Known
Thesis: The disciples knew Jesus to be God Himself, who donned human flesh in order to make God known to man.
Objective: Call people to recognize that, if they want to get to know God, they need to get to know Jesus.
- Jesus is the Word (1-5).
- He is eternal (“In the beginning” (1); The idea is identical to the one conveyed in Gen 1:1, where we learn that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In other words, just as God the Father pre-existed the creation, so also did the Word, which John equates to Jesus. He is therefore not like mere mortals, who are born into time, live for a time, and then die. He existed before time and space began.).
- He is God (1-2; The Word – o logos – (word, thought, concept, expression thereof) was considered by Greeks to be the one underlying principle that brought order to the universe, and Jews often personified the word of God to represent God himself. Here we discover that the Word is distinct from God the Father (i.e., with God) and yet comprised of the same stuff (i.e., was God). He is therefore not just another man, or even another messiah. He is God.).
- He is the executor of creation (3; The Word is not just the underlying principle, but the original cause. In the beginning, God spoke the universe into existence through the Word.).
- He is the source of life (“In him was life...” (4); Real, true life starts in Jesus. It's an important concept to John, and he uses the term 36 times in this gospel alone, revealing that 'life is Christ's gift, and he, in fact, is the life (14:6)” (Reflecting God). Everything outside of Him is merely a cheap imitation of life.).
- He is the source of light (“that life was the light of men....” (4-5); The life that is in Jesus is the light of men. Another important concept for John, light brings with it the ideas of truth, good, hope, and revelation. Jesus is the ultimate source of each of these things.).
- Jesus is the light of mankind (7-13).
- He is offered to all (9; The light – truth, good, hope, revelation – which is in Christ is offered to everyone.).
- He was coming into the world (9; Two interesting things stand out about the word translated “was coming” (NIV). It's in the present tense, meaning that it's an ongoing thing, and it's in the middle voice, meaning that Jesus came into the world of his own volition. Jesus was bringing the light, and he was bringing the light to stay.).
- He went unreceived among his own (10-11; Even though the Word had been the executor of creation and went to the people God adopted as His own, both the world and God's people failed to recognize, much less receive, Him as the Word. The light is offered to all, but there are a great number of people who won't accept it.≈).
- He adopts those who receive (12-13; Despite the rejection by so many, those few who did receive the Word as the light and life of men were given the right to become children of God. The concept here is one of adoption. i.e., we are not made gods, and there is nothing that we can do to realize our own adoption. The only thing we can do is receive Jesus, and He will bring us into His family. QUOTE: “Many say that they are Christ's own, yet do not receive him, because they will not part with their sins, nor have him to reign over them” (Matthew Henry).).
- Jesus reveals God to men (14-18).
- The Word became flesh (“The Word became flesh” (14); God knew that this light and life could not remain abstract and still be meaningful, so the Word egeneto flesh. The Word – that is, the one thing which is constant, good, holy, transcendent, divine – became flesh, which was almost crude to say. God donned all that was transient, flawed, vulgar, simple, mortal and then lived among us so that He could relate directly to us. NOTE: The word is in aorist tense, middle voice, meaning that it happened at only one point in the past, and the Word did this to himself.).
- He reveals God's glory (“We have seen his glory” (14); Glory in the OT referred to the splendor and majesty of God, which when encountered made Moses' face radiant to the point that the Israelites trembled in fear. The glory of God, in Jesus, was masked by human flesh, but for those who would get to know Him, it was revealed. QUOTE: “Men discover their weaknesses to those most familiar with them, but it was not so with Christ; those most intimate with him saw most of his glory” (Matthew Henry).).
- He reveals God's grace (“full of grace” (14); “From the fullness...” (16-17); In stark contrast to the law, which serves to condemn, Jesus reveals the grace of God, which forgives, saves, equips, energizes, and sends.).
- He reveals God's truth (“full of... truth” (14); “No one has ever seen God...” (18); Through Jesus, we can get to know God. His reality. His personality. Him.).
Ryrie
(1) In the beginning conveys the idea of “before time began, Christ was already in existence with God.”
