Introduction to John - Part 2
Unlike Jewish culture, the Greek world was not obsessed with theology. Greek culture was obsessed with philosophy. While Matthew’s Gospel spoke to an audience that traced its roots back to Abraham as father, John’s account was written to reach an audience that traced its roots back to a man named Heraclitus, the father of Greek philosophy. Here is how John’s account would bridge this great cultural divide.
John, carried along by the Holy Spirit, wrote his biography of Jesus in the Greek language and began with a concept that was at the heart of Jewish theology and Greek philosophy, ”In the beginning was the Word! “ To the Hebrews, the Word of God was the presence and action of God breaking into human history with unparalleled power and authority. Their sacred Scriptures declared that creation had its origins in the Word of God, ”and God SAID, let there be light… and it was so.” They understood that the Word of God was never given without accomplishing its purpose (Isa. 55:11). For the Hebrew, God’s speech and action were one and the same. They believed that their sacred Scriptures were indeed the very Word of God. In the New International Commentary on the New Testament on the Gospel of John, Leon Morris gives insight into the Jewish concept of “the Word” from the Jewish Targums (Old Testament paraphrases) where Jews substituted “God” for “the Word of God” out of reverence for his name. For example, where the Bible says, “Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God” (Ex. 19:17), the Targum reads “. . . to meet the Word of God.” So the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had a very clear and a very high view of THE WORD.
The father of Greek philosophy, Heraclitus (540–480 B.C.), taught that the creation of the world, the ordering of all life, and the immortality of the human soul were all made possible solely by what he called the word (or logos) , the invisible and intelligent force behind all that was seen in this world. He went so far as to say that truth and wisdom, the great aim of Greek existence, could only be found not in a knowledge of many things, but instead a deep and clear awareness of one thing, the word, or logos.
John begins his account of the life of Jesus with a declaration that both Hebrews and Greeks would have agreed with that before the creation of the world and time, the Word existed eternally.
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This pedagogical approach is so widely adopted and so resistant to criticism, re-examination and re-evaluation that it is now proving to be not merely a major blockage to progress, but may in fact be sowing the seeds of humankind's ultimate destructibility. Sadly, our world today is being held ransom by a parasitic anthropocentricism which in it's blindness and ruthlessness can no longer befriend either the alienation of exile nor the deep universal desire to come home to ourselves in peace and harmony.
Religion like this, if it can be truly called religion, is disintegrating because it has served it's purpose. It's day is spent; it has become redundant. Seeking to preserve itself it serves no purpose other than the calcification of realities that were never intended to last in the first place. In fact the attempt at preservation is the greatest contradiction possible, guaranteeing the eventual annihilation of that which it seeks to preserve.
observer - so are you a fan of Rob Bell or some other modern "theologist"? Teaching like this is true to the original intent and truth of scripture. When you depart from it, you depart from God's revelation, and end up with no anchor. It explains why you believe anything that tickles your ears. In doing so, you are a fulfillment of prophecy and embody the very errors Jesus addressed in His letters to the seven churches, through John, in the Book of Revelation.
I believe I've hit the nail on the head. Thank you, Lant.
Lant, thanks for these posts.
Observer, I just had a thought: You say this approach is, "a major blockage to progress." But isn't Christ the one who is building His church? He is the one ultimately in charge of the progress of His Church. And as a human, I don't think Lant is seeking to preserve anything except to talk about the cultural context to the Gospel of John. What he outlines above is now pretty common knowledge from a historical perpsective. So I wouldn't see it as a threat to anything or anything to get too worked up about.
Lant: Its been about 35 years since I read the opening of the Gospel of John. Your essay makes me want to read it again.
The above statements were not mine. Apparently it was the "Mystery Theologian" :-)
Actually - Truth...closeness to God, is revealed, one person at a time. This is why, I believe Paul made so many references to it. There are layers, upon layers of meaning to scripture, and it is so few that ever keep asking the questions. One must climb that seven-story mountain, that ascent to Carmel for which most barely start that journey. There is much more before one reaches the top.
Don't ever be without humility, because with Grace and much effort, eventully, one will see Heaven. It is so easy to be fooled along the way, for we are still yet in darkness. The light is dim, but necessary for our journey and it gets brighter as we walk towards our home. What Graces we receive along the way, we know from Whom they come, for it is not by our own effort, that we are saved...
- Pax Vobiscum
Ah ha, the mystery commentator strikes again. I need to call him a "dingleberry" right now because they removed that ad before I had a chance to commnent on his use of that term.
"for it is not by our own effort, that we are saved..." I can agree with this part. ;-)
Did someone say dingleberry?
