Episode 21 - Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

John 1:46-51

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

We pick up this story where Phillip has found Nathaniel and proclaims that he and some others have identified the Messiah, and it is Jesus from Nazareth, son of Joseph. A claim like this would naturally evoke responses marked by cynicism or doubt. But, so far, we’ve not seen that. John the Baptist pointed his disciples to Jesus and they quickly came to believe that he was the long-foretold Messiah. Jesus invited Phillip to follow him. Phillip did follow him and soon after is telling Nathaniel “we’ve found the one spoken of by Moses and the prophets.” How can these people so quickly come to this understanding and acceptance of this claim? Now, just when we are expecting this trend to continue, we finally encounter a response of doubt. Nathaniel’s question is based upon his own bias, isn’t it? He says, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Before meeting Jesus, Nathaniel is predisposed to doubt that Jesus could possibly be the Messiah based upon his prejudice against Nazareth.

What is Phillip’s response to Nathaniel’s doubt? He says, “Come and see (horao).” Sound familiar? 

Nathaniel agrees to go investigate this for himself and before he can start interrogating Jesus, Jesus says, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” That’s not only an unusual way to begin a conversation but a bold one. Jesus is claiming to know something about Nathaniel’s personality and even his innermost thoughts and motivations. It leads Nathaniel to the expected response, “How do you know me?” In other words, “How can you possibly know this about me?” I could probably create multiple podcast episodes on Jesus’ response and background information printed in academic commentaries. But, for brevity and focus upon what I think is most important. Jesus reveals that he has an intimate, detailed knowledge of Nathaniel and his whereabouts, actions, and thoughts. Whatever might be said about the significance of the fig tree, the important thing is that it flips the switch in Nathaniel’s mind and understanding. All of his doubt and skepticism is immediately and entirely dispelled. That is evident in his response, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 

Now we have a response to the response. Jesus says, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” Ask yourself what led to Nathaniel’s belief according to Jesus’ statement. It was based upon what Jesus (the Word) said to Nathaniel, wasn’t it? Jesus is highlighting Nathaniel’s belief or faith, based upon what Jesus had said. That, in turn, would enable Nathaniel to “see” greater things.

Now Jesus is going to give him specific detail about what Nathaniel will see. He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” It seems to me that in this promise to Nathaniel, Jesus is making reference to at least two different passages of which Nathaniel would be familiar. First, back in Genesis 28:10-17, Jacob had a dream of angels ascending and descending between earth and heaven. Jacob was the grandson of Abraham to whom God had called and made a covenant with. Jacob, through deceit, inherits the covenant blessing. In the narrative, he is a man who God leads to faith despite his own shortcomings. God later renames him Israel. Nathaniel is a descendent of him. But, according to Jesus, he is a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit. Nathaniel, while revealing his human bias and limitations, hears Jesus’ words and believes in him. Jesus is now telling him that because of this, he will see (and perceive) divinely revealed things consistent with what God had done with Jacob. 

The other passage has to do with the angels ascending and descending upon the “Son of man.” This is likely Jesus referring to Daniel 7:13-14 which says, “I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven

there came one like a son of man,

and he came to the Ancient of Days

and was presented before him.

14 And to him was given dominion

and glory and a kingdom,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him;

his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

which shall not pass away,

and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed.

This is Jesus claiming to be the Son of man and that he is affirming Nathaniel’s assertion that Jesus is “The Son of God and King of Israel.” 

My friends, we are all like Nathaniel in that we have our biases and our doubts. But, throughout the Scriptures, God is calling people to believe what He says. Our eyes can “see” things. But, our biases and the deceit of our human condition us to not perceive and accept the truth of what God wants us to see. We need to learn to listen to Jesus and allow him to help us see what we cannot with just our eyes and our own mind.

Episode 20 - A quick learner

John 1:43   The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Already we’ve seen that John the Baptist has given some of his own disciples information about Jesus and they have followed him and have quickly come to understand and believe that he is the Messiah or, in the Greek, the Christ. One of these men was named Andrew. Andrew then went and tells his brother Simon about Jesus and Jesus gives him the Aramaic name of Cephas, which means “stone.” In Greek, the word would be Petros from which we get Peter.

More on that later.

Breaking these few verses down into the primary sequence of events:

1. Jesus decides to go to Galilee ( We are given no indication of the reason. )

2. Jesus finds a man named Phillip and says, “Follow me!”  The author tells us Phillip is from a town named Bethsaida (House of the Hunt), the same town Andrew and Peter are from. NOTE: I don’t know if there’s any significance to John mentioning this. Bethsaida was situated on the north side of the Sea of Galilee and was a fishing village. Perhaps, the information is to indicate to us that the Messiah was selecting blue-collar workers for his disciples and not those religious experts that went to visit John the Baptist.

3. Whatever the circumstances were, Phillip wastes no time in following Jesus and immediately goes to tell Nathaniel, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

What we see here is the same kind of rapid and confident understanding and acceptance that Jesus was the Messiah. There had been others before who’d claimed to be the Messiah and who had gained a following. There have been people in our own lifetime who’ve claimed to be the Christ or God. It’s never worked out for them. The question is are these men, who have so quickly become convinced that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, just gullible? I believe that the author’s record of Phillip’s testimony to Nathaniel is enlightening. He doesn’t just say, we’ve found the Messiah. He says, “We’ve found the one that has met the qualifications spoken of in the Scriptures.” (My paraphrase) Then, he says, “It’s Jesus from Nazareth who is the son of Joseph.” 

Phillip seems to believe that Nathaniel knows Jesus or knows of him. Nazareth was a small community and Phillip is very specific concerning his identity. So, if these men know Jesus, but Phillip is only coming to this knowledge of him as the Messiah, something amazing has happened to Phillip. Imagine if from one day to the next you came to believe that “the guy down the street” was a divinely appointed individual who would bring justice and peace to the world. What would that take for you to come to that belief?

Episode 19 - What are you seeking?

John 1:35   The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

My desire in this episode is to call your attention to something that jumps out at me. What should be obvious by now is that we see some repetition again, don’t we? We see John the Baptist telling two of his disciples the same message he shared the day before. “Behold, the Lamb of God!” His disciples got the point. They learned something from their teacher and that was they should follow another teacher who could offer them so much more. 

In other gospel accounts, Jesus invites people to follow him. In John’s account, we see two people who’ve been directed to Jesus. I believe this is an important point for Christians. Sometimes people will come to us to learn something about the Bible and the Christian faith. We should understand and value that our greatest privilege and responsibility is to point them to Jesus. We should not become so caught up in our own ego and pride and try to keep people under our teaching and our control. The extent to which the Lord has brought them to us should be sufficient to lead them more to the One who is so much greater than ourselves. 

