EveningMay 24
John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
The Gospel of John was written decades after the other gospels were in circulation. Instead of following the pattern that the other three took, he included many things they had left out. It seems that he was writing to help the Greek mind understand who Jesus is, though his writing is rich with references to Old Testament passages and Jewish customs. He begins his gospel describing the eternal existence of Jesus as the logos. The Greeks thought of the logos as the unseen reality behind what is visible. The visible was passing, perishable, but somewhere there is the reality for all we see. It is the fundamental truth that caused things we see to be like they are. It is translated "Word" in this passage.
He described this Logos as existing in the beginning, being with God, and being God. He was the instrument of creation, and without Him nothing exists. What a way to start this Gospel! John is expressing the eternal existence of Jesus. In verse 14, John will tell us that this Word took human form, what we call the incarnation.
In the first chapter of Genesis we see God speaking creation into existence. The Word was the instrument of creation. The Word was with God. The Word is God. He does not speak anything that is not completely true to His very nature.
It has been said that the first chapter of John is the most intellectual description of God ever written. A fisherman wrote it with no other education than Torah school, the aid of the Holy Spirit, and from being with Jesus for three years. The Spirit of God is telling the Greek mind that Jesus is the fundamental reality behind all things. Those things may pass away, but He will never change.
Consider: How should that affect our attitude toward the world we see around us? How should it affect our attitude toward the situations we face today?