Come on, own up to it in humility.
Now back to the topic at hand...
Ok, ok... I used the "D-word" in reagrds to the ad for "Nutties House of Nuts", or whatever it was. It wont happen again.
Lant, Do you go to Metro?
sorry for my leave of absence and thanks for your input, Gail, the real observer and gulliver. Patrick, yes. The solid teaching my wife, my daughters, and I have received under Richard has truly been a blessing.
Obsever - I understand Birch hit a nail on the head. He may require your assistance in removing it from his foot. :)
So let us continue. The Gospel of John has been called “a pool in which a child may wade and an elephant may swim.”
It is a story that is simply about God. The glory of His character, His life and His nature, and his desire to share that life with fallen man. It is about God come among us, and the mixed response He received to His offer of divine life.
Unlike Matthew and Luke, John does not ease us into the life of Jesus with genealogies and the accounts of childhood. John starts plunges us into the heart of the revelation by, starting with "In the beginning". Interestingly, Luke dates his narrative by Roman emperors and Jewish high-priests; John dates his in the beginning. Luke begins with Judah, Nazareth and Bethlehem. John’s Gospel begins with Heaven. But it doesn’t stay there; it brings heaven to earth. John goes all the way back to a period of timelessness. Before there was time, back in eternity, before there was anything. He tells us WHAT was there BEFORE creation, BEFORE time. . . I"n the beginning was the Word". So first of all, John explains to us that THE WORD is ETERNAL in nature.
“‘In the beginning’ (Greek, en archei) refers to a point in eternity past beyond which it is impossible for us to go. Moreover, the verb was (‘in the beginning was the Word’) is an imperfect tense in the Greek, indicating continued existence”
1….and the Word was with God,
Writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John carefully constructs this verse to expound on the nature of the LOGOS. He tells us that THE WORD / LOGOS is not only ETERNAL, but from eternity past the LOGOS has been WITH God.
By way of this Greek preposition, PROS (with), John attributes two more essentials attributes of THE WORD.
1. The Greek preposition pros implies two distinct persons. To be with God means that the Word is distinct from God. In other words, THE WORD is not the Father and the Father is not THE WORD. Therefore, while the Father and the Logos are not the same, they do belong together as one.
2. The word pros is used to indicate not just proximity, but intimacy and relationship! At this point, John would have the Jews with him, and he would have had the Greeks with him. The Jew would’ve said, “Yes, the Word of God is with God before creation, and it was through his Word that He created. We believe that.” The Greeks would have believed that same thing, that the word existed before creation. They would’ve understood that as well.
In his next breath John is going to blow both groups away. The WORD is not only pre-existent/eternal, WITH God …
John declares that "the Word was God." With in a single verse John blows the minds of both the Jews and Greeks by declaring that THE LOGOS is divine. We have in one verse the nature of THE WORD and the relationship of THE WORD to God. THE WORD is eternal (In the beginning), THE WORD is with God in intimate relation with God, belongs in the company with God, yet is distinct from God.
THE WORD is plainly called God (the Word was God).
The doctrine of the Trinity declares that there is ONE God, who eternally exists in three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each fully and equally God.
Now that John has blown up every pre-existing concept of THE WORD that the Jews and Greeks have held, he gives further clarity to THE WORD. v. 2 "He was in the beginning with God." With the word “he”, John now ascribes PERSONALITY to THE WORD. John says that THE WORD is not just some objective, neutral, detached thing like the Hebrews understood. Neither is THE WORD some unexplainable force as the Greeks understood. He says that THE WORD IS A PERSON. John calls the LOGOS, HE! Before anything was made, HE was there with the Father, and THE WORD is the Creator of all things. v. 3 "All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." John then explains that the word is not merely the invisible force of the Greeks, or the agent of God’s action for the Hebrews, but a person through whom all things were created.
I should clarify... the earlier comment wasn't me. It was a friend. I wouldn't waste my time o this sort of pedantic gassbaggery.
Oops... except the "dingleberry" comments. Those were indeed mine. :)
Birch: I am sorry you think the above about the Word is pedantic. And gassbaggery? You just keep outdoing yourself with fun words I haven't heard in a while.
Lant, I am enjoying it all and perhaps the ones who find it dry and boring can go walk their dog. ;-)
Col. 1:16-17 "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
The evolutionist says that we come from nowhere, exist for nothing and when we die we go nowhere, and from that we are to find a meaningful and purposeful life! If you came from nowhere and you are going nowhere, you are here for no reason, and life is short and nasty, where is the hope? What is the point?
