Emmanuel – God with Us!
John 1:1-3; Gen 1:1
This year for our Advent series I decided to not focus on the passages we traditionally read at Christmas, the accounts of the birth of Jesus in Matthew and in Luke. We will read those precious passages, along with some devotional thoughts, in our Advent Readings each week, and I will certainly refer to them in the messages, but for our sermon series for the month, my focus will be on the Fourth Gospel, the Gospel of John, and especially looking for four weeks on the opening verses, John 1:1-18; referred to as the “Prologue” to the Gospel. It is beneficial to do this I think, to look beyond the surface of the beautiful stories we know so well, and to consider more intentionally who this is in yonder stall, at whose feet the shepherds fall. Often we focus on the theme of “hope” the first Sunday of Advent. As with the other Gospels, John will show us the hope of the ages is realized in Jesus. John was likely the last of the Gospel to be written, and so he is intentionally supplementing, with his own eyewitness testimony, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and perhaps more emphatically showing us that Jesus is both Eternal God, and man. Already in the first verse John dramatically affirms the deity of Christ, and ties the incarnation in with the revelation God has given in all the Scriptures. The overarching “Big Idea” that will tie these messages together is simply that *According to promise, God the Son became a human to satisfy God’s justice, so that we could become God’s children through faith in Him.
I. The Subject of John’s Gospel is Jesus, the Eternal Son of God — God, the Son (1-2).
“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.”
“In the beginning…” By starting his Gospel with this phrase, John is setting his Gospel in a context that would have been immediately clear to a first century reader, familiar the religion and traditions of the Jews. In the Hebrew Bible, the title that is used to identify each book is the opening word or words. The very first book of the Bible, known to us as Genesis, was identified by the opening word, “In the beginning.” So even as he begins, before really getting into the subject of his Gospel, John wants us to think about the book of Genesis, and the opening chapter. There we are told God created the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, in six days. Genesis begins,
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light (Gen 1:1-3).
John is clearly evoking the opening of Genesis, but he is also inviting us to think about more than just the opening verses of the Bible. It isn’t very far into the story that we get the detailed explanation of the unique creation of humans in the image of God, but then also the tragic account of the Fall, and the consequences of human rebellion. Paul summarizes, “By one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin.” (Rom 5:12). But also, along with the curse, came hope, the promise of a seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head. That hope of a Rescuer, a Savior, the Messiah, would be woven through the entirety of the Scriptures. John wants us to think about his story of Jesus as the continuation and culmination of God’s redemptive plan. Later, after the Resurrection, Jesus would open the minds of the disciples, saying…
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures… (Luke 24:44-45).
The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings are the three main parts of the Hebrew Bible. Jesus was saying, and enabled the disciples to see, that all of the Scriptures pointed ultimately to Him. We already have a hint in the first verse of the gospel that for John, the Old Testament is the foundation to God’s ultimate revelation in the Son. I love this eloquent quotation of John Calvin on Christ in the Old Testament…
He [Christ] is Isaac, the beloved Son of the Father who was offered as a sacrifice, but nevertheless did not succumb to the power of death. He is Jacob the watchful shepherd, who has such great care for the sheep which he guards.
He is the good and compassionate brother Joseph, who in his glory was not ashamed to acknowledge his brothers, however lowly and abject their condition. He is the great sacrificer and bishop Melchizedek, who has offered an eternal sacrifice once for all.
He is the sovereign lawgiver Moses, writing his law on the tables of our hearts by his Spirit. He is the faithful captain and guide Joshua, to lead us to the Promised Land.
He is the victorious and noble king David, bringing by his hand all rebellious power to subjection. He is the magnificent and triumphant king Solomon, governing his kingdom in peace and prosperity.
He is the strong and powerful Samson, who by his death has overwhelmed all his enemies.
This is what we should in short seek in the whole of Scripture: truly to know Jesus Christ, and the infinite riches that are comprised in him and are offered to us by him from God the Father. If one were to sift thoroughly the Law and the Prophets, he would not find a single word which would not draw and bring us to him. . .
All of Scripture anticipated a coming Rescuer, the Messiah! That is the hope fulfilled that the angel spoke of when he said to the shepherds, “Unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, Christ the Lord.” John is setting the stage for the theme he will develop in this Gospel. In fact, of all the books of the Bible, John may be the most explicit in stating his purpose for writing, which is given after the account of the resurrection, in John 20:30-31,
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written 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.”
He wants his readers to understand and believe correctly and fully who Jesus is, and he desires that they would find life through faith in Him. We’ll see already in the first chapter of John the disciples consider Jesus’ identity in terms of the titles, Messiah, Son of God, and King of Israel. I don’t think there is another passage, other than perhaps Psalm 2, where those titles come together in close context. He is the promised One!
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves! John is writing especially focusing on a correct understanding of who Jesus is. In Genesis 1-2, God created by His spoken word. The Psalmist expressed the same idea in Psalm 33:6, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” The LXX, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in use in the first century, uses the word, logos, to describe God speaking the world into existence. Here in our context in John, the apostle uses the same word, logos, not speaking of God’s speech, but of a person. That becomes clear as the chapter continues, for example in 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Clearly, he is talking about the incarnation of Christ. The Eternal Word, who was with God and who IS God, incarnate. This is John’s story of Christmas, a summary statement, the Word of God, became human.