When Jesus sees the Baptizer’s disciples following him, he asks them “What are you seeking?” Their response is to immediately address him as Rabbi or Teacher and ask him where he is staying. Their response indicates that they desire to learn from Jesus. He does not turn them away. 

Let me ask you this. Does his response to them catch your attention in any way? Notice in verse 39 that he simply responds, “Come and you will see.” Is Jesus simply inviting them to discover where he’s residing? Perhaps. But, what would the point of that be? I would argue that Jesus is welcoming them to follow him and in doing so, they will “see” with perception much more than the geographical location of his current residence. After all, they did address him as “Teacher.” They want to learn from him.

A few episodes back in which we observed the repetition of the word “see,” I explained that in the original language version of this text there were actually three completely different Greek words that translate into the four occurrences of the English word “see” in verse 29-34. I focused upon the first two occurrences which were two separate words. The first simply means “to observe with one’s eyes.” John the Baptist “saw” Jesus walking toward him. The second indicated a perception and understanding beyond the information the human eyes and brain communicate to us. The occurrence was the Baptizer seeing the Spirit descend upon Jesus. 

I did not give any attention to the third Greek word that accounted for the last two occurrences of “see” in verses 33 and 34. When John the Baptist says, “I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God,” his perception and comprehension extends beyond the normal and simple act of observing or noticing. That word, transliterated “horao” is the same word Jesus uses here. They aren’t being invited to just notice his residence. They are being invited to learn from him and perceive what he has to teach them. 

If there’s any question about this, notice what happens when they follow him. One day he’s the teacher. The very next day they perceive that he is the Messiah they’ve been anticipating. In fact, they are so convinced that they go around telling others and inviting them to come and learn from Jesus. 
The most essential point to me from this section is that Jesus welcomes those who truly want to learn from him. When they do, they will “see.”

Episode 18 - The Spirit descends and remains

I hope you’re not tired yet of this segment on John the Baptist’s testimony. Ideally, you’ve seen that it’s quite rich and we are just scratching the surface. In this episode, I want to take one last look at this segment of John’s testimony and examine two more repetitive phrases or ideas and their significance.

First, John the Baptist’s repeated assertion, “I baptize with water.” (Verses 26, 31, and 33) What is his point? Why is it so important to emphasizes how he baptizes? Its significance comes out when he explains that the one to whom he is pointing (Jesus) baptizes with the Holy Spirit. (Verse 33) 

Secondly, we see a repetition of the Spirit descending and remaining upon Jesus. In verse 32, John the Baptist says, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and remained on him.” Then in verse 33, he explains that the One who sent him to baptize with water said to him, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” (verse 33)  This was to be the evidence for John to recognize the one to whom John would point others.

Let’s bring these together. The Baptizer is making it clear how he is NOT the one to whom the greatest attention is to be given. He is only a messenger to tell people who they should turn to and why he is so important. (He is the Son of God. verse 34) John the Baptist is emphasizing that he himself only baptizes with water; something of the natural world. But, Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Why is that important? I am going to attempt to answer that question in the same manner that I have the previous few episodes; by looking at the context. 

When we looked at the repetition of the word and concept of “seeing,” the immediate context helped us understand the purpose of the repetition and shifting meaning of seeing through those uses. When we examined the idea of “knowing” or “not knowing,” we expanded the context back to the religious leaders encounter with John the Baptist. He told them that they didn’t know about the one who was so much greater. But, then in verses 29-34 he twice mentions that he himself did not know him. In this case, I want us to expand our contextual examination to the Old Testament. Why? We need to understand a little more about what it says about John the Baptist’s role is in order to understand why he telling us these things about Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

When John first tells the contingency of religious leaders, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (verse 23), he is quoting Isaiah 40:3 and claiming to be that “voice” which is now fulfilling this prophecy. The context of the first thirty-nine chapters leading up to this is about the sin of Israel and God’s discipline upon them for their rebellion. Now, we see hope and restoration of Israel to the LORD. In Isaiah 40:1 the prophet writes, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem , and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” 

Fast forward to Isaiah 42:1 in which God speaks through the prophet saying, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” No wonder John the Baptist recognizes the message given to him that the one upon whom the Spirit descends and remains is the one to whom he should point people. It’s consistent with what God had already revealed. 

John the Baptist is saying, What God has been promising in His word about your hope, Israel, has been fulfilled in Jesus because God’s presence and power are with him and he can and will baptize or dip you in the Holy Spirit to purify you and make you right with God. 

In Isaiah 42:1 it would appear that the promised hope is not just for Israel, but justice for the nations ( or “the world”) as well. 

John’s message to people coming to him is not something new that he was teaching. He was simply announcing that what God had promised has finally come about. That promise is found in the person of Jesus. 

My desire for these observations about the Baptizer’s testimony of Jesus and the Holy Spirit remaining upon him will prepare us for understanding and appreciating what the apostle John has in store for us about who Jesus is and his purpose for coming into the world.

Episode 17 - What do you know?

In episode 17 we are continuing a close examination of John the Baptist’s testimony as the author of this book records it for us. Each Gospel writer gives us a view of Jesus’ life and ministry and there are different angles from which we can view it through the witness of these early Christians. We saw in Episode 15 how the theme of “seeing” is repeated and I argued that it’s a theme that will run through this book.

What else did you notice that appeared to be a repetition? Did you notice that twice the Baptizer says, “I myself did not know him?” He first says it in verse 31 and then again in verse 33. In both instances he follows it up with an explanation that his purpose for baptizing with water was to reveal the one “who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” (verse 33) “to Israel.” (verse 31) More on that in the next episode. 

In episode 15, I argued that it’s important to interpret words and phrases in their context to have a more clear and likely understanding of what the author intended to communicate. I would suggest that our understanding of what the Baptizer intends by “I myself did not know him” is best understood by its context. In this case, the context is a little more broad than what we looked at for two occurrences of the word “see”. 

If you go back a few verses to the beginning of John the Baptist’s testimony you’ll see that in speaking with the contingency of religious leaders who’ve come to find out if John is Elijah, or the Prophet, or even the Christ, John’s response to them could come across to them as an affront. I like to paraphrase John’s response as follows, “You people think I’m important? There’s someone else among you that you don’t even notice and he is far greater than I am.” (See John 1:24-28)

It might be tempting to think that John is a little bit arrogant in that response. However, his repeating the fact that even he himself did not know him is negating any argument the Baptizer is conceited. In fact, you’ll see that the author paints John the Baptist as a model of humility. 

