Opening the Gospel of John

Notes for Teaching and Preaching

1 In the beginning – When John speaks of the beginning, he might have been thinking of the beginning of creation. If so, his point is that the Word already existed at the time of creation (as is translated in the neb). But it is more likely that John was thinking of a beginning before "the beginning" in Genesis 1:1, a kind of timeless beginning. Thus, we could translate the first part of the verse as "in eternity the Word existed," or, "the Word existed in perpetuity," or, "as to a beginning, the Word already was." John takes us back as far as our minds can go, for our finite minds cannot conceive of eternity – only of beginnings and endings. And yet God never began; he always was and will be. He is eternal.

the Word – As the Word, the Son of God fully conveys and communicates God. The Greek term is logos; it was used in two ways by the Greeks. "The word might be thought of as remaining within a man, when it denoted his thought or reason. Or it might refer to the word going forth from the man, when it denoted the expression of his thought – i.e., his speech. The Logos, a philosophical term, depended on the former use" (Morris). As a philosophical term, the logos denoted the principle of the universe, even the creative energy that generated the universe. The term logos may also have some connection with the Old Testament presentation of wisdom as a personification or attribute of God (Prov. 8). In both the Jewish conception and the Greek, the logos was associated with the idea of beginnings – the world began through the origination and instrumentality of the Word (Gen. 1:3ff., where the expression "God said" is used again and again). John may have had these ideas in mind, but most likely he originated a new term to identify the Son of God as the divine expression. He is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), the express image of God’s substance (Heb. 1:3). In the Godhead, the Son functions as the revealer of God and the reality of God. This is a central theme throughout the Gospel of John. How grateful we are that the Son of God has expressed the Father to us and made him real to us. Otherwise, we could not know God intimately and personally.

the Word was with God – This simply means that the Son knew the Father intimately from eternity, enjoying fellowship in the very richest sense. The preposition in Greek is pros, associated with the Greek expression prosopon pros prosopon, meaning "face-to-face with." The expression was commonly used in Greek language to indicate a personal relationship (Matt. 13:56; 26:18; Mark 6:3; 14:49; 1 Cor. 16:10; 2 Cor. 5:8; Gal. 1:18). By using this expression, John was intimating that the Word (the Son) and God (the Father) enjoyed an intimate, personal relationship from the beginning. The last verse of the prologue (1:18) tells us that the Son was in the bosom of the Father, and in Jesus’ intercessory prayer of John 17 he revealed that the Father loved him before the foundation of the world. We cannot imagine the extent of their union and communion. Yet what is even more astounding is the truth that God has extended this fellowship to include us. What a blessed privilege!

the Word was God – Not only was the Son with God, he was himself God. This phrase suggests relationship. In the previous clause ("the Word was with God"), there is an article before God (ton theon) – pointing to God the Father. In this clause, there is no article before God. The distinction may indicate that John did not want the reader to think that the Son was the Father – but the same as the Father; that is, both are God (theos). The neb reads, "And what God was, the Word was," and tev reads, "And he was the same as God." John’s Gospel, more than most books in the New Testament, asserts Jesus’ deity. He is called God in 1:1, 18; 20:28. Jesus said that he existed before Abraham even came into being (8:58), and he asserted that he and the Father are one (10:30) – an assertion the Jews understood as a claim to deity (10:31-33).

2 He was in the beginning with God (nrsv) – This underscores the truth that the Word coexisted with the Father from the beginning. A heresy developed in the days of the early church that stated the Son was created by the Father at some point in time, meaning that the Son is not eternal. This heresy, known as the Arian heresy, still exists today in several religious cults. The orthodox Christian position affirms the truth that the Son of God is coeternal with the Father, that is to say that he always existed.

3 Through him all things were made – The New Testament reveals that the Son of God was the agent of creation, for all things were created through him (see 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2). All the things created by God came into being through Christ’s instrumentality.

4 In him was life – The word zoe in classical Greek was used for life in general. There are a few examples of this meaning in the New Testament (see Acts 17:25; James 4:14; Rev. 16:3), but in all other instances the word was used to designate the divine, eternal life – the life of God (Eph. 4:18). This life resided in Christ, and he made it available to all who believe in him. Human beings are born with the natural life – called psuche in Greek (translated "soul," "personality," or "life"); they do not possess the eternal life. This life can be received only by believing in the one who possesses the zoe life, namely, Jesus Christ.

that life was the light of men – The divine life in Christ illuminated the inner lives of men. It reaches and penetrates men, illumining them to the divine truth and exposing them to their sin. Wherever Christ was present, he gave light – light to reveal his identity and light to expose sin (3:21; 8:12). No one can come into contact with Christ without being enlightened. His light either exposes or illumines, or both. In his presence we see our sin and we see his glory. Of course, a person can refuse to come to the light and remain in darkness. But whoever comes to the light will receive Christ’s enlightening. In the Gospel of John this enlightening is usually gradual rather than instantaneous. This was true for the disciples, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman (chap. 4), and the blind man whom Jesus healed (chap. 9).³