Here John answers the cry of every man’s heart, where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? John says that we have come from Jesus, we are here for Jesus, and by His grace we are headed to a forever with Jesus. It really is ALL ABOUT JESUS!
THE WORD, Jesus, is the Source of Life and Light. v. 4, "In him was life. . ." Not only is THE WORD the creator, He is the source of life.
In HIM is life! Life is NOT in religion of philosophy or in anyone or anywhere else apart from Jesus. The night before He died Jesus would say, “I am the way, the truth and the LIFE! (John 14:6). THE WORD of God is life.
v. 4…."and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness . . . " THE WORD is light, as opposed to the darkness in which we find ourselves. He shines into our darkness!
All of that is summarized in John’s thinking on the word. ETERNAL . WITH God. IS GOD, the CREATOR of the heavens and the earth.
The AUTHOR and SOURCE of LIFE and LIGHT. It isn’t that the Word “contains” life and light; He is life and light. Therefore, without Jesus, we are dead and in darkness. We are lost. It is significant to note that man has an inborn fear towards both death and darkness. Jesus, THE WORD, is the answer to man’s greatest fears!
Then he says that there was reaction to THE WORD as it came into the world. That the world didn’t just see THE WORD of God and then ignore Him or haphazardly walk away from Him. There was active resistance to Him and the LIGHT that He is and that He brought.
and the darkness has not overcome it. (KJV — and the darkness comprehended it not).
There’s a word play there in the Greek text. The word is katalambano = lay hold of so as to make one’s own; to seize upon, take possession of as in evil overtaking someone or thing; to lay hold of with the mind; to understand, perceive, learn, comprehend. Does John mean that the light has not been understood by the darkness, or that the light has not been overcome by the darkness? The Answer is YES! The world is filled with darkness; sin, death, separation from God, hatred, violence, jealousy, selfishness, greed, pride, lust! Moral and spiritual darkness that is rotting out the fabric of humanity.
THE WORD, who IS God and IS light, shines His light into the darkness of the world (which we are a part of). The darkness doesn’t understand that light, can’t comprehend it. As a result, it becomes fearful of it and wars against it, seeking to do away with it. But THE WORD is stronger than the darkness and the darkness is unable to overcome the light.
Mark Driscoll gives a great illustration of this: "It’s almost as if you are out in the middle of the night and there’s just absolute and total pitch darkness and you can’t see a thing, and then all of a sudden, from overhead, an enormous light just shines right on top of you. You are exposed, you’re found. The question is – is that a blessing or is that a curse? It depends. Are you lost, or are you a criminal? If you’re lost, you're joyous! You’ve been found. If you’re a criminal, you’re terrified because you’ve been found.
Those are the reactions that the world has to Jesus. As we walk around, lost, stumbling in darkness, God shines His light upon us. Some of us respond like criminals caught in the act! We run and hide. We scurry out of the light. But others respond like a person who knows they are lost in the darkness, want to be found and are overjoyed because they’ve have been discovered.
So, John says that the darkness doesn’t understand the light, so it runs away from it. It tries to over come it, but it can’t because the light is stronger than the darkness.
v. 10 "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him." The God who spoke creation into existence came as part of His creation. Amazing humility, God who is eternal, comes in time. God who is spirit, takes on human flesh. God humbles himself and comes into the darkness. And, when He comes, the world that was MADE by Him looked at him and said, “We don’t know you!”
Think of that. Of course the world didn’t recognize him. If he knocked… "hello, I am the sovereign God of the universe." You’re like, “no… no, you’re not.” I don’t know what God is like, but I know when He comes, He’s going to be more impressive than that. But that is not what the Bible says.
Isaiah 53:2 reads, "He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him."
Jesus comes from a backwater, hick town like Smartsville or maybe Marysville! He is born to a teenage girl, who claims to be a virgin. He is raised in a blue collar family and works with his hands. From the age of 30 until He died He is homeless and unemployed. To the ears of the sophisticated citizen of Jerusalem He has a major, kind of mountain drawl.
v. 11 "He came to his own (that is the Jewish people) And His own people did not receive him." John is speaking of the descendants of Abraham, who have been waiting for a Messiah for all these years, who have all of the prophecies concerning His coming. They know what God says. They’re waiting, they’re anticipating. Jesus comes and they say, “that can’t be the guy.” The Jews did not receive Him because they struggled with preconceptions of what the Messiah would do.
v. 12 "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." This is a spiritual birth, being born again. We are born physically but we need to be born again spiritually. We are born physically alive, but spiritually dead. To be born again is having a new heart, new life, new passions.
