him,hear His voice see His actions and interact with him throughout life.John wants us to envision the intricate relationship between God and Jesus.
The Word was God
John 1:1-5,KJV
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2The same was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Footnotes:
Our lesson begins with John introducing Jesus Christ. He wrote that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John uses the term “Word” to describe Jesus. It seems best to understand the “Word” to mean the expression of God. Just as we use words to express what we are and think, so Jesus Christ fully expresses the nature of God (see Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesus Christ can be the expression of God for three reasons presented here: John’s further statement that “The same was in the beginning with God” reemphasized what he had just said so that there could be no misunderstanding. The words “The same” refers to Jesus and could also be translated as “this one.” This One who is Deity in the fullest sense was in the beginning with God. This indicates again that Jesus, the “Word” was a separate Person from God the Father. Now John says, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” In other words, Jesus is the Creator. Absolutely nothing that has come into being did so apart from Christ’s creative work. He always existed (see Micah 5:2) but the creation “was made” by Him. Scripture further declares that His power continues to sustain and hold together what He has created (see Colossians 1:17). In this verse John writes, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” The Word not only created all things, but life has resided in Him from all eternity.Just as Christ was always existing, He also was always life.The life residing in Christ, John said was “the light of men.” “Light” has a number of connotations: knowledge, perception of truth, spiritual discernment and moral purity, and maybe all of them apply in this statement. In the context John uses the word “light” to refer to spiritual understanding and moral insight which are qualities that enable people to comprehend God and His teachings. As the light invaded the darkness “the darkness comprehended it not.” The word “comprehend” can be taken in two ways: grasping in order to understand or embrace, or grasping in order to harm. In the context of “comprehended it not,” the second meaning seems better indicating an attempt “to extinguish” the light. The past tense of “comprehended it not” seems to refer to a certain point in time when a concerted effort was made to destroy Christ while He was on earth (see Luke 22:53).
The Word Is The True Light of God
John 1:6-9,KJV
6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world
Footnotes:
When Christ came into the world to reveal His life and light, He sent before Him a witness to prepare the people. This was “John” the Baptist. We are first told that he was “a man.” He was not in any sense a supernatural being nor was he equal to Christ (see John 1:26-27). However, John was “was a man sent from God.” His birth was miraculous and his ministry was unique (see Luke 1:7, 13-17). John the Baptist was neither an Old Testament prophet nor a New Testament apostle. He “came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light.” Therefore he was more privileged than any Old Testament prophet but less privileged than the lowest Christian believer (see Matthew 11:9-11). The intent of John the Baptist’s witness was “that all men through him might believe.” He aimed to lead others to trust the Light. But before he could do this he had to personally believe the revelation God had given him regarding Christ (see John 1:32-33). The same principle applies to present day witnesses of Christ. Those who attempt to lead others to faith in Jesus Christ must themselves be trusting Him for salvation (see II Corinthians 5:17-20).The Apostle John was extremely precise in defining the role of John the Baptist. We are told here that “He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.” In addition, John the Baptist recognized his subordinate role to Jesus and he answered all who asked who he was with humility. He was just a “voice” (see John 1:23) introducing the One who was preferred before him (see John1:27). Christ whom John the Baptist introduced was the “true Light.” The word for “true” means that Jesus was the genuine Light in contrast to counterfeits. The evidence that Christ is the “true Light” is that He gives light “to every man that cometh into the world.” This does not imply that every man will receive the Light (see John 3:19-20), but if anyone is to enjoy spiritual illumination, he can receive it from no other source than Jesus Christ. It is in this sense that Jesus later said, “I am the light of the world” (see John 8:12).
Note:The statement that John was sent to “bear witness of the Light” is interesting. Light in the physical realm needs no witness to its presence because it is self-evident. Similarly, those sensitive to spiritual light need no one to tell them when it is present. But the world of Jesus’ day was so enslaved to darkness that one had to tell them when the true light was present (see II Corinthians 4:3-4).
The Word Became Flesh
John1:10-14,KJV
10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Footnotes:
John now says the Light “was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” When Christ “was in the world” He was living in the place that “was made by him.” Surely, one would expect a respectful welcome, but incredibly “the world knew him not.” Those whom the Word had created didn’t even recognize Him. They stood by and observed Him with no more understanding than that of the animals in the stable where He was born.John said that “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” The first “his own” in this verse is a neuter form, neither masculine nor feminine, and could be translated “his own things” referring to Jesus’ own creation.He identified Himself completely with these people and gave them the first opportunity to acknowledge Him as God’s Son. He fulfilled prophecies that they had long been acquainted with, yet they did not receive Him.Their preconceived ideas about the Messiah caused them to reject Jesus.Those who did receive Jesus, He gave them “power to become the sons of God.” The words “as many” indicate that those who received Him did so as individuals not as a corporate group. These individuals were both Jews and Gentiles. The word translated “power” here means right or authority, not might. In other words those who receive Christ are given the credentials for entering God’s family and becoming “sons of God” or children of God.“to become the sons of God.” Entering God’s family requires a rebirth (see John 3:6-7) because the natural human condition is depraved and satanically dominated (see Ephesians 2:1-3). Those who receive Christ are “them that believe on his name.” This means to have a complete trust in all that Christ is and has done. Spiritual life is impossible unless one has a personal relationship with Christ though faith in His coming, life, death, resurrection and ultimate return.Referring to the new birth for those who trust Christ, John says, that they “were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Their new birth is unlike any human birth. It is “not of blood” as in the human blood lines or nationality. Neither is the new birth “of the will of the flesh.” This refers to a birth as a result of sexual desire. Neither is the new birth “of the will of man” as when a man desires have offsprings to carry on his name. Instead, John says this new birth is “of God.” It is spiritual and supernatural. Without giving up His deity, Jesus took on a human body and nature “and dwelt among us.” The word “dwelt” means “to tabernacle.” It recalls the figure of the tent that God used to dwell in among the Israelites (see II Samuel 7:6). The word “us” refers to John and those who lived on earth during John’s generation. John continued to say that while Christ lived among them, “we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Just as God displayed His glory above and within the tabernacle in early Israel, so also the glory of Christ appeared to those who walked with Him while He was on earth. John identified those who saw His glory as “we.” This included John and others who saw Christ’s glory.The glory they saw was what one would expect from “the only begotten of the Father” or the only Son of God. Finally, John said the Eternal Word, the Logos, was “full of grace and truth.” We stand in need today, as the disciples did in their day, of the “grace and truth” that only Jesus Christ provides because He is God, the Word, and the Redeemer.
Conclusion. Jesus came to reveal more than God’s tender love. He came to unveil God’s Person as fully as man is able to understand. Since the human mind is limited, God chose to become Man, a Being the human mind can relate to. In the perfect Man Jesus, we come to know God as fully as our limitations will allow. Yes, Jesus Christ is the Word that reveals and expresses who God is and what He is like.
Conclusion. Jesus came to reveal more than God’s tender love. He came to unveil God’s Person as fully as man is able to understand. Since the human mind is limited, God chose to become Man, a Being the human mind can relate to. In the perfect Man Jesus, we come to know God as fully as our limitations will allow. Yes, Jesus Christ is the Word that reveals and expresses who God is and what He is like.
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