So what is this telling us?

First, think about what the author said back in the Prologue “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. (verse 18) The point is that no human in their own ability can claim to have seen God and know everything about him except that God makes Himself known. This is true for even this special messenger or agent of God called John the Baptist. He’s saying there was nothing in me that allowed me to recognize who this person was if it weren’t for God revealing it to me. That is true for us and for everyone else. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:19-20 that God has revealed Himself (to an extent) through the Creation of the universe so that people should at least recognize that there is a God. But, the author of Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 1:1-2 that God had made Himself known through dreams and prophets and various ways in times past. But, in these last days He has spoken to us through a Son. Jesus came into the world so that God could give us a more clear picture of Who He is.

A second thing I believe we can learn from this is that we do not need to understand everything before we follow God’s will. If we believe God is leading us to serve His purposes, we can trust Him to accomplish what He wants to. It’s not our responsibility to bring the outcome. It’s only our responsibility and privilege to be obedient to His will.

Episode 16 - Does God practice social-distancing?

Note: This is a sidetrack from our regular series through the Gospel of John

With all the chaos we’re experiencing with this pandemic, I couldn’t help but reflect on recent discussions I’ve had with friends about the “social-distancing” requirements and how we are to limit our contact and proximity to other people for the stated purpose of limiting the spread of this terrible virus. It makes a lot of sense and I appreciate the effort to stop this as soon as possible. 

However, one downside of this is that grandparents can’t hug their grandkids. Friends and relatives often communicate over digital communication means or wave through a window, but they can’t be together in the manner they prefer and even need. The tech is better than nothing. But, it doesn’t replace a hug from someone you love. There is something special about that.

It got me thinking today how closely this parallels some interesting things evident from stories of the Bible and the concept of a relationship between God and humanity. A couple of things jump out at me that I find quite fascinating.

First, according to the “Creation” account that we find in the very first chapter of Genesis ( the first book in the Bible ) is when God creates the universe, it states that God chose to make humanity in “His image.” (Gen. 1:26) What does that mean? Well, I think at the very least it means that humanity is more “like” the Creator than any other living being.

Secondly, in the detailed account of the creation of humanity given in the second chapter, we see that the Creator doesn’t just speak and create humans, He fashions the first human out of the dust of the ground and breathes life into him. Do you see the picture that evokes in your mind? God is not social-distancing. God appears to be present with this human and there’s a sense of personal connection involved in this act. In a different, but no less personal way, God fashions the second human from the flesh of the first human. Again, there is an image of relationship not only between God and the first human but a mutual connection between God and all humanity and among humanity itself. 

Third, the relationship appears to have been an ongoing interaction or fellowship. How do we know that? As we continue through this story in the early chapters, we read that God gives these humans only one prohibitive command as well as the consequences if they were to disobey God. They disobey anyway and experience shame with the guilt and they attempt to hide from God. It’s like a child who’s done something their parent told them not to do and they know they’re going to get caught. So, they try to hide. Look at what it says, “ And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” (Gen. 3:8) My argument is if they recognized the sound of the LORD God walking, they’d heard it before. It was a familiar sound. But, now that they’ve done something to violate the trust and in their shame, they decide to practice “social-distancing.” 

I could think of a number of applications from this story and these ideas I’ve suggested. But, what most impressed me as I thought about it is the desire and intention the Creator has to have fellowship with mankind. Some people may believe that, if there is a god, it is an impersonal power or force that is responsible for the existence of the natural universe. But, I think this narrative explains a God that cares about life and especially about humanity. This lends itself to purpose and value for living,  doesn’t it? Furthermore, it helps explain the significance of the Christian narratives concerning Jesus of whom was said to be Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” 

I hope you will be encouraged to know that God cares about people and about you personally. 

Feel free to contact me if you have questions at favesofdave@gmail.com 

Episode 15 - What do you see?

So, did you complete your assignment from the last episode? Did you look for words, phrases, or ideas that you thought we’re being repeated? I gave you a hint to get you started and suggested that you look for forms of the word or idea meaning “to see.” I saw four occurrences of forms of that English verb in those few verses. In addition, there was the word “Behold!” a command meaning “Look at!”. That at least is associated thematically. Let’s look at this a little more closely. 

We often interpret words and expressions within their context to understand the intended meaning by the author and perhaps even a change or expansion of meaning when the author has used the same word or idea so that the meaning shifts from a literal meaning to a figurative one. 

For example, the literal definition of the verb “to see” means to “perceive with one’s eyes.” I could say, “At a young age I saw people bring their Bibles to church.” That is an example of the most literal sense of “saw;” the past tense form of to see.  We understand that meaning by the context in which it’s used. But, we also use the same word to mean something beyond that strict literal definition of the word. If I were to say, “Over my life, I have come to see how valuable reading my Bible can be in my walk of faith,” we immediately understand that my use of the verb “see” is not about the sense of “perceiving something with my eyes,” but rather,  it’s an expression to indicate “understanding and/or valuing” my reading and studying the Bible. 

Some languages, like Greek which is the primary language of our  New Testament Scriptures, have multiple words that can mean the same thing or have nuances that allow them to expand or shift meaning. Bible translators may translate the meanings of these different words to the same English word. So, the repetition that we see may not only be there for emphasis but cause us to ask ourselves, “Does the context indicate that the meaning has changed or expanded in some manner?” 

This is what is happening in this brief testimony of John the Baptist. When the Baptizer “saw” Jesus coming toward him in verse 29, the context makes it clear that the meaning of “saw” is the most simple, literal meaning; that he “perceived with his eyes” that Jesus was coming toward him. But, in verse 32 where the author quotes the Baptizer saying, “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove . . .” the context informs us that John the Baptist has perceived something more than just a man walking toward him. He says to others around him, “I saw the Spirit descend . . .” So, it’s clear that he is using his eyes. But, the question evoked by the context is, “Can humans normally see a spirit?” I believe it’s safe to say that the answer is “no.” In the original language, the author actually uses a different word that means “to see” and this second occurrence of “saw” in this short account is the Greek word transliterated “theaomai.” It allows for expanded use of seeing to mean “to perceive something above and beyond what is merely seen with the eye.” (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature Third Edition Ed. Danker) Interestingly, this is the same word used in John 1:14 in which the author himself said, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory . . .” The author has communicated through a thematic repetition that John the Baptist moves from perceiving something simply with his eyes to seeing something beyond what is perceptible with the eyes. 

