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 All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing made had being.
4 In him was life,
and the life was the light of mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not suppressed it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was Yochanan. 7 He came to be a testimony, to bear witness concerning the light; so that through him, everyone might put his trust in God and be faithful to him. 8 He himself was not that light; no, he came to bear witness concerning the light.
9 This was the true light,
which gives light to everyone entering the world.
10 He was in the world — the world came to be through him —
yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own homeland,
yet his own people did not receive him.
12 But to as many as did receive him, to those who put their trust in his person and power, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 not because of bloodline, physical impulse or human intention, but because of God.
14 The Word became a human being and lived with us,
and we saw his Sh’khinah,
the Sh’khinah of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
15 Yochanan witnessed concerning him when he cried out, “This is the man I was talking about when I said, ‘The one coming after me has come to rank ahead of me, because he existed before me.’”
16 We have all received from his fullness,
yes, grace upon grace.
17 For the Torah was given through Moshe;
grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah.
18 No one has ever seen God; but the only and unique Son, who is identical with God and is at the Father’s side — he has made him known.
[Complete Jewish Bible]---------------------
The autumn of my sophomore year of college I sat in my first Greek class. One of our first assignments was noun declension. As our model we used John's "word" in his opening verse: "logos" or "word:" "In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God."
Words have a purpose. While we might think them, it is usually with the intent that they will be spoken. We do that both by voicing them and writing them; but either way we use words for a reason. We want something to happen, a task to be accomplished, a message to be understood, an idea to be considered.
John says that God had a purpose from the very beginning of beginnings. He describes that purpose as a Word. That Word accomplished creation. That Word gifted us with life. That Word illuminates and drives away darkness. And that Word became incarnate, with a purpose.
For you, that purpose is that your life might be empowered when you believe or trust that Word which was born for you. John will later in his gospel describe that purpose as our choice to love one another as that "Word" has loved us. How will your life in the coming days testify to that Word, its life and its light?
Speak to me, Lord, and enable me to hear you clearly. Illumine my way, Lord, that I might walk with purpose. Live in me, Lord, that I might speak your word and show forth your light to those I meet this day. Amen.
Sherman Bishop
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Westlake, Ohio
Master of Divinity , 1980
John 1:1 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 without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being
4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, "He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' ")
16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.[New Revised Standard Version]
---------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment