John Chapter 1

vs 1

Some people like stories about babies and stars and shepherds and wise men, mangers and cows and goats and no room at the inn. Give me John Chapter 1 any time.

John 1 consciously echoes the words of Genesis 1. But this time, in the beginning was Logos. It was with God. It was God.

How much can you pack into a few short words?The ideas here are incredible. Of course, we know from Genesis 1 that God created everything by his Word. So already we have made that link. But John is giving so much more body to this Word. It was with God, which makes it its own separate entity. But it was God - it is the same entity! While we don't have the trinity here first off, we're pretty darn close - the two beings being one and yet being distinct.

vs 2

"He" tells us more about the Word. The Word of God is a title now, referring to a person, or at least a personified being. I'm not sure if there is a bit of poetry to this beginning, with the repetition of "in the beginning" at the beginning and end. But even if there isn't, we know that repetition is used to drum in a point.

The NASB actually reads "He was in the beginning with God", which I like, because it sort of gives the Word the status of "in the beginning" - the status of immortal infinity of God.

vs 3

This personified being was intimately involved in all of creation. Of course it was - if it is the Word of God, it is the instrument through which God created all things, we are told that in Genesis. John makes it painfully clear though - nothing was made without the Word.

vs 4

All this stuff has been written in the past tense, but that doesn't mean that it isn't also true now. All it means is that historically it happened previous to the writing of the book. Think of the word "was" as indicating a time in time, rather than something which no longer "is".

"Life" here of course could mean the life that was first imparted to all things, including mankind. But it's more than just a simple giving of life, isn't it, because the life given is also a light. Light used metaphorically in the Bible and regarding God is most usually referring to purity or moral and spiritual truth. Because it is the light of men, and not of God, then I would be edging towards the second one - the Word is the light by which men see the true nature of eternity, and hence it is also their life.

vs 5

This light of moral and spiritual truth shines (presently) in the darkness, which we must assume is moral and spiritual ignorance which continues to exist today of course. Now, translators are at odds here (although I'm sure they don't get into fisticuffs in the local over it) about whether the darkness has failed to understand the Light, or failed to overcome or overpower the Light.

The overcoming and overpowering which the darkness is failing to do could be a reference to the death of Christ, or just to the general stifling spread of spiritual ignorance across the world which, although mighty, has not extinguished the truth from being revealed.

The failure to understand it would refer more to the general inability of so many people to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is a fairly important theme of John's gospel overall.

vs 6

Not this John, another John. We usually call him John the Baptist, but John the evangelist never calls him that. I guess he knows which John he's referring to - the John that isn't him. John (the author) freely admits that John (the baptist) came as sent from God. His authority as a prophet we should accept.

vs 7

The "him" of course is referring to the light (which in my NIV is not capitalised, but in the NASB is capitalised). John TB of course was just a witness to this whole amazing thing, and his prophetic gift and authority means that we should listen to his statements about the Word (Light). So the Light is someone upon whom you can believe. That's a complex idea, which we can rest assured will be more complicated before we finish John.

vs 8

John TB was often confused as being some sort of Messiah, and had to deny it regularly. He prophesied that one greater than him was coming. The Word was coming. Of course, he didn't have John chapter 1 to tell him just how awesome it was going to be that the Word of God was coming to earth. But he knew something great was happening.

vs 9

Translators are still sorting this one out too. Notice how little these things actually matter to the sense of the passages they are in though.

Assuming the normal translation, the Light which John TB was saying was coming is such a great light that it imparts its light to every man. That's a fairly major event.

Assuming the other translation, the true light which is coming gives light to every man as they come into the world.

Whoever is coming at the time, the important thing is that man is getting the light from this great godly Light.

vs 10

What a painful verse this is. Talk to anyone who knows the pain of having a loved one not recognise them, like the spouse of a dementia patient or someone with amnesia. You carefully craft a relationship for decades, and then your spouse, maybe overnight, maybe over years, eventually forgets who you even are.

Now imagine you created a whole world crawling with living things, and they don't recognise who you are.