Verses 33-34 contain our third and fourth occurrences of “see” and “seen” respectively and they are yet a third different word in the Greek translation from the first two. It’s not essential that we discuss this in-depth at this time. It is valuable to understand that John is establishing a theme of “seeing.” By now, you should begin to realize that he won’t always mean the literal sense of perceiving with the eyes. 

The important thing for us is to slow down and ask ourselves, “Is this repetition here to get my attention and to help me perceive something beyond what I can just see with my eyes?” Perhaps, this can be a prayer for you this week. “Father - Help me see what you want me to see; even the things that cannot be seen with my eyes.”

Episode 14 - Time for a challenge

I want to do something different in this episode. Instead of explaining Scripture in this episode, I want to give you an assignment. The purpose is to help you grow in your skills for Bible study and interpretation. One should never take another individual’s personal interpretation of Scripture as absolute truth. What I say should never be in contradiction with the most important tenets of the Christian faith that have been held by the Church at large since the time of Christ. Obviously, Christians will vary on the interpretation of some passages and minor things. But, even then, if someone has an interpretation that is unique or never considered by anyone before, it’s probably wrong. My hope here is to encourage you in thinking about things that apply to interpret all kinds of literature. In other words, what I’m asking you to do here is not unique or “rocket science.” It’s normal. 

In a few moments, I’m going to read the full account of the event of Jesus coming to John the day after he tells the religious rulers that his role is simply to point people to Jesus. What I want you to do is to listen and take note of things that you think might be important. Do you remember how I pointed out in Episode 2 that “repetition” is a characteristic in literature that shows us importance?

In the first verse of John’s gospel, we saw the repetition of the “to be” verb “was.” It emphasized what “the Word” was. For the rest of John’s prologue, forms of the verb “ginomai” was used nine times in those relatively few verses. It means to “become or to be created.” In the light of the evidence that John was making a connection to the Creation account in Genesis 1, that would be important, wouldn’t it? 

So, listen and/or read through John 1:29-34 multiple times and make notes about what is repeated. Whether it be a word, a phrase, or even just an idea, write that down and ask yourself if you think it could be important. It’s not important to necessarily answer that question right now. What is important is that if there is a truth, an idea or theme that the author wants us to discern through repetition, perhaps we’ll be more sensitive to its occurrences when we see them.

When you’ve done this and if you have time and interest, go back to the beginning of this book and read starting in verse 1 and see if any of these words, phrases, or ideas have already been mentioned. If so, add those to your notes. 

Here is the full text of this event. When I’ve finished, I’m going to give you a hint to get you started. Then in the episodes to follow, I’ll point out some of the things I’ve noticed and suspect is important to what the author wants us to understand.

John 1:29   The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

Ok. Do you need some help getting started? Does it seem like the idea of “seeing” is important? Does it only mean observing with one’s eyes? What could it mean?

Episode 13 - Look! The Lamb of God

John 1:29   The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’

This segment is a continuation of John the Baptist’s testimony of the one who’s sandals he is unworthy to untie. Not only does he make it clear that this person is Jesus, he says something about him that is intriguing. 

We’ve already read that John the Baptist has claimed to be a prophetic figure spoken of in Isaiah who’s mission is to prepare the way for the Lord. He’s been doing that. He’s been teaching people about someone that they do not yet know about. It’s in this segment that Jesus appears on the scene and John says. “This is the one I have been speaking about!” 

What does the Baptizer have to say about Jesus? He directs people’s attention toward Jesus and says that he is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” What does this mean? Why does John call him the Lamb of God?

To keep this brief, I’m going to give you my opinion of what it means instead of a number of scholarly citations. In order to do this, let’s examine the concept of sin. I will define “sin” as disobedience against the will and character of God. This is evident from the first account of human disobedience to God’s expressed will in the book of Genesis. We see God revealing a command to Adam to not eat from one specific tree. The consequence of disobeying that command would be certain death. (Genesis 2:15-17) Genesis 3:1-8 gives us an account of the first humans disobeying that specific command and verse 8 records how they attempted to make coverings for themselves to cover their shame. But, reading on through that chapter, we find that their effort is inadequate because God made “garments from skin . . .and clothed them.” (Gen. 3:21)

Bible scholars love to argue about this passage and its meaning and the caution to NOT read too much into Scripture is well-taken. .But, the million-dollar question is “Where did these skins come from?” It would seem they came from animals since this man and woman are the only humans living at this time. Is this God initiating and demonstrating an “animal blood sacrifice” as a means to cover the shame for their sin? If not, how is it that their son Able thought to bring God an animal sacrifice and be accepted, while his brother brought a harvest from the field which was not accepted by God? Somewhere along the way, these first people had the notion to sacrifice an animal to God in order to come before God and be accepted. It’s only after the people sin, that the idea of an animal sacrifice comes into the picture of mankind’s relationship and worship to God. 

Later in Genesis, God has called a man named Abram to obey a command and Abram obeys. God later renames Abram to Abraham and makes him an unconditional promise for land and innumerable descendants. The problem for a long time is that Abraham and his wife don’t have any children until long after they normally would be able to have them. Then God, demonstrating His power, gives them one “miracle” son. When that son is older, God instructs Abraham to sacrifice that son. (See Genesis 22) As Abraham is taking his son to the place that God has designated for this sacrifice, his son asks the question, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (Gen. 22:7) Abraham’s reply is, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Gen. 22:8a) As the story unfolds, we see that Abraham is committed to obey God despite the logical question of how he would have all the descendants God promised if this one son were dead before having any children of his own? An answer is given to us by the author of Hebrews who says in Hebrews 11:19 that Abraham “reasoned that God could even raise him from the dead.” If you read the whole story, you’ll discover that God stopped Abraham at the last moment and did provide a substitute for Abraham’s son. 

The important thing that we learn from this is that while God did “provide for himself” the sacrifice and spared Isaac, this event foreshadows that God would “not spare His own Son” as Paul tells us in Romans 8:32. God’s Son is the true and perfect sacrifice that satisfies God’s just requirement for mankind to be right with Him. The Christian faith understands this to be prophesied in Isaiah 53 speaking of God’s suffering servant. In Isaiah 53:5 it reads, “He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds, crushed because of our sins; he endured punishment that made us well.” In verse 6 “. . . but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him.” Then, in verse 7, “He was treated harshly and afflicted, but he did not even open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block, like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not even open his mouth.” 

