Mark 1:4-11
4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. 7 And he was preaching, and saying, "After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. 8 "I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
9 The Baptism of Jesus
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 11 and a voice came out of the heavens: " You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."
NASU
Mark 1:4-11 Exposition
4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Before Jesus Began his public ministry, John the baptist was preaching an baptizing in the wilderness. His purpose, as the text tells us in the verse previous, Mark 1:2 and 3 is to fulfill prophesy,
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
"BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY;
3 THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,
MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.'"
NASU
His baptism was similar to the Jewish practice contemporary with his ministry of the mikvah bath which was a ceremonial washing by immersion. Johns baptism was an act done by those who heard his message and call for repentance in preparation for the coming messiah. John called the people to repentance, reminding them that they were unprepared for the “day of the Lord” and needed the forgiveness that God offered. Baptism was a sign of ones acceptance of this promise.
It is important to note that John's baptism was one of repentance where baptism either “in Jesus Name” (Acts 19:5) or “in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit”(Matthew 28:19) is a baptism not of preparation to receive the promise but a sign of identification with Jesus as Messiah and Lord.. (Galatians 3:27, Romans 6:3, and by contrast 1 Corinthians 1:13.)
5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
Certainly we are not to believe that everyone came to him for baptism but that seemingly everyone, a great number of people, sought out John to hear his message and were baptized by him after confessing their sins.
6 John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.
Johns unique calling as well as his reliance on God in his ministry was marked by his strange and at the same time, simple, attire, and diet. He lived in the wilderness and wore coarse clothing rather than the finer showier vestments of the religious leaders of the day. People came out to him. He did not have to try to attract his audience. His diet of locusts and wild honey was a part of his reliance on God while in the wilderness, eating the food God in nature had provided, as given and not going out with plans and provisions. Johns ministry was one that was ordained by God and directed by God's leading and not John's calculated efforts to win the masses. Jesus would later contrast His style of ministry with John's, not to elevate one over the other but to show that no matter how one lived in obeying God those who oppose God's agenda will always criticize and ignore the message for their offense at the messenger. (Matthew 11:16-19)
7 And he was preaching, and saying, "After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals.
John knew his place as the herald of the Messiah. He knew that even as his reputation was growing he would worthy of no praise when compared with the Messiah to come. John Himself would attempt to refuse to baptize Jesus because of this, but Jesus would encourage Him to do it, affirming Johns message by submitting to Baptism by John. (Matthew 3:14 and 15)
8 "I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
Jesus superiority to John was no only in rank as Son of God compared with anointed messenger, but also in the gift he could give. John gave a sign of the promise of forgiveness. Jesus would give new life, a transformed nature, the indwelling Spirit of God, and the Spirit's own gifts and fruit equipping each recipient to live life as God intends. John's baptism, while important, pales by contrast; a fact that John readily admits.
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
Leaving out John's refusal as I highlighted before. Mark simply related that Jesus came and was baptized. This sentence leads to the next and highlights Mark's purpose in demonstrating that Jesus is the one John had spoken about.
10 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him;
Whether other witnesses saw this or not, it is clear that John did and it fulfilled a promise that God had communicated to John, namely it showed to John that Jesus was the promised one. The Gospel of John (John 1:29-34) lets us know that this act was John's confirmation of Jesus' identity.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 "This is He on behalf of whom I said, ' After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.' 31 "I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water." 32 John testified saying, " I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 "I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.' 34 "I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God."
NASU
11 and a voice came out of the heavens: " You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."
The voice of God confirms the crux of our faith. Jesus is no mere teacher or good man or even superior prophet. He is the Son of God, worthy of our faith and worship. It is with this confirmation that Jesus begins his ministry.
NASU
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Happy New Year!
This Morning as I was reading Scripture the Lectionary Passage was John 2:1-11. The story of the Miracle of the Wedding at Cana. The first and seemingly ridiculous miracle that Jesus performed.
While it may seem inappropriate to call a miracle of Jesus ridiculous, I only say it to show how it appears to our eyes. After all, isn't God about eradicating drunkenness and even (some might believe) eliminating fun? Yet here is Jesus turning water into wine. More so he seems to do so reluctantly, at his mother's request, when the wine for the wedding party has run out. Yet his mother doesn't badger or nag him into it but simply turns to the stewards and says. "do whatever he tells you."
