John chapter 1

vs 11

Jesus considers us his own, and when you think about that, it is a huge blessing to be considered so valuable by God. But, ignorant and evil people that we are, we did not receive him. Like a king travelling through his kingdom and not being offered any hospitality or gifts, or recognition as king.

vs 12

But not everyone ignored him, or else we wouldn't know about him I guess. Some people did receive him the way a king should be received. "Believing in {someone's} name" sounds weird to us today, and it's hard to get an exact comparison of an idiom which we use that fits. Obviously the name (noun) in itself is not super special. There are heaps of people called Jesus, especially in Spanish and Latin countries where they don't have the odd social reserve about naming their kids after him.

I guess the closest thing we have is when someone does something "in the name of {someone} or more usually {something}". When you do something in the name of peace, you're not just doing it because peace sounds good, and you can't think of a name for the thing you're doing yourself. You're doing it for the sake of peace, to further peace. When you do something "in the name of Her Majesty Queen of the Commonwealth" you're doing it on her behalf, and so to some extent you have the authority and power that her name brings. When we read about the name of the Lord, or the name of God, or the name of Jesus, it's not talking just about the noun by which we address them. Tied up in that idea are the concepts of the authority that name holds, the position which it gives, the title and domain it rules and so on.

So "believing in the name of Jesus" is not a simple act of assenting to his existance, or acknowledging his coming to earth. It is a trust in the claims of authority that he made. You believe that Jesus has the power to do the things he claims he can do, and that he will do them and do them for you. In this case, he has the right to make us children of God. Wow.

vs 13

In once sense I guess we are all born of God. When you look at those three examples John gives, they all are woefully inadequate to explain where we are originally born from. Natural descent? That's fine, I know I have parents. But where did their parents come from? I can ask that question until I get back to God. Human decision? Ok, people can decide to commit the sexual act in the hope of having a child, but they have no control over whether it works or not. A husband's will? Laughable, really, isn't it? As if a husband can close his eyes and wish really hard, and that makes a baby? All of these things are involved, but even they point to our creation in God, albeit less directly.

This time, though, we are given the right to become children of God, born directly from him. A complicated concept, again one which John will flesh out later on.

vs 14

We now know that the Word of God, this part of God, God himself, became flesh and lived among his people. John here claims that he was one of the people who saw the glory of this Word of God. And he can testify that he did indeed come from God, and as God's Word, was full of grace and truth.

vs 15

John TB was obviously fairly well known, because he is named here without any qualifiers, merely as the one who would testify concerning Christ's coming. We are all aware of his words to the effect of what John records here. Remember, of course, that this book wasn't written primarily as an evangelical outreach piece - it is written mostly for Christians, and probably a specific group of Christians under John's care. So he is allowed to assume a bit of knowledge of his audience (thankfully we've got the other gospels to tell us some more).

vs 16

That claim is obviously about God and God's Word, not John the Baptist.

vs 17

This is the first time John names Jesus. And it is such a great comparison. Moses, great servant of God and pillar of Judaism, all he did was bring the Law down a mountain. Jesus, the Christ, brought grace and truth. Now this is not implying that the Law wasn't true - it was in the sense of its accuracy and correctness. But it was not complete. When you looked at the Law, you did not see God. When you look at Jesus, you do see God. You see the truth. And you receive grace, apart the law especially.

vs 18

It is through Christ that God has been really made known. Even God's expressions of himself through pillars of fire and cloud and through miracles and disasters and speaking straight to people, those are nothing compared to his direct revelation of himself through Christ. There really is nothing like this event in the rest of history. It really is a special thing. This verse also shows the relationship between God the father and Jesus. Jesus is at God's right hand, but his title is also God the One and Only. John knows there is a complex idea here, but doesn't really explain it for us - he is happy for it to sit the way it is.

vs 19

The Jews were keen to know about John TB. As far as we know, he didn't do any miracles or anything - it was merely the words he preached, and the authority which was in them, that made it clear that something special was going on. He was preaching about God, so who do you send? You send people who are meant to know about God - priests and such.

vs 20

He was very open about his not being the Christ. This tells us two things - one that John TB was really something special. He wasn't just any old preacher. He had some authority to him.

But secondly, it becomes obvious to us here that the Jews were actively looking for their Christ, their Messiah to come and save them. They were keen. They were searching. And yet, when he comes, damn them, they don't get it. So don't feel sorry for the Jews not accepting Jesus, as if they weren't expecting him and he was sprung on them. They were sending priests out looking for him.