What I hope we can all see here is how Scripture collectively and consistently describes our human condition as following in the footsteps of the first humans who rebelled against God’s command and will. Death is the deserved consequence. There is a pattern of blood sacrifice possibly from even the first sin and becomes more evident in the sacrificial system given with the Law at Mount Sinai. The animal sacrifices are not perfect in satisfying the requirement because they have to be done again and again. This leads us to this “Servant” of God who suffers and dies on account of the people’s sin prophesied in Isaiah. And this brings us to this passage and testimony of John the Baptist pointing to Jesus and saying “Look! This is the one I’ve been talking about. He is God’s provision for people’s sin. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  John the Baptist is saying that Jesus is God’s perfect sacrifice that He is providing for Himself. He is not an animal. He is not an imperfect representative of something better to come. He is the fulfillment of God’s perfect solution to make sinful people right before Him so that we can be in His presence and worship Him.

At the end of the day, people may disagree with specific details about my treatment of some of these Old Testament passages. However, looking at the most obvious meaning of John the Baptist’s statement and that is he is telling others that Jesus is God’s Lamb and the significance of that he is able to take away the sin of the world. Do you believe that Jesus is God’s solution for addressing your sin problem? 

Episode 12 - "Who do you think you are?" John 1:19-28

John 1:19-28

John 1:19   And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

John 1:24   (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

In this episode we’re going to look at three questions.

1. Who are these people interrogating John the Baptist?

2. Who do they think John the Baptist is and why are they concerned about him?

3. Who is John really?

First, the text originally says that Jews sent priests and Levites to John. Later it says that it was the Pharisees. There’s no contradiction here. The author is just being more specific; moving from a generalization to later a very specific statement as to who initiated the interrogation. This will be important as you study this book.

Secondly, John denies being the Christ, Elijah, and the Prophet. Who are these figures? Christ is the Greek word for anointed one, which in the Hebrew would be the word, Messiah.  John denies being their expected Messiah. Elijah was a prophet who lived eight to nine hundred years earlier. Why would they think he was Elijah? According to 2 Kings 2:9-12, Elijah was taken to heaven alive. In the final book of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi (4:5) records that the Lord would send Elijah the prophet to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers before the Day of the Lord; a time of God’s judgment. Finally, a Prophet like Moses was promised to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 18:15. They were still expecting this Prophet just like they were looking for Elijah and their Messiah. 

That tells us that there’s something about John the Baptist that has gotten their attention and has motivated the Jewish religious leaders to go find out who he was. What was it about John? In Matthew 3:5-6, this gospel writer tells us that “Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” Something about John was drawing people to him in a spiritual sense and the religious leaders took notice. 

If John denies being all of these important prophetic figures, who is he? That’s what they finally ask him. I want to address his response in two parts. First, he begins by claiming to be the unnamed voice in the wilderness spoken of in Isaiah 40:3 that is crying out and warning people to prepare the way for the Lord. When they want to know why he is baptizing, he responds “I baptize with water.” What’s his point? He’s saying “I’m just a man who is using water to baptize.” Water is a natural and tangible thing within our world. John is saying this to contrast himself with the one he is about to tell them about. That brings us to the second part of this answer he gives them. Paraphrasing his response, I hear him say, “If you think I’m someone of spiritual significance, there is someone among you that you don’t even recognize and I am not even worthy to remove his sandals.” What does he mean by that? Scholars state that removing or carrying someone else’s footwear and matters of washing other’s feet was considered such a low and degrading task that only slaves in their society were expected to do those kinds of things. Therefore, John is saying, “I am not worthy to even be a slave of this person the religious leaders don’t even recognize.” That’s quite a contrast that John the Baptist makes of himself to the one of whom he is speaking. Who is that? The author has already told us. John the Baptist came to bear witness of the light that came into the world. Who is the light? Jesus the Christ. 

In light of this account, I’d like to offer you the following challenge: What do you think of yourself compared to Jesus? If we can learn from John the Baptist, I believe it’s that we can understand and accept that God has made us for a purpose. That’s important and valuable to know. But, we should also learn to never think so highly of ourselves that we do not honor and exalt Jesus for whom it has been revealed and that is he is the one-of-a-kind Son of God.

Episode 11 - Summary Review of John's Prologue

A Summary Review of the Prologue in John’s Gospel

So what should be clear from the prologue of John’s gospel is that:

1. The Word was in the beginning (of time) - Meaning? It was pre-existing before anything else. Making a clear connection to the Creation account of Genesis 1, John says that the Word was “with God” and “was God.” The bottom line is that John is saying that everything true of God is true of the Word.

1. The Word was involved in every single aspect of Creation.

2. In the Word was life.

3. The Word was the “true light” that provides light for all mankind.

4. The Word became flesh (human), and dwelt among humans. John and others saw his glory that could only be attributed to God. 

5. A man by the name of John the Baptist was a messenger of God to tell others about the Word. John the Baptist was not to be confused with the Word.

6. Moses, one of God’s greatest prophets, was used to deliver God’s Law to the Israelites. But, the Christ (Messiah - Appointed One) Jesus was the source of God’s grace and truth. 

As John has revealed more and more information about the Word in this prologue, he makes the connection of the Word to Jesus of Nazareth who he was close friends with, saw the evidence of His divine nature. He’s telling us upfront before he gives us his own account of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry that Jesus is the eternal Word and unique, one-of-a-kind “Son” of God. He is eternal and was involved in every aspect of Creation.

If these podcasts have not led you to how John’s prologue has made these points, please contact me at favesofdave@gmail.com .

Episode 10 - Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ - John 1:16-18

John 1:16-18

16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

In our last episode, John says of the Word who became flesh that he was “full of grace and truth.” (v 14) Now in verse 16 he explains that this is not just a quality of the Word. John is not just explaining what the Word is like. John informs his audience that he (the Word) gives an abundance of grace to mankind out of that fullness. In other words, it’s emphasizing God’s generous mercy to mankind. How do we know that?

Notice that verse 17 almost seems like John is changing the subject because he starts speaking about the law. But, verse 17 is just an explanation of how we have received God’s “grace upon grace.” 

He first says “For the law was given through Moses.” The book of Exodus explains that God gave His law to the Israelites through His prophet Moses. It’s God’s law, God’s truth. Moses was the person God chose to deliver it to the people. The law itself reveals God’s grace because, first, it’s God making His righteous standard known to mankind. The problem is that mankind has never been able to keep it. The apostle Paul makes this very clear in his letter to the Romans. This brings us to a second way in which God’s grace is demonstrated to mankind in the law. God provides a way for people to obey him by faith and atone for their sins through the sacrificial system God required of the Jews. Paul and the author of Hebrews later explain that this sacrifice, which was performed frequently, could not truly and perfectly take away sin. But, that God “passed over the sins previously committed” (Romans 3:25) until God himself provided the perfect sacrifice to provide forgiveness of sins of people. In other words, God was patient and merciful to not bring swift and perfect justice upon everyone when they violated God’s law.