What can we learn from this? I encourage you if this story is unfamiliar open your Bibles and re-read it. First I think we learn something about what it means to have faith in Jesus. For the participants in this feast things were not going well. Now, mind you this is not on par with a Cancer diagnosis or a financial collapse. But it certainly was a big deal in a culture that valued extravagant hospitality torun out of wine for your INVITED guests. These weren't passers by who would still merit a good meal and sheltering, these were invited wedding guests. You don't stop halfway through the party and say "sorry folks, we're out of wine, would you like some tea?" Mary seeing the trouble for a friend? a family member?, she goes to Jesus. When he tries to avoid the attention that a miracle would bring, (she wasn't asking him to make a wine run to the state store.) She simply says to the stewards, "do whatever he tells you." Do you need an answer to a problem? This is the place to begin. Trusting that Jesus has the ability to fix things, DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU TO. Don't assume you have to figure it all out on you own. Go back to the basics. Do what God makes clear that you are to do Pray (Philippians 4:6), Worship (Hebrews 14:15), Work as you are able (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). Don't do anything he would not want you to do. Don't knowingly sin because you don't seem to have a better option. This takes faith, but we learn from what follows that Jesus acts.
Next, we learn that Jesus transforms our mediocre repetitive attempts to take care of ourselves into completion and celebration. The striking thing here is that the transformed wine is drawn out of water jars used for ritual cleansing. What was used for a repetitive religious ceremony, done again and again and never able to make them truly clean or happy, was now used for celebration. The wine also prefigures the wine of the New Covenant.Where before continued washing with water only served as a reminder of sin and their need to be made clean to approach God. Jesus invites His disciples to dine with Him at His Table offering them "the cup of the New Covenant"in His blood; that blood which gave true forgiveness of Sins.
As you worship and live think about these things. Jesus came to transform our mediocre striving and religious ritual into real forgiveness and celebration. Happy New Year!
In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark
While it may seem inappropriate to call a miracle of Jesus ridiculous, I only say it to show how it appears to our eyes. After all, isn't God about eradicating drunkenness and even (some might believe) eliminating fun? Yet here is Jesus turning water into wine. More so he seems to do so reluctantly, at his mother's request, when the wine for the wedding party has run out. Yet his mother doesn't badger or nag him into it but simply turns to the stewards and says. "do whatever he tells you."
What can we learn from this? I encourage you if this story is unfamiliar open your Bibles and re-read it. First I think we learn something about what it means to have faith in Jesus. For the participants in this feast things were not going well. Now, mind you this is not on par with a Cancer diagnosis or a financial collapse. But it certainly was a big deal in a culture that valued extravagant hospitality torun out of wine for your INVITED guests. These weren't passers by who would still merit a good meal and sheltering, these were invited wedding guests. You don't stop halfway through the party and say "sorry folks, we're out of wine, would you like some tea?" Mary seeing the trouble for a friend? a family member?, she goes to Jesus. When he tries to avoid the attention that a miracle would bring, (she wasn't asking him to make a wine run to the state store.) She simply says to the stewards, "do whatever he tells you." Do you need an answer to a problem? This is the place to begin. Trusting that Jesus has the ability to fix things, DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU TO. Don't assume you have to figure it all out on you own. Go back to the basics. Do what God makes clear that you are to do Pray (Philippians 4:6), Worship (Hebrews 14:15), Work as you are able (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). Don't do anything he would not want you to do. Don't knowingly sin because you don't seem to have a better option. This takes faith, but we learn from what follows that Jesus acts.
Next, we learn that Jesus transforms our mediocre repetitive attempts to take care of ourselves into completion and celebration. The striking thing here is that the transformed wine is drawn out of water jars used for ritual cleansing. What was used for a repetitive religious ceremony, done again and again and never able to make them truly clean or happy, was now used for celebration. The wine also prefigures the wine of the New Covenant.Where before continued washing with water only served as a reminder of sin and their need to be made clean to approach God. Jesus invites His disciples to dine with Him at His Table offering them "the cup of the New Covenant"in His blood; that blood which gave true forgiveness of Sins.
As you worship and live think about these things. Jesus came to transform our mediocre striving and religious ritual into real forgiveness and celebration. Happy New Year!
In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark
Sunday, January 4, 2009
How will we Receive Him?
