I preached this in church yesterday. Was not the easiest to prepare as I had too much to say to the church. Not the easiest text to grasp as well but I think John’s Gospel casts an important light to our understanding of the Gospel.
Good morning.
We are in the midst of a series of sermons that are basically focused on Christmas but without focusing on the Christmas narrative. You can think of this series as more like “The making of Christmas”, not in terms of the mechanics but the behind-the-scenes build up to it.
We will be looking at the first 18 verses of John chapter 1 but focusing mainly on the later portion of the passage as that forms the text given to me.
Let me first refresh your memory on what was said about the Word and the Light, looking at vv1-9.
“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.” (John 1:1-3)
These 3 verses tell us about the Word. While certainly there is meaning and intent to the choice of the Greek word “Logos”, that is translated Word, I think that its primary function here is to differentiate from God. John refers to Logos as him, a person, and tells us that Logos was pre-existent (that means before all existence, he exists), and he exists alongside God and in union with God (the idea of “with God” is not merely that they were together spatially but also together, unitedly). Then, the logical conclusion, Logos is God, in the sense that he is fully God. Finally John tells us that not only is Logos pre-existent, he is the root of all existence. All that exists owe their existence to Logos.
We all know that Logos ultimately is Jesus but John does not say “In the beginning was Jesus” because Jesus was Logos became flesh and that took place later. And it would be confusing to say “In the beginning was the Son of God”. So John began with “In the beginning was Logos” and led us to see that Logos was with God and Logos was God and then tell us that Logos became flesh, identified by John the Baptizer, and finally, Jesus Christ in v17. Then he uses the title “Son of God” and references the Father in v18.
“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”
John continues to develop our understanding of Logos and tells us that in Logos is life and that life is the light of all mankind. He is no longer talking about all that exists but about mankind, and zooms in on the particular aspect of mankind that sets him apart because it originates from Logos himself: life. This life is not created and so we are not talking about biological life; it exists in Logos and comes from him.
V9 tells us: “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” You can say that John is saying the True Light illumines Mankind but I think that there is more to it. A portion of the life that is in Logos is given and John calls it the light of all mankind. That means that mankind was specially made. We read in Genesis:
“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26)
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)
Whether we link this “life that is the light of all mankind” to the image of God that we read of in Genesis 1, or the breath of life that was breathed into the body made from the soil, that we are told of in Genesis 2, we know, even from the Genesis account, that something of God was imparted to man and this sets him apart from how the rest of Creation came about.
We know what came next in the Genesis story: man sinned and plunged the world into darkness. John does not talk about what happened and what God did subsequently but instead sums up the current situation in the next line:
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Even though the world was overtaken by darkness, the light of mankind has not been extinguished. All is not lost.
And so we come to our first passage:
“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.”
At this point, John tells us about how Logos responded to the loss of mankind to the darkness. We know that this is about events that happened in his lifetime.
John tells us that the true light did come but the world, that came into existence through him, did not recognise him. He came to his own but his own did not embrace him.
This, of course, is the darkness. Mankind, created in the image of God, could not recognise the True Light. The life that is the light of mankind was no longer drawn to the Life that was its source. The people that descended from Abraham, with whom God was pleased to dwell and call his own, did not receive him.
Creation no longer recognises their Master and no longer loves him.
But there is a “but” and John tells us that there were, and there continues to be, those who embrace the light and believe that he is their Lord and God.
John tells us that in spite of the reception he received those who do receive him and recognise him as Lord and God, “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.”
If you have been following the flow of the broad narrative, you would, like me, be surprised by the ending here. One would have expected that the good outcome would be a restoration of the original status for those who resisted the darkness and embraced the light. Instead we are told that there will be an upgrade in status from “mankind” to “godkind”.
The change in status is not a change in species—so it is not biological—but a change in spirit. Paul in Romans 8 tells us:
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:14-16)
So these people will receive the Holy Spirit and, having the Holy Spirit, are now adopted as children of God. The sense I get from the narrative is that this is a necessary upgrade, not a reward, in order to rescue us from the darkness.
Let me pause at this point to highlight the perspective that John brings to us in the account of his Gospel.
Mankind is created with a special relationship with Logos/God. There is a special connection between us and him—a life that is in him, that is given to us, that sets us apart. This is what makes us precious to him—we bear his image; we carry his life—this is our light.