John continues by finally revealing the identity of the Word who is the true light that came into the world and in whom was life and who became flesh and dwelt among His own creatures and who revealed his glory to John and others. He says, “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” 

There’s something here that I do not want you to miss. Remember how in Episode 3 I made a big deal about the word “ginomai”? It means to “be created” or “to come into being.” In John 1:3 there is an emphasis that “not one thing that has come into being has come into being apart from him (the Word).” This verb in its various forms occurs nine times just in this prologue; the first eighteen verses of John. It’s important because of the Creation theme that John clearly establishes beginning in the first verse. Here in verse 17 is its final occurrence in the prologue (the first eighteen verses of chapter one). The word “came” in this translation is from the Greek word ginomai. He’s saying that Jesus Christ is responsible for the origin of God’s grace and truth. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the Word. In Jesus Christ is life. He is the true light that came into the world. He became flesh and dwelt with John and others. Jesus Christ, John tells us, is God. He didn’t become God. He was in the beginning with God and was God and was involved in every aspect of Creation. This is a bold claim. But, the rest of this book is intended to prove that from John’s perspective. 

This brings us to verse 18. In the ESV, it begins, “No one has seen God.” Moses was only allowed a glimpse of the trailing edge of God’s glory. No mere man could look at God and live according to our account in Exodus of what God told Moses.

But, John continues, “the only God.” In Greek, the word for “only” is the same word a few verses back which I said meant “the unique one.” Who is that? It’s Jesus Christ. John just told us that. So, he’s using that term again alongside the Greek word “Theos” meaning “God.” He’s saying “the unique one, God.” That’s John making certain we get the point that Jesus is God.

Then John gives us more information about Jesus. He is at the Father’s side. This has echos back to verse one, doesn’t it? Back there we read that the Word was in the beginning “with God,” but that the Word is also God. Notice that John never speaks of God in the plural sense; as though there are multiple Gods. Yet there is a sense of plurality spoken of concerning God. The Word was with God. Now, the unique one who is God is at the Father’s side. What we have here is teaching that lends itself to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. It’s the strong adherence to the Biblical teaching that there is only one true God. Yet, historical Christian faith has taught that there is a plurality within the Godhead; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I won’t go into this deeper here. Just recognize this mysterious thing the author is writing and realize that he didn’t live a few hundred years after Jesus. He was not some co-conspirator that invented the doctrine of the Trinity as some people have suggested as a criticism of that doctrine. 

Finally, there’s one last thing John has to say about Jesus in this prologue. Not only is he at the Father’s side, but Jesus has also made him (the Father) known. Jesus has fully seen the Father and knows the Father and became flesh and dwelt among men for the purpose to make the Father known. We will see how he does this as we get further into this book.

Episode 9 - "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" John 1:14-15

John 1:14   And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)

In the last episode, we heard John say that those who believe in the name of the Word were given the right to become God’s children. That’s an amazing assertion that people could become members of God’s family. But, now John follows that by writing “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” He’s saying that the Word, which he’s already strongly stated is fully God, took on human flesh.  This could raise all sorts of questions. One question that comes to my mind is, “why would the Creator of all things do that?” Secondly, “does that mean the Word gave up His deity when He became flesh? I believe this book will answer those questions. In fact, I believe John begins to answer the second question within the immediate context. Let’s look at what he tells us.

When he says, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” the Greek word translated “dwelt” literally means “tabernacled” or in our common language today we might say “tented” among us. The significance of this is John’s likely intention to draw his readers’ minds to the tabernacle at Mount Sinai (Exodus chapters 25-31 and 35-40) in which the presence of God dwells. We read in Exodus 33 that God first reveals a glimpse of His glory to Moses. God tells Moses that no one can look directly at Him and live. This glory is powerful and awesome. 

By drawing this connection between the tabernacle of the Exodus and the flesh of the Word as the tabernacle of God, that would suggest that when the Word became flesh, he did not give up or relent his deity. In the account of the tabernacle building in Exodus and in this account of God “tenting” among us, the message is that God wants to be with His creatures. There is an intentional act of God to have fellowship with humanity. Stop for a minute and think about that. Would you like that? Would you like for God to have a relationship with you?

John says, “we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” There’s a lot here. Let’s break this down a little bit.

First, John is saying that he and others with him were firsthand witnesses of this glory dwelling in the flesh of the Word. This is John’s evidence that the Word did not relent His deity when He became flesh. It’s important to have witnesses to an event, isn’t it? We’ll learn more about witnesses throughout this book. 

Secondly, John gives us more information about what he means by “glory.” He says it’s “glory as of the only Son from the Father.” Once again, there is an interesting translation decision here made by the ESV translators because in the Greek the word for son is not in the text. Instead, a very literal translation of the word that is there would have it read “the unique one from the Father” or perhaps “the one-of-a-kind from the Father.” It’s important to understand that the “Word” who was with God and was God and became flesh and “dwelt among us” was unique. There are no others like this being. He’s unique.

Why is this important? I would suggest that it’s because John just told his audience that everyone who believes in his name is given the right to become God’s children. A relationship that God himself willed. So, if this “unique one” who came from the Father in a relationship like a child comes from its parents, we see that John is distinguishing this unique one from those who are given the right to become God’s children. This unique one is not just a son among and just like others who God makes a part of His family. 

Finally, the unique one is “full of grace and truth.” Grace is “unmerited favor” from God. It is a gift that is given from love and not a barter arrangement. Real truth is not the subjective perception of a person or people group. It is true for all people in all cultures at all times. This is not a popular concept in society today. Wouldn’t it be nice to know and experience real truth? John says that this unique one from the Father was full of grace and truth.

John briefly jumps back to the testimony of John the Baptist in verse 15 as he tells his audience that John the Baptist said of the unique one from the Father, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ What is John the Baptist’s message that the apostle John wants us to understand? We’ll soon read that many people believed John the Baptist was a prophet or special figure from God. Indeed he was. But, John the Baptist says that this unique one “ranks before” himself because this unique one existed before him. I believe the apostle John includes this testimony of the Baptizer because it supports what he says in the opening verse that this unique one was “In the beginning.” In other words, he’s saying John the Baptist told people that this unique one was eternal in existence. 

