Day 1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. – John 1:1-18
Devotional:
The Gospel of John is the last Gospel of the four written by John, who was one of the disciples, not to be confused with John the Baptist, the prophet, who will be spoken of in these pages.
The Gospel is written to new believers and for those seeking Christ. It is often the first book a new believer reads in the Bible because it covers all the bases of being a Christ follower.
It was probably written around A.D.85-90 after the destruction of Jerusalem and before John was exiled to the island of Patmos. John was the only disciple not killed for his faith. Some tried but were unsuccessful and instead he was sent to live out his life on a remote island. There he wrote the book of Revelation.
John made it clear that Jesus was not just a man but the Son of God, who offered the gift of eternal life and he believed that if it was true, then we should be paying attention.
Here, John gives an eyewitness account of Jesus as he met with individuals, preached to the crowds and debated with leaders in this book. His message received a mixed reaction: some worshiped him, some were puzzled, some moved to silence him. Not much different than we see today.
The Gospel starts with one of the most profound passages in all of Scripture. “The Word” was a term used by theologians and philosophers in many different ways. In the Hebrew Scriptures, it meant multiple things: an agent of creation, the source of the message of God’s people, God’s standard of holiness or another expression for God. In philosophy, “The Word” was the principle of reason that governed the world.
John was clearly speaking of Jesus when he referred to “The Word”. Jewish readers thought this was blasphemous. Greek readers thought this was unthinkable. But to John, this new understanding of “The Word” was good news of Jesus Christ.
Questions to Ponder:
- In what way can you receive or welcome Christ in your life?
- What insights can you gain from seeing Jesus as God’s Word?
- In what way is John an example for us to follow?
