John, chapter one

Gospel of John
John, chapter one: Smashes our institutionalized Bible
All religions and philosophies proclaim they have the truth and their truth is better, more correct, honest and truthful than all others. Christians also fall into this pursuit and definition of truth as information. We then trump others by basing our truth in God’s Word – “God has spoken, we have God’s Word, we know God’s Word, we are moved and directed by God’s Word – listen to us!”

The Gospel of John smashes this nonsense. JESUS is the Word – from the beginning, with God, is God. Note all the words used in chapter one describing Jesus – the Word (1:1), life (1:4), the light (1:5), will of God (1:13), glory of God (1:14), full of grace and truth (1:14), before all (1:15), the Father’s heart (1:18), John not worthy to untie his sandals (1:27), Lamb of God (1:29), Spirit descending and remained on him (1:32), baptizing with the Holy Spirit (1:33), Son of God (1:34), Messiah (1:41), (written in the Law and Prophets (1:45), King of Israel (1:49), and Son of Man (1:51).

All other words and testimonies (written and spoken, holy and human) are NOT the light, but they point to the one who is the truth, the light, the Lamb of God. The Gospel of John begins with the same language of Genesis chapter one and asserts that this “creating” Word became human in Jesus, for Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God (verses 1-13) who alone reveals the heart of God (verses 14- 18), to which all other significant testimony points (verses 19 31), who connects Father and Holy Spirit – God to us (verses 32-34), who invites us to “come and see” (verses 35-46), who announces ever greater things until we see heaven opened and the very angels of God pointing to Jesus (verses 47-51).

The sin in us is not that we are wrong; it is that we are “dead”. Being right gets us nowhere; we are still dead! Yet how we pursue being right! How much effort we devote politically, religiously, theologically, morally, socially – if we are “Christian” – properly institutionalized and belong to the correct political party (and vote right), the correct denomination, with the proper lists of beliefs, right moral judgments, belonging to the right crowd, etc! Doing such is good, nice, okay; but it has nothing to do with Jesus. Even when we base our action in the Bible, even quote it – it has nothing to do with Jesus.

It is helpful for us to understand the term “the Jews” that is frequently used in this gospel (John 1:19; 2:18,20; 3:1; 5:10,15,16,18; 6:41,52; 7:1,11,13,15,35; 8:22,48,52,57; 9:18,22; 10:24,31,33; 11:8,19,31,33,36,45,54; 12:9,11; 13:33; 18:14,20,31,36,38; 19:7,12,14,21,31,38,40; 20:19) as a reference to an institutionalized, acculturated, group that views itself as a unit – the Jews – and as fully representative of the true and pure people of God. In the Gospel of John the term “the Jews” is best read as referring to neither a specific ethnic group nor a specific religious group, but rather to any religious group that identifies itself as the sole people of God and the proper spokes people for God. “The Jews” are anyone and any group that identifies people who do not think, believe, behave, and act like them as not really a Jew or not really one of God’s people.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke and the letters of Paul have been around a while at this point. The writer sees how the early church is regarding those written documents as the Word of God along with the Hebrew Scriptures. However, just as “the Jews” do with the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament), the early Christians are also tempted to read their own interpretation into the letters of Paul and the gospels. Just as Eve did in Genesis 3:3, humans add to God’s Words. The writer of this gospel sees how people are already adding their interpretation to God’s Word and forming Jesus and the “scriptures” written about Jesus into their own image. It is always tempting to declare people must act, accept, believe, behave, worship, practice, and be warned and afraid as the “Word of God” declares (that is according to my interpretation and my additions).

The writer of this gospel includes John’s (the Baptist’s) humble witness in this first chapter (John 1:19-28) as the declaration to us for the attitude, the use of the Bible, and the view towards Jesus that we are to follow. Notice the above understanding of the term “the Jews” is the context in which to understand John’s witness, and that the gospel writer heightens this understanding of “the Jews” by emphasizing the specific groups, “priests and Levites from Jerusalem” (John 1:19) and the Pharisees (John 1:24) who are checking out John the Baptist and to whom he makes his declaration. Secondly, note the content of John’s reply: “Among you stands one whom you do not know … I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals.” Oh that we might develop and hold to such humility! Oh that we admit and boldly declare that among us does stands one who is our Messiah and Savior (Lamb of God), whom we do not know fully, and who is so beyond us that we are not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals!

The Gospel of John means what it states – JESUS IS THE WORD OF GOD. Jesus is the living Word-light-will-grace-truth-heart of God to which John the Baptist and ALL other written and verbal testimony points; who rather than inspired by the Holy Spirit gives the Holy Spirit, invites us to come and see God, and who knows us (rather than being impressed by our knowledge) because Jesus is the one who opens heaven upon whom the angels ascend and descend!

Any institution or person that proclaims a written, defined, correct testimony about God, is institutionalized nonsense. We do not need information, not even information packaged as God’s will, God’s truth, God’s Word, even if it is written. Being wrong is not the problem; we are dead! We need a living, breathing, in the flesh God! Jesus doesn’t give us words. He is THE Word – GOD! Let us humbly give witness to him admitting our unworthiness and pointing to Jesus as the Lamb of God! It is to Jesus that we respond to “come and see” (John 1:39,46), to follow him (1:43), and see greater things than what we have yet understood and claimed (1:50). It is Jesus who is The Word of God!