February 8. John 1:1-18
Good morning! (Or perhaps it’s afternoon by the time you are able to read this?) Here we are for week two, looking at John’s beautiful book of recollections of his time with Jesus when He walked the earth. This first section is one of my favorite passages in the entire Bible. Whatever verse you chose today, I love it. They are all so rich and beautiful and so clearly set the tone for John’s Gospel. They honor and glorify Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God, who was and is and is to come! John wastes no time in declaring Who Jesus is, does he? He starts by putting Jesus at the very beginning of all creation – already there and already living, pre-existent and eternal, part of the Triune God. There’s a whole lot of theology in these first few verses and I think I could spend a lifetime reading them and never fully grasp the beauty therein.
John goes on to marvel that Jesus stepped into time and dwelled among us for a season and he, John, witnessed this marvel—God in flesh living and working and serving and loving where His people could see and touch Him. There’s the sadness that many rejected Him and there is the great gladness of the gospel message in verse 12: “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” By the time John wrote this, he had told this story over and over again. Yet, it sure doesn’t sound like it has grown stale to him, does it? This passage beats with the excitement and wonder of it all! I can’t wait to see what verse you chose. Write and comment if you are able.
My verse: John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God , is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.”
My response: The beauty of these verses, Lord! The mystery of incarnation and trinity and the creation of all things, and the mystery of being born again are all here in the beginning of John’s gospel. Jesus – who IS God – steps into time and reveals God to us. This is marvelous and beyond my full understanding. I bow my head in awe and worship.