THEN JOHN COMES TO THE HEART of the Prologue. To the CRUX of the book! The word, the great concept of the totality of Greek thinking, the totality of Hebrew thinking, John says something amazing about that WORD. V. 14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." THE INCARNATION! This Logos, eternal, creator, eternally in face-to-face relationship with the Father, who was Himself from eternity Divine, became a human being. He took upon himself flesh and dwelt among us Literally, PITCHED HIS TENT ( TABERNACLED) among us.
Amazingly, we find in THE BOOK OF EXODUS that God wanted a tent, and that He wanted to PITCH His tent right in the midst of His people, in the midst of their everyday life. When the Tabernacle, God’s tent is constructed, God’s glory descends upon the tabernacle and God’s glory is present among God’s people, dwelling, and living in a tent. That is what John says happened in the person of JESUS, THE WORD.
The God of Glory comes down and dwells among us. God throws his lot with ours and walks around on the dust of the earth with his creation. Only now, God’s tent is a body of human flesh.
WHEN JESUS, THE WORD, shows up this is what John says they saw
14….and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
They saw TWO beautiful things; grace and truth. Jesus comes to bring us the truth, the truth about God, the truth about us, the truth about everything. He also brings us God’s grace. God became man in order to bring to us everything that we could NEVER earn, everything we DON’T DESERVE. THAT is grace!
The eternal Word, who was WITH God and who IS God came to live in a tent of flesh in order to speak TRUTH into our lives. He came to unflinchingly, even sternly, speak truth into the darkness of our world, into the darkness of our own soul. He confronts our pride, our sin, our self-sufficiency.
He is completely truthful.
The eternal Word, who was WITH God and who IS God came to us overflowing with grace. The infinite loving kindness, mercy, compassion and affection of God demonstrated in action. So, Jesus comes bearing gifts of grace and truth, directly from the Father.
v.16 "And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." God took on flesh, became INCARNATE to give grace upon grace
blessing upon blessing, grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy, love upon love, affection upon affection. For 22 years of my life (Richard's - it took me 31 years) I lived apart from Jesus — in darkness. And living there I NEVER saw or understood God’s grace — God’s loving kindness. That does not mean that it is wasn’t there — I just means didn’t have eyes to see it.
v.17 "For the law was given through Moses . . " We read in the New Testament (James 2:10) that if you transgress any little portion of law, you’ve blown the whole thing. The problem with the law, it comes as one package deal. It’s all or nothing, perfect or imperfect. God doesn’t grade on a curve. We have failed to keep His Law , we have sinned, and we have fallen short. That sin has created an infinite and absolute distance between us and God. There is NO WAY for us to make ourselves RIGHT before Him. For us to be saved will require God doing for us something that we do not deserve and could not earn! What we need is GRACE!
v.17 "….grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." The GRACE that we NEED comes through Jesus. Don’t you love that? Every point you fall short, Jesus gives grace. At every point you fall short He also gives truth. He tells you that you have fallen short of the law, and then He forgives you. BY GOD’S GRACE you can become a new person. Ultimately, you will begin to change. BY GOD’S GRACE you will begin to obey the law. Not to earn salvation, but because it’s been given to you as a gift.
When Jesus died on the cross, God placed your sin, my sin upon Him. God the Father, knew our sins past, present and future and placed ALL of them on Jesus. He was punished in our place. We deserve the full, holy, hot, angry justice of God. But God, in a human body, human flesh, endured it in our place. Then He gave to us the truth of the Gospel that says, You’re not good, but you’re loved.
He gives grace, grace upon grace, an unending well of this kind, loving, merciful affection that is wrapped up in JESUS, THE WORD.
v.18 "No one has ever seen God . . . " No one has ever seen God, that’s the point of His coming. Apart from Jesus, all we have is philosophical and religious speculation! ".the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known." In Jesus, we have the revelation of God in Christ.
People say, “IF I COULD ONLY SEE GOD!” YOU CAN! John tells us that this revelation of God to man was accomplished in the incarnation, in the birth of Jesus. Jesus reveals the heart of the Father. What is the Father like? Look at Jesus. What is God like? Look at Jesus.
Doesn't your Mormon scripture affirm that Joseph Smith not only saw, but even chatted with God the Father, Creator of the Universe, and his first son, Jehovah Jesus Christ, and that God revealed to Joseph Smith that Christian scripture was wrong?
As a Mormon, why are you always parroting Christian scripture?
skeptic - why do you think I am Mormon? Fact is, I am not.
Here's one for you to chew on. Scripture tells us that Satan can appear as an angel of light. Both Joseph Smith and Mu claimed that the angel, Gabriel, appeared to them and had them start a new religion. Do you believe either one of them, and if so, why?