The Gospel of John is a narrative. It is a narrative telling the story of Jesus’ sojourn to earth, His death, His sojourn back to His Father and the significance of all of those things. We call it the gospel. It is the good news. It is good news for so many different reasons. Many of which are alluded to in the first chapter of John’s gospel.
This narrative has a prologue, chapter 1:1-18. And this prologue sets the scene for what is about to happen in the rest of the story. It is an introduction to the main character(s) of the story, namely God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. What do we see about these main characters?
As I’ve mentioned previously, we start at the “beginning.” And in the beginning was “the Word.” He was in the beginning with God, He is God and He is the means by which all things came into existence. It says that “apart from Him nothing that came into being that has come into being.” That all seems pretty clear. It further describes the Word as having “life” in Himself. And that this life was the “light of men.” That also makes sense because it just stated that all things came into being through Him. Therefore to say that “in Him was life” is simply to reiterate that He is the source of all life, as He has created all things.
But then we come upon a very curious statement. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it” (NASB). The untrained mind might seek to gloss over such a statement. But as students of the scripture we must pause to consider this. How are we now to understand this “darkness?” Where did it come from? Why is it here? What sort of power is this darkness? And what effect does it have on the creation which the Word has just created? We know that the life which the Word gives is “light” to men. What difference does this darkness make for them? Of course we can rejoice, because ultimately this darkness cannot “comprehend/overpower” it. However as we read on, we see that this darkness has done a great deal of damage to the world of men.
It says that He, the Word, is the “true light” and that He “enlightens every man.” However when He came into the world, the world “did not know Him.” It goes on to say that He, the Word, “came to His own [but] His own did not know Him.” What manner of darkness is this? For, it has blinded those created by the Word. It has kept them from recognizing His light when He came to earth to sojourn among them. This darkness has distorted their vision so as to preclude their understanding of being in the presence of their maker and source of life. We are not told, in this passage, when or how this darkness was introduced. We are merely told that it is. And that it is, clearly presents a problem for the creation, which it cannot overcome.
But again, there is hope. For the darkness, though it has temporarily blinded the eye of His creation, has not overpowered the force of the light of the Word. His light is far too great, for it has existed from all eternity. His light is that of the Almighty Creator God. Thus it must prevail. It cannot not prevail. He has authority and power to grant life, and the life which He grants is as eternal as He. This life, the text says is adoption into the family of God. “As many as received Him [the Word] to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name…for of His fullness we have received grace upon grace.”
“Holy, Holy, Holy, though the darkness hideth thee,
though the eye of sinful man, thy glory may not see
Only though art holy, there is none beside thee
Perfect in pow’r, in love and purity”
“Long lay the world, in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth,
A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn”
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged, he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment that the light is come into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:16-21
“Jesus spoke to them saying ‘I am the light of the world, he who follows me shall not walk in the darkness but shall have the light of life.‘” John 8:12
“Jesus therefore said to them, ‘for a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that the darkness may not overtake you, he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light…I have come as light into the world that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them I do not judge him for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has one who judges him, the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on my own initiative but the Father Himself who sent me has given me commandment what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life, therefore the things that I speak I speak just as the Father has told me.’” John 12:35-50
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