John 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 The Witness John
There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 The Word Made Flesh
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ' He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
NASU
John 1:1-18 Exposition
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The gospel According to John the Evangelist (as distinguished from John the Baptist who is the second subject mentioned in the gospel) begins with an attention grabbing sentence. In the beginning was the Word, with God and in fact God. Taking a philosophical idea of the day of the Logos the divine Word or the self revelation of God. God remains a mystery apart from God's own revelation of Himself. At the same time the Word is a personal being existing both beside the one God, but also being at the same time THE one God. John also adds that this same Word was not a later creation of God but existed in “the beginning” archae, before there was anything or any time to be measured. This concept is not offensive to the idea of one God, yet it becomes an offense, unless true, when one attributes the identity of the Word to a particular human being as John is preparing to do. To begin his gospel, “In the beginning,” he is paralleling Genesis rather intentionally. One has to be certain that he is either right or foolish and he leaves no room for a middle ground. Jesus, He is prepared to assert is in fact the personal revelation of God and in fact God himself.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
This sentence reinforces the first and prepares for the next as it places the Word personally present outside of any measurable time and before anything else existed.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
The Word, the self revelation of God is present in and working to accomplish the creation of all that exists apart from God. There is no doubt, as Scripture elsewhere asserts, that creation reveals God in such a way as to make clear and evident what would otherwise be pure inscrutable mystery. Take for example Rom 1:20-21
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
NASU
In addition it is asserted that there is no shared creation by one or more gods or demi-gods. The Word who is God created all leaving nothing to any other mind or being. One cannot assert that anything is a creation of the devil or that the creator God is a lesser God answerable to a higher being. Again the Word is not a lesser being compared with some greater God.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
Here if I may write what comes to my mind, I would say that genuine life is only possible when it is enlightened so that one knows and is in proper relationship to Jesus Christ. For in Him as the second person of the triune God and as the co-creator we not only first receive life as created beings but receive genuine and eternal life when we receive “in Him” that life which is the “Light of men”. In simpler terms. Life is only worth living when we have the life that Jesus offers as the one who turns on the light so we can stop fumbling around in the dark.
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Often this word translated “comprehend” means to take hold of, of to receive. It is as though light is present yet somehow must be revealed in order to be visible. We know that certain bands of light such as infrared can be shined in darkness but are not visible to the naked eye. The Light shined by Christ was similar to this, it is made visible yet it was rejected, as we will see in verse 11. Also this is made apparent regarding the light of Creation in Rom 1:18-23
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
NASU
and again in John 3:19
19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
NASU
6There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
John the Baptist is an important figure, needing to be distinguished from the Christ but nonetheless “sent from God”
7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
His purpose in being sent was “as a witness” one to give sure testimony from God concerning this “Light” so that by his message all might believe. This all speaks of the general nature of Johns message which did not target or discriminate in its presentation of God's call to repentance. Certainly all are in need of repentance. It is also certain that although he was sent to proclaim to all, all did not receive his message as we shall soon see. Yet God is not to be accused of failing to offer the means of salvation to “all”. For our purposes it will become clear with verse 13 that to receive Christ requires a birth that is “of God” and not merely of the will of any person. It suffices that the witness to John the baptist published to all the need for repentance without care for who might receive or reject it. Likewise we are to publish the gospel indiscriminately so that no one may say “I have not heard” and because we cannot know who will believe.
8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
John is to be distinguished from the “Light” just as The lamp may transmit the light to a room but is not the energy which makes visible what was invisible in a darkened room. John, we are to be sure was not the Word, the Light, or more pointedly, the Christ.
9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
Apart from John was the “true Light” which was the subject of John's witness, which was about to be made known, coming into the world, and who would enlighten “every man”. There is not other true light or source of genuine “enlightenment” apart from Christ. Prophets and teachers, religions and “spirituality” are merely witnesses, valuable only so far as they correctly point us to the Christ. Those that would steer us to some other source of light other than Jesus Christ are not the light and draw us away from the source of life. (recall verse 4)
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
Here the Light, we are reminded is the same as the Word, which created the world, yet we who are his creations did not know him to be our creator and God.
