As we begin our study with the Book of John, I am reminded of the powerful words and phrases that feature so prominently in this Gospel. John emphasizes many elemental concepts throughout his writings, and we see several examples in this first chapter: "Word." "Light and Darkness." "Life." "Water and Spirit." These theological ideas are so profound that I have heard it said of this Gospel that it is simple enough for a child to safely wade in, and deep enough for an elephant to drown.
Coming just off of Christmas, we spent a lot of time talking of Jesus as "Emmanuel," or God with us. John 1:14 richly describes the incarnation of Jesus Christ as the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us, literally "pitching his tent among us," recalling the Old Testament role of the Tabernacle as evidence of God's presence with His people.
My final observation today would be the gentle invitation that beckons people to explore the life of faith in Christ. When Jesus is approached by two of John's disciples, he encourages them to "come and see." Later, Philip shares his discovery with Nathanael. When Nathanael questions how Jesus could possibly be the Messiah, Philip simply answers, "Come and see." Let this be an invitation for us in 2014 to explore the New Testament and allow the Holy Spirit to build up our faith!
Please feel free to share your thoughts and insights on this passage by adding a comment.
Excited to begin!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for this journey and to deepen my knowledge of the New Testament.
ReplyDeleteAwesome
ReplyDeleteThis chapter and Pastor Jon's description reminds me of a song by Matt Redman called "Come and See". The chorus goes "Come and see what God has done. Come and see what Love has won. In this place, hearts and lives, waking up, to the light of the world. You're the light of the world." Hearing this song in conjunction with the reading really adds that sense of adventure to what we will encounter in this gospel.
ReplyDeleteI love that Jesus wants says to the men, come and see...he wants all of us to have an active participation in the relationship with him.
ReplyDeleteCould someone explain the end section of the statement, "He who comes after me ranks ahead of me BECAUSE HE WAS BEFORE ME.
ReplyDeleteI will have to look it up, but as a guess, the "he was before me" language seems to be stressing the same point that John 1:1 makes about Jesus: the He existed in the beginning and was responsible for creation. By this statement, John the Baptist is making a case for Jesus' pre-existence and His divinity. We might paraphrase his comment as "The one coming after me (the next prophet to arise after me) is greater than me because He was really before me (He has been around forever)." Later on, in John 8:57, this same kind of point is made when the Pharisees say, "You are not yet 50 years old and you have seen Abraham!"
DeleteAgree with Jon. John the Baptist knew who Jesus was spiritually--not the flesh and blood man skin He put on, but the pre-incarnate Christ, who was and is and is to come: i.e. God!
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