John gets right to the point. Jesus is God, and He always has been. Jesus is the Creator God. These chapters are packed with so much, and please allow me to simply share some notes I have made in my Bible as I have read this gospel.
How privileged the disciples and other eyewitnesses were to have had the Word dwell among them in the flesh. Their world was dark, not physically, but spiritually, yet the metaphor works very well. As you read “darkness”. Imagine trying to read instructions to some new gadget, but doing so without light. Such was the case for the religiously-minded when Jesus arrived on the scene. OK, such is the case today, too. People then, as now, were searching for God, for truth, yet were (are) hopelessly mired in darkness. Jesus tells us in other places about Him being the Light.
Light helps us see, yet sometimes light shows details we’d rather not look at. Mirrors come to mind as well. Ladies would rather not see wrinkles appear, guys like to not see those gray hairs or less-than-flattering side profiles. The light that Jesus brought revealed people’s need for Him, and that meant humbling themselves to accept a position of being “lost”, separated from God because of sin. Jesus came to brighten this dark world, and one would think this to be a great thing. Yet many chose rather to block out the Light; others, however, chose to embrace and utilize this eternal-life-giving Light.
John the Baptist had the honor to be the forerunner of the Messiah, and his humble preaching style is admirable. People loved to hear him preach and teach. Yet he continually placed the focus of his ministry on Christ, pointing people to Him. Look at the followers of John the Baptist who left him to follow Jesus, believing the prophet when he declared Jesus the Lamb of God. Jesus’ first disciples had been prepared by the Baptist to recognize His arrival. John sought neither glory nor recognition, fulfilling his ministry faithfully. He is a great example to follow for teachers and preachers today.
Just who deserves the glory and focus? None other than Christ.
John (the disciple) refers to Jesus as completely representative of grace and truth. In verse 18, he calls Him God. We should, too.
Today, in this day and age, we need this Light more than anything, and sadly, most of this world has chosen to live in the dark. If people look in the mirror in the dark, they don’t have to see their imperfections, but they are there. And if people don’t want to see their sinful position before God, that is, see themselves how God sees them, then they don’t have to, either.
Being the Christmas season, I can think of at least two instances of Jesus coming into the world as a baby marked by light: The light that shone around the shepherds as the angels announced His arrival; and the light from the star that the magi followed months later. The Light has indeed come; the Light will indeed come again.
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