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
He even came to a special people who had been prepared through Covenant, Law, and Prophesy, God's chosen people Israel, or else and at the same time, human beings in general. He did not appear as an angel or bird or some other creature or being, but as an Israelite man whose life and actions fulfilled prophesies that pointed to his identity. Yet even coming as one of us and to a special people prepared to receive him, he was not received.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,
Yet for those who did receive him,they were given the right to become children of God. Important words here for they teach us how to receive what Christ was sent to give. To receive here means to welcome near or to associate with. More than an intellectual understanding of a system of behavior or philosophy to receive Christ is to welcome Him as part of your life, to make a companion of Him, or more accurately to become his companion and follow Him. Second it speaks of Him “giving” the right to become children of God. The status of “child of God is not a natural “right” but it is given to us in and through Christ. The word here translated “right” can also be “power” or “privilege” or “capacity”, to be made able, Were we naturally “children of God” we would not need to be given this. Yet it is through Christ that it is given.
even to those who believe in His name,
To receive Him is also to believe in or as the King James Version states “on” His Name. It means more than understanding or accepting the idea of Him, but to trust in and to place your faith and confidence in Him and in His Name. His name is mentioned so that our faith is once again attached to a person and not an abstraction. Jesus is a person, the person, God the Son, in whom we place our faith.
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Those who put their faith in Christ are assured that this was not their own doing that they may doubt the adequacy of their faith or fear they may lose it by misstep or neglect. The are assured that it came not of their own will, or by inheritance, but by the supreme will of God alone. So, even as Christ came to his own particular people and was rejected by many, all who trust in Jesus Christ, whether Jew or Gentile may know that they will be gifted with the privilege to become what we were not before: Children of God.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This thing which God purposed to accomplish happened when the Word of God, Jesus Christ, “The Light” became a human being, taking on human nature in every way possible and “dwelt”, more accurately “tented” or “camped”, giving the sense of the temporary nature of His earthly life and momentary placement in history, He did this so that those who saw him, even the evangelist who is writing, could say without doubt or hesitation that they saw with their eyes the Word of God, God Himself, in his Glory. His Glory is one and the same as the only begotten son of the Father. His resemblance to the Father is like that of an only natural son, like him without compare as there is no brother so we could say “the older looks more like his Father,” or “the Younger has more of his father's personality.” He is like the father, different only in his resemblance to his mother as well, being in human flesh (not a characteristic of the father), glorious, and filled with the Father's own grace and truth. John (the evangelist) beheld this glory uniquely (along with Peter and James) at the transfiguration of Jesus, yet this Glory that “we” (his contemporaries) all saw was enough that they could say they saw him resembling the Father and full of grace and truth. In fact the word rendered “saw” implies to see closely or examine or also as one might see someone closely when visiting. This was no mere glimpse of God as Moses saw, but a revelation of God in person.
15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ' He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'"
Here the evangelist, distinguishes Jesus from the Baptist further by reminding us that John (the Baptist) himself pointed to Jesus as the one superior to him so far as to make him, in his own estimation, unworthy of the status of a minor servant. The Baptist assures his audience that the younger relative (Jesus was in human relations a relative of John as His mother and John's were related.) was in fact “before” him, likely implying Jesus Preexistence as the Word and as the Uncreated Son of God.
16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
Now speaking to his contemporary audience John (the evangelist) says to those who would hear that in seeing Christ they have received the fullness of God and more so, more “grace”, a gift given beyond what is due or could be expected that the grace they had already received by God's revelation in the Scripture of the Old Covenant.
17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
The Law was what made Jews, Jews, and what separated them from the gentiles. The chosen people were divided from the rest of the “Nations” by the Law which God had given them through Moses. Yet the fullness of God's grace and truth are given to all who receive Him through Jesus Christ. Here for the first time John makes clear that the person who he has been writing about, The “Word” and the “Light” and the “Only begotten Son” are in fact the man Jesus Christ. At the beginning I said that these ideas of Word and Light are not offensive to our natural minds if they are not attached to a living person. Yet John boldly claims that this person is in fact none other than Jesus of Nazareth who he calls the Christ, the Messiah or Anointed one. Jesus, is the dividing line between those who receive the gospel and those who are offended by it. In the end, we are told, it matters an eternity how we receive Him.
18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
For God to be more than an invisible mystery, or a philosophical abstraction, we must meet Him in the Person of Jesus Christ, for only in Him is the mystery explained.
