“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:1-3
Today we begin a series of discussions pondering various “portraits” of Jesus found in the gospel of John. We will see eleven different descriptions of Jesus with the intent that we come to love and appreciate Him more with each new element added to our view. After Thomas recognized Jesus for who He truly is, in John 20:28 he showed us the proper response and attitude towards Him. Our aim is to echo His declaration, recognizing Jesus as our Lord and our God.
The first of these “portraits” arises in the first verse, and it shows Jesus as the fullness of the expression of God’s mind and nature. John 1:1-18 is something of a road map for the entire gospel, the central focus of which is the Word of God (John 1:1-2) which “…became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This concept in John is fascinating, especially when we grasp the underlying term’s meaning.
The underlying Greek term, logos, understood against its historical backdrop is rich with meaning. The basic definition is “a communication whereby the mind finds expression” (BDAG). In ancient Greek thought, it represented “the controlling Reason of the universe” (Merrill C. Tenney). In Jewish thought, it signified “the effective agent to accomplish God’s will, the creative and sustaining power of the universe” (David L. Lipe; Psalms 33:6; Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24; John 1:3; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-3).
When we ponder how John uses this word to describe Jesus, we see he uses it in an eclectic way, likely encompassing all the above. John represents the Word as preexisting the world and in fact being its creative origin (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-3). As such, He brought life and light to humanity (John 1:4-5; Luke 1:76-79; 2:32; Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16). In coming into the world, He revealed the mind and will of God to humanity (John 1:16-18; Hebrews1:1).
John’s purpose in writing was to produce faith in the Son of God leading to eternal life (John 20:30-31). The meanings ascribed to the Logos of God above addressed two schools of thought that denied the true nature of Jesus. The Gnostic heresy John fought (cf. 1 John) denied that the Christ could have come in flesh. This they did because they believed spirit was inherently good and matter inherently evil. In stating that the eternal Logos became flesh and revealed the true nature of God, John established His deity and authority (John 1:14-18; cf. 1 John 1:1-4). This truth simultaneously struck down the common Jewish misconception of the Christ/Messiah they awaited (John 1:10-11).
The distinguishing factor in who would be saved and who would be lost is the reception or rejection of the Logos when He came (John 1:10-13; 3:18-21). The fascinating thing in all this is that, whether accepted or rejected, the Logos of God accomplished His purposes (John 1:12-13; Isaiah 55:10-11; 1 Peter 2:4-10). This is the crux of the matter, and it is the reason we are doing this exercise getting to know our Lord better. As the Creator and Sustainer of the cosmos, the Source of our life, and as the Revealer of God’s nature and will, He is due our full allegiance in all things (cf. Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:22-24; etc.).
If we choose wisely, we become children of God (John 1:12-13; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18; Galatians 3:26-27; 1 John 3:1-3). If we choose foolishly, we receive the just condemnation for so choosing (John 12:46-48). So, much the way He offered Israel the choice between blessings and curses, life and death (Deuteronomy 28-30), so He gives us the choice of life or death through His Logos Who took on flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:10-13). May we echo Thomas, and receive Him as our Lord and our God, to our eternal blessing (John 20:26-29). The alternative is unthinkable (Romans 6:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9; Hebrews 2:1-4).