Maybe I’m reading too much into the text. But, reserve your judgment until you’ve had time to pour yourself into this book and see whether I’m too far off or not.

Episode 8 - He has given them the right to become God's children

John 1:11-13

11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

In our continuation of this introduction to John’s gospel, the author is speaking of the Word who created all things and in him is life and who was the true light that came into the world. 

Now, John tells us that he “came to his own.” This translation (ESV) and some others continue with the next statement that “his own people did not receive him.” While I don’t have a problem with this translation, it is worth noting that in the original language, the word “people” is not present. The Greek just says, “his own did not receive him.” The reason I think this is worth noting is expressed in the question, “If all things were made by him, what is his own?” The obvious answer would be “everything and everyone.”

If that’s the case, why do some translations qualify the statement by adding the word “people?” The answer lies in the Hebrew Scriptures or what Christians often refer to as the Old Testament. In Genesis, God calls a man named Abram to obey an instruction to leave his home and Abram obeyed God. God further leads and builds Abram’s faith and changes his name to Abraham. God makes Abraham a promise that he will become a father of many nations and through a line of descendants; Isaac, Jacob (renamed Israel) God would establish a people group called the Hebrews or the Jews. They were to be a special people to God. So, it’s reasonable to understand that when John says, “He came to his own” he meant his own people group, the Jews. 

Personally, I like the tension we’re left with by John just saying, “He came to his own. But, his own did not receive him.” There’s a sense in which the statement is true whether it’s meant to represent the Hebrew people or mankind as a whole since as creatures of the Word, we all belong to him.

Now John transitions to people who do receive him. Who are they? They are people who believe in his name. What is his name? John hasn’t told us yet. What he does tell us is that those who receive him by believing in his name, God has given them the right to become (from the word “ginomai” that we saw in verse three which means to become or to be created)  his children. John qualifies that these children are not children born in the normal human way of being born, but solely by God’s will and power. 

The Christian Scriptures make it very clear that becoming part of God’s family is outside the ability of human will and power. It requires God’s will and power and this passage provides strong support for that belief. Therefore, even though as creatures we rightly belong to God, we are not part of God’s family by default. Why? As we’ll see developed more throughout this book, we tend to be in that chaotic darkness and do not recognize the true light. We need God’s power to respond to the light.

Episode 7 - He was in the world . . . yet the world did not know him.

In our last episode, the Apostle John introduced us to John the Baptist. The apostle tells us that God had sent John the Baptist for the purpose of testifying to others about the “light which shines in the darkness” and which the darkness could not overcome. (Recall from two episodes ago that John possibly intended a double-entendre with the word translated “overcome” because it could also mean “understand/comprehend.”) 

This episode continues speaking of the “light.”  In verses 9-10, we read, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.”

I’d like to temporarily draw your mind back to the Creation account in Genesis 1 when in verse two the condition of the universe is chaotic and dark and God speaks light into existence. But, then Moses says that God separated the light from the darkness and called the light good. There is a judgment by God in Genesis 1 that implies that darkness is bad by separating light from it and calling it good. 

Now, John is saying that the life-giving light which was involved in the creation of all things is shining in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome (or understood) it. Looking at our text for this episode, John tells us that there is a “darkness” in this world. But, the true light is shining into the darkness of this world. What does he mean by “true light?”

It would seem that sources of light in the creation account are the sun, the moon, and the stars. The moon itself is not really even a true source of light since it only reflects the sun’s light. But, the sun and the stars are created themselves. They had a beginning and will have an end. It would seem to be that the true light is eternal. Furthermore, it can illuminate all things at all times. It’s important to notice that John continues by saying the true light “gives light to everyone.” Does that mean that everyone enjoys the lights, understands and welcomes the light? As we’ll see soon, the clear answer is “no.” But, the true light has exposed the darkness in which people dwell. 

How does the true light accomplish that? The light actually came into the world. He is not a star which is so far away. John says here that he was coming into the world and he was in the world. The true light came close and was present with people.

Next, John tells us “the world (into which he came) was made by him.” This reemphasizes that the true light and the Word are one and the same because John has already that that not one thing that has been made has been made apart from him (the Word). The Creator has come into his own creation. 

At the end of verse 10 however, we discover that “the world did not know him.” How could this be? How tragic! I believe this helps us get a picture of how bad and chaotic the darkness of this world really is; that people cannot or will not recognize the One who created them, gave them life and brought true light to their (our) dark world.

Episode 6 - Telling Others About the Light

John 1:6-8

John 1:6   There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The Apostle John pauses momentarily from his discussion about the Word and tell us about another person named John. We often refer to this person as John the Baptist. There are a few things the author wants us to understand about him before we actually meet him in this story.

First, he was “a man sent from God.” Already, we have a sense that he is important. 

Second, God sent him for a specific purpose of telling others about the “light” so that “all might believe through him.” Isn’t it interesting that God decided to send a man to tell others about the light so that all might believe in him? It would seem to me that God didn’t need John the Baptist to do testify about someone with the kind of power and ability. It would simply be evident if that person demonstrated that power and illuminated people’s understanding of God’s nature and work.  Personally, I find it exciting that God would choose to use a man to tell others about what God is doing. More on that later.

The third thing we can learn about John the Baptist from the author is that John was NOT the light; only a person to “bear witness about the light.” Nowhere in this book does the author suggest that John has divine nature. He is not equated with God as is the Word. He’s just a man sent from God.

 One of my favorite qualities of this book is the humility of the author and the humility we will see in John the Baptist. How he will compare himself to the Word is no small difference.

These facts about John the Baptist should provoke in us the question of whether God might want to use us to tell others about His “light.” What would you do if you understood that to be true? Would you do it?

Episode 5 - The Light Shines in the Darkness

John 1:5

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

I’ve had the privilege of going on 10-day backpacking adventures with each of my sons at Philmont Scout Ranch in the Sangre de Christo range of the Rocky Mountains. There are a number of rules that every backpacker must know and follow for the purpose of safety. One of those rules is “No hiking while it’s dark.” Why? One reason is that you might fall down a mountain or go somewhere where it might be difficult for others to locate you and to direct help. Another reason is that it could be easier to inadvertently encounter dangerous wildlife such as bears or lions. The bottom line is that it’s dangerous to journey in darkness.

Conversely, having good light available means that our path is illuminated and we can more easily chart our course. The added benefit is that we can see the beauty of what is around us. When it comes to physical light, we understand that it’s good and we enjoy its benefits.