In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 The Witness John
There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 The Word Made Flesh
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ' He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
NASU
John 1:1-18 Exposition
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The gospel According to John the Evangelist (as distinguished from John the Baptist who is the second subject mentioned in the gospel) begins with an attention grabbing sentence. In the beginning was the Word, with God and in fact God. Taking a philosophical idea of the day of the Logos the divine Word or the self revelation of God. God remains a mystery apart from God's own revelation of Himself. At the same time the Word is a personal being existing both beside the one God, but also being at the same time THE one God. John also adds that this same Word was not a later creation of God but existed in “the beginning” archae, before there was anything or any time to be measured. This concept is not offensive to the idea of one God, yet it becomes an offense, unless true, when one attributes the identity of the Word to a particular human being as John is preparing to do. To begin his gospel, “In the beginning,” he is paralleling Genesis rather intentionally. One has to be certain that he is either right or foolish and he leaves no room for a middle ground. Jesus, He is prepared to assert is in fact the personal revelation of God and in fact God himself.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
This sentence reinforces the first and prepares for the next as it places the Word personally present outside of any measurable time and before anything else existed.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
The Word, the self revelation of God is present in and working to accomplish the creation of all that exists apart from God. There is no doubt, as Scripture elsewhere asserts, that creation reveals God in such a way as to make clear and evident what would otherwise be pure inscrutable mystery. Take for example Rom 1:20-21
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
NASU
In addition it is asserted that there is no shared creation by one or more gods or demi-gods. The Word who is God created all leaving nothing to any other mind or being. One cannot assert that anything is a creation of the devil or that the creator God is a lesser God answerable to a higher being. Again the Word is not a lesser being compared with some greater God.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
Here if I may write what comes to my mind, I would say that genuine life is only possible when it is enlightened so that one knows and is in proper relationship to Jesus Christ. For in Him as the second person of the triune God and as the co-creator we not only first receive life as created beings but receive genuine and eternal life when we receive “in Him” that life which is the “Light of men”. In simpler terms. Life is only worth living when we have the life that Jesus offers as the one who turns on the light so we can stop fumbling around in the dark.
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Often this word translated “comprehend” means to take hold of, of to receive. It is as though light is present yet somehow must be revealed in order to be visible. We know that certain bands of light such as infrared can be shined in darkness but are not visible to the naked eye. The Light shined by Christ was similar to this, it is made visible yet it was rejected, as we will see in verse 11. Also this is made apparent regarding the light of Creation in Rom 1:18-23
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
NASU
and again in John 3:19
19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
NASU
6There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
John the Baptist is an important figure, needing to be distinguished from the Christ but nonetheless “sent from God”
7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
His purpose in being sent was “as a witness” one to give sure testimony from God concerning this “Light” so that by his message all might believe. This all speaks of the general nature of Johns message which did not target or discriminate in its presentation of God's call to repentance. Certainly all are in need of repentance. It is also certain that although he was sent to proclaim to all, all did not receive his message as we shall soon see. Yet God is not to be accused of failing to offer the means of salvation to “all”. For our purposes it will become clear with verse 13 that to receive Christ requires a birth that is “of God” and not merely of the will of any person. It suffices that the witness to John the baptist published to all the need for repentance without care for who might receive or reject it. Likewise we are to publish the gospel indiscriminately so that no one may say “I have not heard” and because we cannot know who will believe.
8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
John is to be distinguished from the “Light” just as The lamp may transmit the light to a room but is not the energy which makes visible what was invisible in a darkened room. John, we are to be sure was not the Word, the Light, or more pointedly, the Christ.
9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
Apart from John was the “true Light” which was the subject of John's witness, which was about to be made known, coming into the world, and who would enlighten “every man”. There is not other true light or source of genuine “enlightenment” apart from Christ. Prophets and teachers, religions and “spirituality” are merely witnesses, valuable only so far as they correctly point us to the Christ. Those that would steer us to some other source of light other than Jesus Christ are not the light and draw us away from the source of life. (recall verse 4)
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
Here the Light, we are reminded is the same as the Word, which created the world, yet we who are his creations did not know him to be our creator and God.
