01-01B

It's not so bad to have some mysteries... How could God have always existed? How can He be three persons and one God? These things are mysterious.

John 1:2 He was in the beginning with God.

The Word is personalized by calling Him "He".

John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and without Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.

It is pointed out that the Word is God's creative agent.

Was Jesus a created being?

Not one thing that can be described as created was created without Him. It's emphatically stated two different ways. (He made everything, nothing was made that He didn't make). The Word was clearly not a created being.

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Psa 119:130 The entrance of Your Words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

God's word associated with light, which, in turn, is associated with understanding.

Jesus’ life was the light of men. Not just the events of his life, but also the quality and character of his life. Jesus' life is enlightening. Moreover, just as Jesus is alive, so too is God's word living.

Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of Life,

1Pe 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the living Word of God, and abiding forever.

Heb 4:12 For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

John 6:63 It is the Spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life.

John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life.

John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

The darkness didn't overcome the light. The darkness resisted, but did not over come the light.

In the book of Acts, we see repeatedly great persecution against the Word, and great prosperity of the Word. The light was always opposed by the darkness, but the darkness never overcame it. Christ's resurrection proved, that death couldn't overcome life, and darkness couldn't overcome light.

The introduction of light always causes the darkness to gives place.

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God; his name was John.

John 1:7 This one came as a witness, to bear witness concerning the Light, so that all might believe through him.

John 1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

These verses are a parenthetical. Notice how naturally v9 follows v5. Theses verses are a disclaimer to make sure that no one thinks John the Baptist was not the light. v15 does the same thing. Both interrupt the flow of thought to make sure that John is not confused with the Word. Apparently John (The writer of this gospel) had concerns that his audience might mistakenly thing that he was identifying the Word with John the Baptist. So he goes to pains to make sure they do not. Generally speaking, parenthesis are introduced by the author to clarify something that could perhaps go unsaid, but that the author feels compelled to include to avoid misunderstanding. Perhaps John, (the writer), knew that some in his audience were prone to giving John the Baptist too much status.

Act 19:1 And it happened in the time Apollos was at Corinth, Paul was passing through the higher parts to Ephesus. And finding certain disciples,

Act 19:2 he said to them, Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? And they said to him, We did not so much as hear whether the Holy Spirit is.

Act 19:3 And he said to them, Then to what were you baptized? And they said, To John's baptism.

Act 19:4 And Paul said, John truly baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe into Him coming after him, that is, into Jesus Christ.

Act 19:5 And hearing, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Act 19:6 And as Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

Act 19:7 And all of the men were about twelve.

Act 19:8 And going into the synagogue, he spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

These "certain disciples" knew more about John the Baptist than about Jesus. This was in the same city, Ephesus, that the Gospel of John was written in and to. It may be that in Ephesus there was a huge John the Baptist movement.

This is perhaps the best explanation for the two parentheticals in the prologue.

John 1:9 He was the true Light; He enlightens every man coming into the world.

It is a common question to ask, "What is the fate of those who have never heard of Jesus?" This is a reasonable question that deserves a reasonable answer.

Not everyone who is born knows about Jesus, so how can it be true that He enlightens every man that comes into the world?

It can probably be said that all men who come into the world are exposed to some light, and that they are not completely devoid of some sense of right and wrong... some understanding of good and evil.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

Rom 1:19 because the thing which may be known of God is clearly revealed within them, for God revealed it to them.

Rom 1:20 For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being realized by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse.

Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the expanse proclaims His handiwork.

Psa 19:2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

Psa 19:3 There is no speech nor are there words; their voice is not heard.

Psa 19:4 Their line has gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

Nature seems to cry out God's wisdom.

There are some ugly things in nature. This was Darwin's argument.

But that's not looking at the whole picture. We see some beauty in the earth. Color. The joys of eating, sex,...etc. There are many things in the creation that reveal God's goodness. And we have strong reason to believe that the evils and cruelties of the world were introduced at the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.

Further, to use the reasoning of CSL, we could hardly recognize what we're calling the "evils" of this world, (e.g. Wasps who lay their eggs in the body of a living spider so that their lava may feed on the living body of it which they hatch, or, lions that violently feed on hapless gazelles, etc.) We could not look upon such things as evil, if we didn't have some innate concept of what is good. We cannot say things ought not to be thus, if we didn't have some underlying assumption of "ought ness". Where did this universal instinct for goodness come from. It's prim evil... prior to evil. Good is more fundamental than evil itself.

These thoughts are available to any thinking person, regardless of whether they've been exposed to knowledge about the specifics of Jesus. No one is totally without light.

Jesus is that light.

Rom 2:14 For when the nations, who do not have the Law, do by nature the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law unto themselves;

Rom 2:15 who show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and the thoughts between one another accusing or even excusing one another,

Whatever form the light reaches man, it comes from Jesus. If it's through nature, or rather, the nature that Jesus created by speaking his Word, then all enlightenment comes through Jesus, and no man is completely devoid of all enlightenment.

John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.

John 3:18 He who believes on Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil.

John 3:20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

John 3:21 But he who practices truth comes to the Light so that his works may be revealed, that they exist, having been worked in God.

This is why some are condemned. It is those who see light and hate it. The light is never flattering to the sinner. Those living in darkness pick up some dirt and never know it. When the light comes it shows how dirty we are. Those who love truth, even unflattering truth, have a certain response to light. Those who hate truth hate the light.

Christ distinguishes between those who live truth, and those who hate truth, who love light, and who avoid light.

The suggestion is in v.5, then, is that every one is exposed to some form of light.

v.9 Identifies all light with Jesus. Even the light of nature.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and the world did not know Him.

John 1:11 He came to His own, and His own received Him not.

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, He gave to them authority to become the children of God, to those who believe on His name,

John 1:13 who were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God.

Everything said here, could apply to Jesus’ earthly life. But it's possible John means this some other way. Jesus’ birth isn't introduced until v14. These verses could be speaking of the world prior to the Word's incarnation as Christ.

v11 is mentions His own twice. The first "own" is neuter, second "own" is masculine. Most scholars seem to think that this indicates He came to his own place, but his own people didn't believe him.

v10 The world rejected him, v11a, his place rejected him, v11b his people rejected him, and then, in v14, the Word became flesh.

v12 There were some who received him. We usually apply this to the present, but it also could apply to the time prior to the Word's incarnation as Jesus. Some received him and were accepted. We can think of the heroes of the OT as such.

v13 Can be problematic. It seems to be talking about the previous verses, and yet seems to be using language that can only be applied to the New Testament church. Some few scholars believe that v13 can be translated in a way that suggests that it is talking about Jesus Himself. If so, then v13 could be introducing the concept of Jesus virgin birth.