The creation of light in Genesis, chapter one is the first step in a solution to the problem of “darkness” and the chaotic condition of the earth mentioned in verse two of Genesis. 

John 1:5 however does not appear to be talking about physical light. What does John mean by “the light shines in the darkness” when he has already established that his subject is “the Word” which is the God who created all things and in whom is life and is the light of mankind? It should be obvious that John, having turned the minds of his audience to the Creation story of Genesis 1, is using light as a metaphor for some quality or ability of the Word to illuminate something else for mankind. Perhaps it is “truth.” 

If the “light shines in the darkness,” then “darkness,” borrowing from the Creation story, represents chaos among mankind. The chaos in the darkness should be understood as mankind’s condition in which they cannot journey through life safely without this light. It also means that they cannot enjoy the beauty that surrounds them. We need God’s light to illuminate our way in life. When God’s light is shining in our darkness, we can then see the beauty of God and what He is doing. We need to know Who God is and what He is like. We need a clear revelation of God. It would seem that the point here is that John is telling us that the Word is that revelation.

But, that’s not all. John then says that the “darkness has not overcome it (the light).” In the original language, the word that is translated “overcome” could also mean “understood.” So, what is it? Has the darkness not overcome the light or has the darkness not understood the light? Bible scholars will tell you that it’s not reasonable or safe to look up every possible meaning of a word or phrase and interpret it to mean all of the above. But, as we’ll see in the Gospel of John, the author clearly intends some “double-entendre.” That is he wants his audience to ponder both meanings. I believe that is happening here. As John unfolds his story, we’ll see that many people will not truly understand “the light.” We will also see that the darkness will not overcome the light. We’ll see how darkness not only represents a lack of understanding but also evil. 

As for right now, take comfort in knowing that God has revealed himself to mankind. God wants people to walk safely in the light and to enjoy His beauty.

Episode 4 - In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind

By now it should be obvious that one of my goals is for you to see the strong association John is making between “the Word” and the God spoken of in Genesis 1 who created the spheres of life and the plant, animal, and human life within them as well as everything necessary to sustain that physical life.

One of the important things for life to exist is light. For example, light is required for photosynthesis to occur. Photosynthesis is the way green plants make food. In the beginning, according to Genesis 1:2, the universe was dark and chaotic with no apparent life forms at all apart from God.

The first thing God does is to create light. Then, He separates the light from the darkness and calls the light “good.” What does that indicate about the darkness?

So, as we continue reading this introduction, John says, “In him was life . . .” Genesis 1 says that God was the one who possessed and gave life. John 1 draws another connection of the Word to the Creator, life-giving God of Genesis 1. The focus in Genesis 1 is clearly more on the creation of life itself. The Greek word used in John 1:4 for life certainly is often intended to speak of life itself. But, it can also be translated as the sustenance of life. As we continue through John, ask yourself if John is also demonstrating the Word as one that sustains life.

John’s thoughts concerning the Word expands quickly to say that “the life (in the Word) was the light of men/mankind.” He says more about the light in the following verse. But, stop here and write some of your own thoughts on why John says this. Why is this important? Why is it important for the Word which has life be light for mankind?

Episode 3 - Not one thing that has been made was made apart from him

John 1:3 - All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (ESV)

In verses 1-2 we see that the focus is upon “the Word.” There is an indication that this Word is more than just something that communicates a message. There appears to be personality or “being” associated with this Word when John says “the Word was with God.” 

The Greek text of verse two speaks of the Word in the 3rd person, masculine singular “He.” That association continues in verse three and after. “All things were made through him . . “ (the Word). 

Having established that the Word is a being which contains the divine qualities of God, John tells us something here that continues a theme begun in the first three words of this book; a Creation theme. 

I encouraged you to read the first chapter of Genesis. Did you do that? What’s it about? It’s about a God that created the universe, right? The first verse of Genesis establishes that a god is already existing in the beginning of time as we know it. The first verse of John is making a similar statement about the Word. Some scholars have suggested that what is happening in the Creation account of Genesis is that the author is writing an apologetic argument against other creation stories such as that of Egypt’s. (Research Egyptian god “Atum” for comparison) The idea here is that the author of Genesis (the Bible and tradition hold that the author is the Biblical prophet Moses) is saying that the God for which he is giving an account did not create himself as did the Egyptian god Atum. God already existed. Now . . .how does carry that idea forward with the Word? He writes “All things were made through him . . .” All things? Yes, John clarifies, “without him was not anything made that was made.” 

Literally, the Greek text makes a strong emphasis “not one thing” that was made was made without him. This is an important emphasis when considering teaching that arose in the 3rd-4th centuries A.D. and continues to be manifest in the present day. More on that later.

So, what is being repeated or emphasized in this one verse? In the English translation above its the word “made” (or created). The root Greek verb transliterated is “ginomai.” This word will be used many times within the Prologue ( first eighteen verses). I’ll point them out as we go along. The point is that there is an emphasis here which makes a thematic connection of “Creation” from Genesis 1. 

I might also point out that another repetition in the first two verses was the “to be” verb translated “was”. Perhaps I’m reaching too far in my thematic associations here between John and Moses. But, in Exodus 3:14, also attributed to Moses, we read of the account of God speaking to Moses from a burning bush and giving Moses a charge to deliver the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Moses requests to know the name of this god speaking to HIm. The reply identifies himself as “I am”. Could it be that John, by the use of repetition of the “to be” verb is wanting his reader to make the connection of the Word with the God who created the universe AND revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush?

Episode 2 - John 1:1-2 "In the beginning was the Word . . . "

Take a look at the highlighting or marked-up text of the first two verses of John’s gospel shown below. The purpose is to demonstrate the repetition that occurs within these first two verses. What is the purpose of repetition in any form of communication? It is to emphasize something the communicator considers important, isn’t it? What do you think John wants to emphasize to his audience? The focus is on “the Word.” I would encourage you to write out ideas you have about the repetition in this text and what the author is wanting to communicate to his audience. Here are some questions and points for your consideration concerning this text.

What does the author mean “In the beginning . .  ?” (Hint: Read Genesis 1 at the beginning of your Bible)

What or who is in that beginning? Does that have an implication for the identity of “the Word?”

What is a “word?” The Greek term used here is the word “logos.” How might people of John’s day understood what John was suggesting by placing “the Word” in the beginning?

If you’ve read the first chapter of Genesis, you understand that it is a story of God creating the universe, the earth, and the life forms within it. How does Genesis account for how God accomplishes this great feat? Do you see a connection with that and “the Word?”