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
He even came to a special people who had been prepared through Covenant, Law, and Prophesy, God's chosen people Israel, or else and at the same time, human beings in general. He did not appear as an angel or bird or some other creature or being, but as an Israelite man whose life and actions fulfilled prophesies that pointed to his identity. Yet even coming as one of us and to a special people prepared to receive him, he was not received.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,
Yet for those who did receive him,they were given the right to become children of God. Important words here for they teach us how to receive what Christ was sent to give. To receive here means to welcome near or to associate with. More than an intellectual understanding of a system of behavior or philosophy to receive Christ is to welcome Him as part of your life, to make a companion of Him, or more accurately to become his companion and follow Him. Second it speaks of Him “giving” the right to become children of God. The status of “child of God is not a natural “right” but it is given to us in and through Christ. The word here translated “right” can also be “power” or “privilege” or “capacity”, to be made able, Were we naturally “children of God” we would not need to be given this. Yet it is through Christ that it is given.
even to those who believe in His name,
To receive Him is also to believe in or as the King James Version states “on” His Name. It means more than understanding or accepting the idea of Him, but to trust in and to place your faith and confidence in Him and in His Name. His name is mentioned so that our faith is once again attached to a person and not an abstraction. Jesus is a person, the person, God the Son, in whom we place our faith.
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Those who put their faith in Christ are assured that this was not their own doing that they may doubt the adequacy of their faith or fear they may lose it by misstep or neglect. The are assured that it came not of their own will, or by inheritance, but by the supreme will of God alone. So, even as Christ came to his own particular people and was rejected by many, all who trust in Jesus Christ, whether Jew or Gentile may know that they will be gifted with the privilege to become what we were not before: Children of God.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This thing which God purposed to accomplish happened when the Word of God, Jesus Christ, “The Light” became a human being, taking on human nature in every way possible and “dwelt”, more accurately “tented” or “camped”, giving the sense of the temporary nature of His earthly life and momentary placement in history, He did this so that those who saw him, even the evangelist who is writing, could say without doubt or hesitation that they saw with their eyes the Word of God, God Himself, in his Glory. His Glory is one and the same as the only begotten son of the Father. His resemblance to the Father is like that of an only natural son, like him without compare as there is no brother so we could say “the older looks more like his Father,” or “the Younger has more of his father's personality.” He is like the father, different only in his resemblance to his mother as well, being in human flesh (not a characteristic of the father), glorious, and filled with the Father's own grace and truth. John (the evangelist) beheld this glory uniquely (along with Peter and James) at the transfiguration of Jesus, yet this Glory that “we” (his contemporaries) all saw was enough that they could say they saw him resembling the Father and full of grace and truth. In fact the word rendered “saw” implies to see closely or examine or also as one might see someone closely when visiting. This was no mere glimpse of God as Moses saw, but a revelation of God in person.
15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ' He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'"
Here the evangelist, distinguishes Jesus from the Baptist further by reminding us that John (the Baptist) himself pointed to Jesus as the one superior to him so far as to make him, in his own estimation, unworthy of the status of a minor servant. The Baptist assures his audience that the younger relative (Jesus was in human relations a relative of John as His mother and John's were related.) was in fact “before” him, likely implying Jesus Preexistence as the Word and as the Uncreated Son of God.
16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
Now speaking to his contemporary audience John (the evangelist) says to those who would hear that in seeing Christ they have received the fullness of God and more so, more “grace”, a gift given beyond what is due or could be expected that the grace they had already received by God's revelation in the Scripture of the Old Covenant.
17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
The Law was what made Jews, Jews, and what separated them from the gentiles. The chosen people were divided from the rest of the “Nations” by the Law which God had given them through Moses. Yet the fullness of God's grace and truth are given to all who receive Him through Jesus Christ. Here for the first time John makes clear that the person who he has been writing about, The “Word” and the “Light” and the “Only begotten Son” are in fact the man Jesus Christ. At the beginning I said that these ideas of Word and Light are not offensive to our natural minds if they are not attached to a living person. Yet John boldly claims that this person is in fact none other than Jesus of Nazareth who he calls the Christ, the Messiah or Anointed one. Jesus, is the dividing line between those who receive the gospel and those who are offended by it. In the end, we are told, it matters an eternity how we receive Him.
18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
For God to be more than an invisible mystery, or a philosophical abstraction, we must meet Him in the Person of Jesus Christ, for only in Him is the mystery explained.
In Christ and on the Shepherd's Path,
Mark
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