All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ
Let us turn to John 1
John 1: 1-5
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 came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
The Apostle John – known simply as the disciple whom Jesus loved. John never refers to himself in his own gospel, except as the one whom Jesus loved. Early Church fathers consistently identify him as John. In fact, Polycarp, an early Church father, was an actual disciple of John. Polycarp lived from 70 to 160 AD and testified that John wrote his gospel in the city of Ephesus, which is in Asia Minor, when John was at an advanced age. John was aware of what was written in the other gospels, and the Holy Spirit compelled him to write a spiritual gospel. They believe John to have died around 100 AD and to the best of my knowledge, he did not die a martyr, which would make him the only one of the disciples not to have been a martyr.
We find an interesting reference to this in John 21.
Our Lord is calling Peter to task. Peter, as Peter always does, is being a bit rebellious, but had finally accepted what Jesus had been asking him, which was “Tend my Sheep” and “Follow Me!”
Jesus then tells Peter that his path to follow would be a hard one. I think that maybe there might be a bit of tension between John and Peter. This was before the Holy Spirit was sent to indwell them (Acts 2:3), when all lessons by Christ were understood and the Love that Christ commanded them to have for each other took hold.
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Getting back to our Peter story, we find this in John 21:20-23
20 Peter, turning around, *saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
21 So Peter seeing him *said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”
22 Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
23 Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
(I find I share a lot of the mule-headedness that Peter had.)
Jesus met John and his brother James, while they were in their father’s boat, mending nets. They both immediately got up and followed Jesus.
Matthew 4:21-22
21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.
22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Both of them were called the Sons of Thunder by Jesus. And we can see perhaps an example of this.
Luke 9:51-55
51 When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;
52 And He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.
53 But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem.
54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of;
56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” And they went on to another village.
They were a tad zealous in how they approached things. We also know that John and his brother came from an ambitious family. Their Mother approached Jesus and asked of Him something He could not grant.
Matthew 20:20-28
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, bowing down and making a request of Him.
21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She *said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.”
22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They *said to Him, “We are able.”
23 He *said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”
24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers.
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
26 It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,
27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
All of the disciples were wrangling for more honor and glory in what they perceived to be Jesus’s mission here on earth. It was of their nature, because they were born of sin, as we ourselves are.
Review:
This first chapter of John starts out in something that causes awe in me.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
There is no reference in the Bible as to Jesus being called the Word of God, but we do find in John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
So the Bible ends up explaining itself. Jesus was there in the beginning, with God and also being God. Our Trinity is one God with 3 persons. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Sometimes hard to wrap our head around it, but that’s where Faith comes in.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
Again to reinforce the concept, Jesus was there, in the beginning, before time and the universe as we understand it, began. The Word, as Jesus, enjoyed all the splendors of heaven and eternity with the Father, yet He came down to earth in the form of man and died on the cross, emptying Himself, so that we who believe might live. A gift too awesome to really understand.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Jesus Christ was God the Father’s agent in creating everything in the universe.
Colossians 1:16-17
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Hebrews 1:2,4
2 In these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
Light and life are qualities of the Word that are shared not only among the Godhead as found in John 5:26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;
But also by those that respond to the gospel message regarding Jesus Christ.
Found in John 8:12, 9:5, 10:28, 11:25, 14:6. John uses the word “life” 36 times in his gospel. More than any other gospel.
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know over what they stumble.
Just as a single candle can overcome a room full of darkness, the powers of darkness are overcome by the work of the Son, through his death on the cross.
Numbers 6:22-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”