John 1–2 Jesus–The Incarnate Word

IN THESE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS OF THE GOSPEL, Jesus is first introduced from a spiritual point of view, then as the Christ to whom John the Baptist points, and finally from the perspective of the first disciples. John also reports Jesus' first miracle and his clash with the money-changers and merchants in the temple. Most importantly, John introduces words that he later develops as primary themes through the rest of the book. Read through both chapters i and 2 at one sitting to understand the scope of John's introduction.

Find the Facts

Whom does John believe Jesus to be? When did Jesus Christ the Lord come into being? What is the role of John the Baptist? Who are the first two disciples identified in this gospel? What need did Jesus meet in his first miracle? Why was Jesus angry at the merchants in the temple?

Consider:

I. Unlike Matthew, Mark and Luke, John begins his account with a beautiful and moving hymn to Jesus' glory. Choose three or four words that John uses in 1:1-18 that describe the essence of Jesus.

John 1:1-3

Verses I-I8 of chapter 1 are often called John's prologue, for they preface the body of his gospel as a doxology, revealing both Jesus' divine source and his human origin and placing him in a timeless perspective. Rather than starting with Jesus' birth, John returns to Genesis. "In the beginning ..." reads GENESIS I:I, and that is where John places Jesus. This gospel, then, becomes a new creation story, the account of a new beginning in God's relationship with humanity.

John calls Jesus the "Word." The term word in Greek thought meant the controlling and organizing force in the world, the higher mind that held everything together. In Jewish thought, word represented the creative power of God. In the creation story (GEN. I), everything came into being through God's word. God speaking is synonymous with God acting creatively. Each of the six creation days begins with the phrase, "and God said ..."

John's choice of the word logos perfectly combines Greek and Hebrew thought and introduces Jesus to both cultures as the fullest expression of the depths of God.

Consider:

2. In your own words express what you think is John's main point in 1:1-3.

3. What does John's claim about Jesus in 1:1-3 add to your understanding of Jesus? What does it clarify? What questions does it raise?

John 1:4-5

Light and life are key words in John's gospel. He uses them together here in verse 4 and many times more throughout the gospel. This life is different from the period of human existence we call a "life span." Rather, the life in Jesus has about it the essence of "Godness." He does not just have life, he is life. The eternal life that characterizes God's existence also characterizes the Word.

Jesus is a light to humankind. Powers loose in the world try to hide the life of God in the same way that darkness makes objects difficult to see. Jesus is light because his life and ministry illuminate the life of God so that we may perceive and receive that life.

In speaking of light, John again links Jesus with the creation story. When the earth was "a formless void" (GEN. 1:2), there was only darkness, chaos and disorder. God's first creative act was to bring light.

"Then God said, 'Let there be light'" (GEN. 1:3). In the same way, the light of Jesus drives away the chaos of spiritual darkness.

In John's day, light and darkness were not considered simply neutral qualities. Darkness was not just the absence of light; it was a force that was actively hostile to the light of God.

Consider:

4. What kinds of darkness in the world try to overcome the life of God today? In what circumstances have you observed that darkness is unable to overcome the life of God?

5. In what sense do you experience the life of God as light? What kinds of darkness are hostile to the life of God in you?

John 1:6-8

John the Baptist has a critical role in preparing the people to receive Jesus' message. It is he who serves as the link between the Old Testament prophecies and the new kingdom that dawned with Jesus. John, the writer, takes great pains to put to rest any idea that John the Baptist is himself Christ. Rather, he prepares the way for Jesus.

Besides his role of preparer, John the Baptist serves as a "witness to testify to the light." Throughout the Gospel of John, witnesses come forth to testify concerning Jesus. John the Baptist is called as the first witness and later in this chapter (1:19-28) he is even "interrogated."

As a witness, John the Baptist points to Jesus—to his identity, to his message and to his mission (1:29-37). In the line of the Old Testament prophets before him, John the Baptist calls men and women to repentance, which prepares the way for belief.

Consider:

6. In what ways is the ministry of John the Baptist a witness and a model for Christians today? How can you help to prepare the way for Jesus in someone else's life? Who would you call the preparer in your life?

John 1:9-18

When John says of Jesus that "the world did not know him," he explains a purpose for writing. Though the creating force of the universe resides in Jesus, people fail to recognize him. To miss meeting Jesus is tragic, so John writes to give people the evidence they need to see Jesus. Though Jesus' exhortation to be "born from above" comes later (3:3), John introduces this thought here. By receiving Jesus, we experience God's power (1:12), enabling us to inherit a position of privilege as God's children.

"And the Word became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth." John summarizes the Christmas story in this one sentence. The birth narratives from Matthew and Luke are useful in telling us what happened on the first Christmas, but John tells us what that day means. Like Matthew, John understands the incarnation as the presence of God among humanity (MT. 1:23), surpassing every other experience in the history of God's chosen people. In Jesus, God is with us more fully than ever before (EX. 40:34-38). The glory of the Lord manifests itself clearly in Jesus, explicitly in the transfiguration (which John possibly alludes to in 1:14) and implicitly in his ministry (2:11).

Grace and truth, two weighty words in John's gospel, perfectly describe this incarnate Word. Grace...