(1) Word is, in Greek, logos. “Logos means 'word, thought, concept, and the expressions thereof.' In the OT the concept conveyed activity and revelation, and the word or wisdom of God is often personified. In the Targums (Aramaic paraphrases of the OT) it was a designation of God. To the Greek mind it expressed the ideas of reason and creative control. Revelation is the keynote idea in the logos concept. Here it is applied to Jesus, who is all that God is and the expression of Him.”
(1) “In this verse the Word (Christ) is said to be with God (i.e., in communion with and yet distinct from God) and to be God (i.e., identical in essence with God.).
(3) “Christ was active in the work of creation.”
(4) life and light “are two words especially associated with John. 'Light' in John implies revelation that discloses the 'life' that is in Christ and brings into judgment those who refuse it. 'Life' denotes salvation and deliverance, based on Christ's atonment.”
(4) understood can also be rendered “overcome.” Indeed, “the darkness did not overcome the light.”
(6) John the Baptist's “role, made clear in v 8, was simply as a witness to the Light.”
(9) The idea that light is given to every man does not mean that every man is automatically saved. “Redemption comes through faith in the Savior (1:12). But this light is available to all men.”
(10) “The world did not recognize Jesus as the Christ, God's Son, the Creator, the Svior, etc.”
(12) “to those who believed in his name” is “an explanation of what it means to 'receive' Him.”
(13) “The new birth is supernatural and therefore completely distinct from natural birth. It is not of natural descent (lit., bloods), i.e., contains no human element; nor does it lie within the scope of human achievement (it is not of human decision).”
(14) “Jesus Christ was unique, for He was God from all eternity and yet joined Himself to sinful humanity in the incarnation. The God-man possessed all the attributes of deity and ythe attributes common to humanity (apart from sin), and He will exist forever as the God-man in His resurrected body.”
(14) “Only the God-man could be an adequate Savior; for He must be human in order to be able to suffer and die, and He must be God to make that death effective as a payment for sin.”
(14) “The use of the word flesh contradicts the Gnostic teaching that pure deity could not be united with flesh, which was regarded as entirely evil.”
(14) “In the OT, glory expressed the splendor of divine manifestation and attested the divine presence. Here it means the visible manifestation of God in Christ.”
(14) “the One and Only” appears here, in 1:18; 3:16, 18, each time referring to Christ and “meaning the unique Son in a way totally different from any other who believes and is born as a child of God simply because He is equal with God.” The term is “also used of the widow of Nain's only son, Jairus's only daughter, and Isaac, Abraham's unique son.”
(16) “one blessing after another” is literally translated “grace upon grace. i.e., grace piled upon grace in the experiences of the Christian life.”
(17) “Though grace was manifest in the OT, it was but a candle compared to the brightness of grace that appeared at the Incarnation.”
(17) “Grace is the unmerited favor of God and is the basis of our salvation, justification, election, faith, and spiritual gifts.”
(18) “Since God is Spirit, no man has ever seen God in His essence, His Spirit-being. Yet He assumed visible form, which men saw in OT times, and in Jesus men could see God. Christ gives life; He reveals; He gives grace and truth.”
Henry
“The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father's mind to the world.”
“What the evangelist says of Christ proves that he is God. He asserts, His existence in the beginning; His coexistence with the Father.”
“Let us pray without ceasing, that our eyes may be opened to behold this Light, that we may walk in it; and thus be made wise unto salvation, by faith in Jesus Christ.”
“Nothing more fully shows the darkness of men's minds, than that when the Light had appeared, there needed a witness to call attention to it.”
“Christ was the true Light; that great Light which deserves to be called so.”
“Many say that they are Christ's own, yet do not receive him, because they will not part with their sins, nor have him to reign over them.”
“Men discover their weaknesses to those most familiar with them, but it was not so with Christ; those most intimate with him saw most of his glory.”
“Although he was in the form of a servant, as to outward circumstances, yet, in respect of graces, his form was like the Son of God His Divine glory appeared in the holiness of his doctrine, and in his miracles.”
“He was full of grace, fully acceptable to his Father, therefore qualified to plead for us; and full of truth, fully aware of the things he was to reveal.”
“All fulness dwells in him, from which alone fallen sinners have, and shall receive, by faith, all that renders them wise, strong, holy, useful, and happy.”