Sin has brought about a darkness in us, severing our connection with the source of our being and the True Light came to reconnect with us. Those who choose to recognise his ownership and embrace his life will receive the Holy Spirit so that we can be ultimately free from the darkness and have his life flow in us unencumbered.
John’s Gospel emphasises God as our Creator and highlights the fact that our life, which sets us apart and makes us precious, is found in Logos. In his first letter, John writes:
“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:12)
I think that this perspective is vital in our understanding of the Gospel and our communication of it. When we understand our connection with Jesus then everything else falls into place. Life (or salvation) is to have Jesus, not just to believe and have faith. It is to know him, walk with him, and become like him. The most important figure in the story is Jesus, not us. We can do all we want but they will amount to very little if Jesus remains at the periphery of our being. The most important things we can do are those that draw Jesus into our life and this will cause the light that people see in us to reflect the True Light.
Let us move on.
“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 1:14-18)
What I want to highlight in this last passage is what I think is the key point that John wants to convey here: Jesus is the Revelation of God. In v18, John explains to us his point:
“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.”
Jesus as Logos in the flesh made God known. In John 18, Jesus told Pilate:
“You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:37, ESV)
Earlier I was saying that I think John used the word Logos to avoid saying Jesus or Son of God so as to convey more clearly his place in the Godhead but Logos is an apt name for Jesus. The Word is the Revelation of God; the witness to the truth.
Why is it so important for Jesus to make God known to us? It goes back to v12:
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
It is meaningless to receive him and believe in his name if you do not know him. It is meaningless to think about becoming a child of God if you have no sense of who God is. It is meaningless to embrace God’s offer of salvation if we have no clue what salvation actually is.
The Gospel is empty if those who receive it remain ignorant of God.
John goes on to tell us:
“We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The way we would usually understand “glory” is in terms of majesty and splendour. Glory is something that fills us with awe and wonder. It is something special and elevates us from the rest. However, when Moses, in a moment of daring, asked to see the glory of God, God’s response is very interesting:
“I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (Exodus 20:19-20)
Obviously there are other aspects to what constitutes the glory of God but God himself is willing to associate his glory, or his name, with goodness, mercy and compassion.
John tells us that the apostles have seen the glory of Jesus, glory not of man but of the Son of God, and he tells us that it is grace and truth. In v17 he repeats it. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Grace and truth are not words that you would usually put together. You would probably say mercy and grace, or faithful and true. And so when John puts these two words together to encompass the essence of what Jesus revealed, it seems to me that they are two aspects of Jesus that are essential to our understanding of God.
Truth brings to my mind the fact that Logos is the root of all existence. The truth of physics, chemistry and biology and all the other associated sciences comes from him. The moral truth of life and community is set by him. The truth of our purpose and destiny comes from him. To be in the truth is to be ultimately in harmony with life and the universe. This, I think, is why Jesus tells us:
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-21)
However, in the bible, truth in God also means his faithfulness, trustworthiness and his commitment to make good his word and his promises. Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s Word and underlines the truth of God. On the flipside, the truth of God also reveals his uncompromising stance against darkness and sin. There is no other fate to those who choose to remain independent of God except the promise of his condemnation and wrath.
Grace is uniquely the prerogative of God. As our God and the source of our life he holds our fate in his hands. He would be perfectly just to end the existence of those who choose darkness over light. To Moses God declares that he is good, merciful and compassionate. Grace is exemplified when Jesus tells the woman caught in adultery, “Then neither do I condemn you, go now and leave your life of sin.”
John, as he walked with Jesus in the 3 years as his disciple, saw grace and truth embodied in Jesus. It is not all talk; grace and truth is the glory of his being and it allows us to know the glory of God.
What does it all mean?
The woman at the well who met Jesus found truth, truth that not only helped her understand herself and what she was seeking in life, but also truth in God, and was so drawn to Jesus that she quickly introduced him to her neighbours. That same truth made the rich young ruler sad and disappointed but fascinated Nicodemus.
Pilate shrugged his shoulders when confronted with truth thinking that the power he holds makes a better truth.
Judas was offered grace but rejected it because he could not believe the truth of Jesus. But to the woman caught in adultery, grace was literally life. If she was, as I suspect, the woman who subsequently wept at the feet of Jesus and wiped away her tears with her hair, grace meant forgiveness and new life.
