“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God”
As important as it is to understand language and context, some days you just need to bask in the glow of the words before you dig.
Michael W Smith has this epic song: Surrounded.
When it comes on in my playlist, the volume goes up, and praise goes out. And probably, in 200 years, art history majors will study the words and try to figure out why Mike was battling this God that surrounded him… but for today, we just praise and grow in the truth, in our battle cry!
John starts his account with an epic poem (might even have been a song), probably known to everyone, declaring that Christ was with God from the beginning of everything, and in fact, they were one, and that all creation happened through Him.
I can go on about the 27 different meanings of the word “Logos” or the fact that there is no hebrew word for presence (which are all awesome and extremely cool) but it is not really important here.
All that John wanted to say was: that God, the one that created the universe, the one that spins the planets, the one that made and sustains all life… THAT GOD, he came to us and shone a light in our darkness.
And you know what? The darkness tried to overcome it, but it didn’t. It couldn’t… and it will not overcome you either… This is why: (and then 18verses further, he starts the story! )
It is like he should be starting with a narrator and a soundtrack! Maybe James Earl Jones or Morgan Freeman… or sung by Don Francisco!
A pastor at my church made a sideline comment that hit home:
All facts are true, and all truth is fact, but discernment is the ability to distinguish between a related Fact and Truth. Her example was this:
FACT:
“My bank account is on zero – I have no money”
TRUTH:
“God is my ultimate and complete provider – my trust is in God, not in my bank account”
We are very hard on the religious leaders of the of time. The took a living Faith and turned it into a religion _in an effort to save a nation_ . Paul’s zeal was so great because of love for God. He loved God so much that he was willing to kill.
Jesus came to not only restore the relationship between the Father & His children, but to restore the Truth in the world. John 1:17 says
“Moses gave us the Law, but Jesus, the Anointed One, unveils truth in tender mercy”