“Our receivings by Christ are summed up in this one word, grace; we have received 'even grace,' a gift so great, so rich, so invaluable; the good will of God towards us, and the good work of God in us.”
“The law of God is holy, just, and good; and we should make the proper use of it. But we cannot derive from it pardon, righteousness, or strength. It teaches us to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, but it cannot supply the place of that doctrine.”
“As no mercy comes from God to sinners but through Jesus Christ, no man can come to the Father but by him; no man can know God, except as he is made known in the only begotten and beloved Son.”
(1) “Greeks used this term (Word) not only of the spoken word but also of the unspoken word, the word still in the mind – the reason. When they applied it to the universe, they meant the rational principle that governs all things. Jews, on the other hand, used it as a way of referring to God. Thus John used a term that was meaningful to both Jews and Gentiles.”
(1) The fact that the Word was with God implies that it was distinct from the Father.
(1) To say that the Word was God is to say that “Jesus was God in the fullest sense.”
(1) “The prologue begins and ends with a ringing affirmation of [Jesus'] deity.”
(4) life is “one of the great concepts of this Gospel. The term is found 36 times in John, while no other NT book uses it more than 17 times. Life is Christ's gift, and he, in fact, is 'the life' (14:6).”
(4) “This Gospel also links light with Christ, from whom comes all spiritual illumination. He is the 'light of the world,' who holds out wonderful hope for man.”
(5) “the stark contrast between light and darkness is a striking theme in this Gospel.”
(6) “In this Gospel the name John always refers to John the Baptist.”
(7) “John the Baptist's singular ministry was to testify to Jesus. 'Witness' is another important concept in this Gospel. The noun ('witness' or 'testimony') is used 14 times (in Matthew not at all, in Mark three times, in Luke once) and the verb ('testify') 33 times (found once each in Matthew and Luke, not at all in Mark) – in both cases more often than anywhere else in the NT. John (the author) thereby emphasizes that the facts about Jesus are amply attested.”
(7) “this Gospel invites all people to faith, not 'in' John but 'through' him. Similarly, the writer intends to draw them to belief in Christ; he uses the verb 'believe' 98 times.”
(9) “John is referring to the incarnation of Christ.”
(9) world is “another common word in John's writings, found 78 times in this Gospel and 24 times in his letters (only 47 times in all of Paul's writings). It can mean the universe, the earth, or the human system opposed to God's purposes. John emphasizes the word by repetition, and moves without explanation from one meaning to another.”
(12) “Membership in God's family is by grace alone – the gift of God. It is never a human achievement, as v 13 emphasizes, yet the imparting of the gift is dependent on man's reception of it, as the words 'received' and 'believed' make clear.”
(14) The word “became” “indicates transition; the Word existed before he becme man.”
(14) “flesh” is “a strong, almost crude, word that stresses the reality of Christ's manhood.”
(14) “The Greek for 'made his dwelling' is connected with the word for 'tent/tabernacle'; the verse would have reminded John's Jewish readers of the Tent of Meeting, which was filled by the glory of God.”
(14) “Christ revealed his glory to his disciples by the miracles he performed and by his death and resurrection.”
(14) “The corresponding Hebrew terms [for 'grace and truth'] are often translated ('unfailing) love and faithfulness.'”
(14) grace is “a significant Christian concept, though John never uses the worst after the prologue.”
(14) “truth” is “a word John uses 26 times and links closely with Jesus, who is the truth.”
(15) “the present tense indicates that John the Baptist's preaching still sounded in people's ears, though he was killed long before this Gospel was written.”
(15) “In ancient times the older person was given respect and regarded as greater than the younger. People would normally have ranked Jesus lower in respect than John, who was older. John the Baptist explains that this is only apparent, since Jesus, as the Word, existed before he was born on earth.”
(18) “God the One and Only” is “an explicit declaration of Christ's deity.”
(18) “Sometimes in the OT people are said to have seen God. But we are also told that no one can see God and live. Therefore, since no human being can see God as he really is, those who saw God saw him in a form he took on himself temporarily for the occasion. Now, however, Christ has made him known.”
- Ryrie, Charles C. Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.
- Henry, Matthew. Commentary on the Whole Bible.http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc6.Jam.iv.html
- Barker, Kenneth, ed. Reflecting God Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.