The Word, Life, & Light

Word, Life, Light

When I was young, I was afraid of the dark. I often had scary dreams and waking up to darkness didn’t help. My Mom bought me a kitten night light to keep on the bookshelf next to my bed. Not only did it dispel the scary darkness, but it lit a path for me if I got up in the night. I still have my kitten nightlight next to my bed. Although I’m not afraid of the dark anymore, it still lights my way when I need it and reminds me that darkness doesn’t win.

Today’s passage may be familiar. It is to me, but in the past I have focused on the first three verses. As I read this passage again recently, verses 4 and 5 caught my attention.

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 were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. [1]

John 1:1-5

I want to start with a little background on the Gospel of John before we dive in. Whereas the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke share more of what Jesus taught and did, John focuses on who Jesus is. He wrote this Gospel “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). Our verses today are a summation of the rest of the Gospel of John which is why we will study verses 1-3 as well as verses 4 and 5.

John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (vs 1-2). For us, this may seem an odd way for John to begin his Gospel, but it was not so for his readers. In Greek, the word for Word is logos which has roots in both Jewish and Greek culture. Jews often spoke of God as “the Word of God.” If they used the phrase “the word of God,” they were speaking of God Himself. When the Greeks spoke of logos, it referred to the power that brought order to a chaotic world. Logos set things in order and maintained that set order.

“Therefore, in this opening, John says to both Jews and Greeks: “For centuries you’ve been talking, thinking, and writing about the Word (the logos). Now I will tell you who He is.” John meets both Jews and Greeks where they are at, and explains Jesus in terms they already understood.”[2]

But John also infuses more meaning into Jesus as the Word. Jesus was before anything that is. He is eternal. John says that the Word (Jesus) was with God and is God meaning Jesus is God. Not only is He God, but that He is with God speaks of the Trinity. John is differentiating between distinct Persons of the Trinity. In these first two verses, we see Jesus’ deity, His eternality, and His place within the Trinity.

Next John declares, “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made” (vs 3). Jesus Himself is uncreated. He is the One who created all things. Do you recall the creation account? How were things created? “God said…” Words. The Word.

When Jesus took on flesh, the Father was made known or revealed through Him (John 14:7). Jesus continued what was initiated at creation. Jesus created all things and all creation testifies to or reveals the Father (Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:19-20). Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals the Father.

Paul echoes John, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17).

Jesus is the Word, He is Creator, and He is life (vs 4). Both our physical and spiritual lives are derived from Jesus. The Greek word used for life in verse 4 is zoe (life principle) not bios (merely biological). John is stating that not only did Jesus create our physical bodies, but He is the One from whom spiritual life comes as well. Apart from Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross and His resurrection, we would be dead in our trespasses (Ephesians 2:1) without any hope of eternal life.

Jesus is life and light. Without Him, we would be dead and in darkness. Light is commonly used in Scripture as a symbol of God. Salvation is described as light (Isaiah 9:2). In Scripture, darkness is used to symbolize death, ignorance, sin, and separation from God. Grace upon grace that Jesus is life and light. In Him, we are delivered “from the domain of darkness and transferred. . . to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). We are delivered from all that darkness symbolizes:

Instead of We have

Death Eternal life (John 3:16)

Ignorance Understanding (Colossians 1:9; Ephesians 1:17-18)

Sin Forgiveness (1 John 1:9) and Jesus’ imputed

righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Separation from God Reconciled (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18), brought

near (Ephesians 2:13) and children of God

(Ephesians 5:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:5)

Wow! So many reasons to be grateful and to praise God for what He has done through Jesus – the Word, the Life, and the Light, but there is more. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (vs 5). Darkness cannot overcome the Light. Yes, darkness or Satan has some power, but it is limited. God will always be victorious in the end. Think of the cross. There was darkness right before Jesus died (Luke 23:44). It must have seemed very dark to Jesus’ followers as they watched Him breathe His last and be laid in the tomb. Satan was probably celebrating thinking he had won, but hallelujah! That wasn’t the end of the story. Jesus rose from the dead. He conquered sin and death. He is alive and sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for us and awaiting the day we are with Him in glory. Light is victorious.

First and foremost, this means salvation for those who trust in Jesus’ redeeming work on the cross. We have forgiveness from sin, we are reconciled to the Father, and we have eternal life, but this verse was also an encouragement as I look at the world around me. So often, darkness seems to be winning. There are people who are lost, alienated from God, but there are also many believers who are going through dark circumstances (Psalm 23:4). This verse reminds us that the darkness is not all that there is (Psalm 23:5-6). Darkness does not have the ultimate victory. Light does. God does not promise to remove all darkness and hardship from our earthly lives. Deliverance and victory may not be this side of heaven, but we still have the Light. We have Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, equipping us to stand firm. The Spirit is the same power that raised Jesus’ from the dead, and He is our helper. We have the light of God’s Word and His promises (Psalm 119:105). We have the privilege of prayer where we can cry to God. We are eternally loved and cared for. We are never alone. The Light has come.

I’d like to end by considering Genesis 1 and creation. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep” (vs 1-2a, emphasis added). Darkness, but . . . “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (vs 3, emphasis added). The light dispelled the darkness. Continuing, “And God said, ‘Let the earth sprout…’ (vs 11), ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth…’ (vs 20, emphasis added), ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures…’ (vs 24, emphasis added), and ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’” (vs 26). The Word, light, and life.

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 were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. [3]

John 1:1-5

Reflection

1. Have you become too comfortable with Jesus? John’s description of Jesus as the Word reminds us that Jesus is fully God. He created all things. In this we see His sovereignty, power, wisdom, knowledge, and care. This should bring us to our knees in awe. How does Jesus as the Word impact your current circumstances?

2. When did you last consider that Jesus is life? From Him come both physical and spiritual life. Not only has He redeemed you so you will have eternal life, but you are a new creation. You have a new life in Him that is continually being conformed to the image of Jesus until it is completed (Philippians 1:6). How does Jesus as the Life impact your current circumstances?

3. Have you weighed the enormity of Jesus as the Light? First, if you haven’t experienced the light of Jesus’s saving work, please talk to someone today. (You can use the contact information on my website.) Second, if you have come to saving faith, where have you still experienced the dark effects of a fallen world and sinful people? Is there a situation that feels like darkness is winning? What impact does Jesus as the Light have on your current circumstances?

4. There are many reasons to praise and thank God for Jesus as the Word, the Life, and the Light. Spend time worshipping Him.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 1:1–5. [2] David Guzik, John, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Jn 1:1–2. [3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 1:1–5.