Jesus is so much more than a man on the cross. God is so much more than his promise to forgive us of our sin. Salvation is so much more than being saved from the death that sin brings.
“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)
John’s Gospel tells us of our rich origins, of our Creator determined not to lose us to the darkness, of a new promise to empower us to be children of God so that we can overcome the darkness. In the life of Jesus John reveals to us a person full of grace and truth, bravely facing the evil that was unleashed by men deep in darkness, trusting the Father, and finally, on the other side of death, breathing into us the breath of life that is the Holy Spirit.
And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22)
Our Gospel must no less be centred on Jesus. As Logos became flesh to make God known so too we must embody the Gospel we preach in order that people might know him. To have life is to have the Son. To have the Son is to follow him as his disciple. The call of Jesus in Matthew 28 is to make disciples.
Finally,
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
Jesus made God known to us by becoming one of us and making his home among us.
In our modern world we are tempted to be more efficient in the task of Revelation, making Jesus known, tapping the power of technology with books, tracts, even videos and movies. I don’t think they are evil or useless, although they can be, but we must understand the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus.
I believe that the Gospel is to be embodied, in individual Christians, yes, but more fully, as a body of Christ. This, I believe, is the primary call of the church.
It is true that people can come to church and learn about Jesus. And that is a good thing. Or as individual Christians we can help communicate the Gospel and teach people about Jesus. But the primary call of the church, and, of individual Christians is, I believe, to embody Jesus. As people know us, they will know Jesus.
This is not to say that there is no need to teach and explain. Jesus himself taught and explained. But ultimately Jesus must be known and that is best done through a person.
In this sense then our focus is not on numbers or the size of our church or how effective our communication is. Success is not measured then by people telling us that our church is very interesting or exciting or even enjoyable. It is when people can say of us, looking at you or looking at your church I know why Jesus is so important to you. I am drawn to him as well. Life as I hope it can be, is there.
Success is how faithfully we embody him so that others can know him. Even when they tell you, I am an atheist, I am of a different faith, but I admire and am drawn to the Jesus you follow, we have done well.
I see this in Hannah Yeoh and her efforts to express integrity in her duties. None of us can do so perfectly but this is the task that only we can do.
Jesus was not only the embodiment of Logos but he made his home among us.
We can understand this in terms of location. The people we reach out to are best family and relatives, our neighbours or colleagues because they have the best potential to know us.
But we can also understand this in terms of regard: Logos/Jesus adopted us and regarded us as his people. In the same way we can adopt a neighbourhood, or a person, or a group, or even a category of people, and make them our neighbours. Jesus making his home among us is the pattern for Christian missions.
When I had the opportunity to visit Rick and Lu and listen to them share about their neighbours and also the children that they had taught I got the sense of their love and their desire to be the light that shines in that neighbourhood and I praised God for their faithfulness.
When I listened to this church during your anniversary how God led you to this neighbourhood and how God provided the space for you to build your church here, and how you got involved with tuition, with children, I get that same sense of your excitement and ambition to be the light that shines in this neighbourhood. You made this place your home. You got to know the people, you got involved with their lives and they got involved with yours. I remember recently the nasi lemak seller asking Vanessa if the church still provides tuition.
We make a neighbourhood our home so our neighbours can know, even in small ways, who Jesus is.
Jesus tells us that our calling is to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. What does that mean except that we are to embody him, the True Light, and be a positive influence in our neighbourhood so that people may know him.
May we be faithful lights in reflecting the true light in our little corner so that those around us may know him. Is numbers important, reaching out to as many people as possible? For me I just want my Lord to say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Let me end with this Sunday school song that has been on my mind of late. I appreciate its child-like lyrics that emphasises our simple obedience to his call for us to be light in this world.
1 Jesus bids us shine with a clear pure light,
like a little candle burning in the night;
in this world of darkness we must shine –
you in your small corner, and I in mine.
2 Jesus bids us shine, first of all for him;
well he sees and knows it, if our light is dim;
he looks down from heaven, sees us shine –
you in your small corner, and I in mine.
3 Jesus bids us shine, then; for all around
many kinds of darkness in this world abound:
sin and want and sorrow: we must shine –
you in your small corner, and I in mine.