seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 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.
15 (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.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 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.
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Here's the link to the commentary I read.
The Gospel of John was probably the last of the four written, and written in view of what the previous three had already said. This is one reason why John’s account of the life of Jesus is in many ways different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
The first three Gospels center on Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. John centers his Gospel on what Jesus said and did in Jerusalem.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the three synoptic gospels. The word synoptic means “see-together” and the first three Gospels present the life of Jesus in pretty much the same format. The first three Gospels focus more on what Jesus taught and did; John focused more on who Jesus is.
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In the beginning: This refers to the timeless eternity of Genesis 1:1 (In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth). John essentially wrote, “When the beginning began, the Word was already there.” The idea is that the Word existed before creation or even time.
He was in the beginning with God: This again makes the point that the Father is distinct from the Son, and the Son distinct from the Father. They are equally God, yet they are separate Persons.
In Him was life: The Word is the source of all life — not only biological life, but the very principle of life. The ancient Greek word translated life is zoe, which means “the life principle,” not bios, which is mere biological life.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it: Did not overcome it is another way to translate the phrase, “did not comprehend it.”The light cannot lose against the darkness; the darkness will never overcome it.
The world did not know Him: This is strange. God came to the same world He created, to the creatures made in His image, and yet the world did not know Him. This shows how deeply fallen human nature rejects God, and that many reject (did not receive) God’s word and Light.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: Though some rejected this revelation, others received Him and thereby became children of God. They became children of God through a new birth, being born... of God.
Not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God: John reminds us of the nature of the birth. Those who received Him are born of God, but not of human effort or achievement.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us: This is John’s most startling statement so far. It would have amazed both thinkers in both the Jewish and the Greek world to hear that the Word became flesh.
We beheld His glory: John testified to this as an eyewitness, even as John the Baptist testified. John could say, “I saw His glory, the glory belonging to the only begotten of the Father.”
He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me: John the Baptist’s testimony was rooted in his understanding of the pre-existence of Jesus. He knew that Jesus was before him in every sense.
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ: This describes and demonstrates the fullness of grace announced by John the Baptist and brought by Jesus Christ. God the Word, Jesus Christ, brought a different order than the one instituted by Moses.
No one has seen God at any time: Jesus, the Word, is the perfect declaration of the unseen God. The Father and the Son belong to the same family, and Jesus has declared the nature of the unseen God to man. We don’t have to wonder about the nature and personality of God. Jesus has declared it with both His teaching and His life.
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In order for Jesus to return, He had to be born and crucified and walk out of the tomb.
Michael told Daniel that Jesus was coming again and laid out a timeline. Now that timeline of has partially played out and it's time for Jesus to appear on earth.
I skipped right to the New Testament. I skipped through the first three Gospels. I skipped right to John's Gospel because John was Jesus' best human buddy. Who better to tell us about Jesus than His best buddy on earth.
There are two Johns right in this first chapter. They are John the Apostle who was Jesus' best buddy, and John the Baptist, who was one of Jesus' cousins. John the Baptist was also the crier for Jesus. John's job was to tell people "Jesus is coming". We'll meet him in the next few verses of this chapter of John's Witness.
These verses were written by John the Apostle about Jesus, the Son of God.
John says, back in the beginning, before God turned on the light in the workshop and started to create the universe, Jesus was with His Father. I like to think of them in the workshop together with the earth suspended in the Universe before them. I like to think of God saying to His Son, "now let's get to that blue ball we made". I like to think Jesus would have replied to His Dad, "that's the one I'm going to, right?" And I like to think God nods. God knows what's coming when Jesus goes to the blue ball.
John uses the words "light" when describing Jesus. Jesus was just the most positive human to ever exist.
John says:
"John 1:11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."
God would adopt humans as part of the family! My daughter has two dogs, Nilla and Kosar. She calls them her "fur babies". She adopted these dogs from a shelter. She says they are part of the family. Like I said, they are her "fur babies". I'm sure there are a few of you who know what I'm talking about.
Her "fur babies" aren't perfect dogs. Sometimes they bark incessantly while she's on a zoom call. Sometimes they jump on the furniture. Sometimes they tear up something that doesn't belong to them. Sometimes she has to correct them. Sometimes she has to make them do things they don't want to do. She knew they would do things that didn't smell good. She knew her dogs were going to fart in the house and poop in the yard.... and she would have to live with the farts and clean up the poop. She's willing to do all that... because they are "family".
God isn't human. Just like my daughter is not a dog.
Jesus wasn't human but because He is God's Son... who was in that workshop with God when God made the Universe.... God could let Him become human.
Remember.... God can do anything!
God knew when Jesus went to earth, Jesus would adopt some humans. Just as we adopt dogs to join the family.... Jesus would adopt humans to join His family.
To adopt humans, Jesus became a human and lived amongst them. Jesus went to the human park! Some of the humans at the human park would just love His positive attitude and hang around Him in the human park. Some of the humans were just jerks. They had already sniffed satan's butt and they were not too happy with a human who didn't want to hang around satan in the human park. They were the "human park bullies" and they would never hang out with that goodie-two-shoes-newcomer to the human park.
John the Apostle wrote this Gospel about his best buddy Jesus.
Jesus had to come to earth and leave before He could return to fulfill the vision Michael explained to Daniel.
This book is written about who Jesus is. This book is about what Jesus did on this blue ball. He watched God create and hang earth in the universe. Jesus was looking forward to visiting the human park called Earth.
John is also the author of the Book of Revelation and a few letters to churches. I'm on a trek to figure out "End Times" so John is the best Gospel to lead us there [IMHO].
John will tell us the truth!