Why did John describe Jesus as the “Word”? What does that even mean? It seems to me that we don’t need to hunt for some esoteric explanation from Greek philosophy. What are words? What is speech? The means by which we communicate. It is how we reveal our thoughts to others. How can finite humans like us know the infinite, invisible God? The God who is, the Creator of all things, has spoken! The writer to the Hebrews says as much at the beginning of his Epistle:
“In different times and in different ways God spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, in these last days he has spoken in the Son.” (Heb 1:1,2).
The prophets certainly were carried along by the Spirit, and infallibly brought the inspired Word of God. But, in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son… no prophetic mediator would be needed. At the end of the Prolog John will say, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known” (John 1:18). We can’t see God in all his fullness, holiness, and glory. But Jesus took on human nature, and so could say, “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Let’s read a little more in John 1:1-2,
“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.”
Genesis begins, “In the beginning God…” John begins with the Word, and then says something about Him. The “Word was with God.” That is unexpected! In eternity past, before creation of all things, this Word, was present, face-to-face, with God. And if that was unexpected, the next statement is mind-blowing, “…and the Word was God.” Here we come face to face with what was also hinted at in Genesis 1, the Triune God. One God, eternally existent as three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. We see later in this Gospel Jesus praying to His Father (see for example, John 17). We also hear Jesus promise the disciples in the upper room, that after he left he would send another Comforter, a Helper, the Parakletos, who would be with them and guide them in the truth. Who is the Comforter? The third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
Genesis 1:2 mentions “…the Spirit of God hovering over the surface of the waters…” John would expect that to come to mind when you are considering Genesis 1 as the background for this introduction to his Gospel. Now John introduces the Word, who is “with God” and who “IS God.” If they have not already done so, sooner or later, someone will come to your door wanting to talk about religion. They may begin by referring to some ideas that “sound” Christian. But then a heresy called Arianism will reveal itself when they start talking about Jesus as a creature, a created being, maybe even the greatest of the angels. All the New Testament affirms the deity of Christ, and it is certainly a major theme in John’s Gospel. Already in these opening verses of John, as we read the passage carefully and honestly, we can see what the Apostle is saying. Throughout the Gospel John will show Jesus doing things that only God could do. He calls the miracles of Jesus “signs” because they confirm his identity. The Big Idea: According to promise, God the Son became a human to satisfy God’s justice, so that we could become God’s children through faith in Him. Already, in the very next verse says He did what only God could do.
II. Jesus is fully God, co-equal with the Father, the Creator of all things (3-4).
“All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”
The material earth, plants, animals, humans, the unseen created angels, ALL things were made through Him. That is a comprehensive statement, right? He was not created, He created everything that was created! You don’t need to be a Greek expert to understand that, it means what it says. Paul said much the same thing in Colossians 1:16, “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.” In John 1:3 the Apostle says, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” In case you questioned the meaning of “all things” in the first part of the verse, he makes it crystal clear: “without Him nothing was made that was made.” If it is a part of creation, something that has been made, Jesus made it! He is the Creator, not a creature!
NOW let’s go back to first-century Bethlehem, a small shelter for animals somewhere behind a crowded inn. And a poor, young Jewish virgin, Mary, gives birth to a promised Son. The Creator, the transcendent, omnipotent Son of God, took on a human nature. Martin Luther pondered the humble birth of Jesus saying,
If Christ had arrived with trumpets and lain in a cradle of gold, his birth would have been a splendid affair. But it would not be a comfort to me. He was rather to lie in the lap of a poor maiden and be thought of little significance in the eyes of the world. Now I can come to him. Now he reveals himself to the miserable in order not to give any impression that he arrives with great power, splendor, wisdom, and aristocratic manners.
For Martin Luther, the humility of the incarnation made Christ more approachable. It was to say we indeed have a High Priest who can sympathize with us in our weakness. The transcendent God made himself approachable by taking on a human nature, and by doing so in such a humble way. Remember the words of Paul in Philippians 2:6-8,
“…who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
And not only that, but v.8 continues, “And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Think of that, the Creator of life, willingly laid down His life, so that we could have life! “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” (John 1:4,5).
Augustine wondered at the miracle of the incarnation when he wrote,
Man’s Maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain, thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on the journey; that the Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life, might die.
What is God saying in this passage? According to promise, God the Son became a human to satisfy God’s justice, so that we could become God’s children through faith in Him.
What would God have me to do in response to this passage?
1) As Christmas approaches, let’s hold fast to what and who it celebrates. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son… Jesus is the gift of Christmas! “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world, that we might live through Him (I Jn 4:9).
2) Please don’t feel alone or left out at the holidays. He is with us always!
3) It is entirely appropriate to begin our Advent celebration with Communion, taking the time to reflect on why He came: to give His life, to give us life! AMEN.
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