John 1
COMMENTARY:
: 5 And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (2638 “comprehended” [katalambano] means overpower, gain control over, overcome, suppress, to lay hold of, to take into one’s self, appropriate, take possession of, to detect, catch, to understand, or to learn.)
DEVOTION: Jesus is called many names in this chapter. We have counted seventeen different names for Jesus. This chapter is a very important chapter. The first verse is one that is mistranslated by the cults to read, “…and the Word was a God.” There is no way that it can be translated with the “a” in it from the original text but they do it anyway to try to say that Jesus is not God. The whole chapter tells us that HE is God.
Jesus is the God/man who came to this world to save us from our sin. The verse quoted above tells us why the world can’t follow Christ. It tells us why many who think that they are Christians are not really followers of the Lord. There are only three types of people in this world: the natural man – who is unsaved; the carnal Christian – who is being chastened of the Lord; and the spiritual Christian – who is living for the Lord but is not sinless but keeping short accounts with God.
The first type of individual is the one who is in darkness. The natural man does not understand the things of the Lord. Darkness does not detect light. Jesus is the LIGHT. They don’t understand the difference between the worldview of the Christian and that of the non-Christian. The worldview of those outside of Christ is one of darkness. They just don’t get it. They think that all those who are followers of Christ have something wrong with themselves.
One of the promises in this verse is the fact that the darkness cannot overcome the LIGHT of Jesus Christ. There are days that we think that the entire world is in darkness. However, Christians are the only light the world has to show them the way to Jesus. We are to be lighthouses. Our Biblical churches are to be lighthouses. There are many people who are headed for eternity in Hell.
We are the ones God chooses to use to talk to them about Jesus Christ. HE came into the world so that all men would have an opportunity to believe. No one will stand before the Great White Throne judgment and say that they never had an opportunity to follow Christ. This is especially true here in America. There are churches that preach the Gospel in most towns. There are Christian radio and television programs that inform people on what they need to do to become a follower of Christ. This is not true in all the countries of the world.
Darkness is not winning. Darkness cannot overcome the Light of the Word of God. Darkness is a choice many make because they don’t want to follow the LORD.
Don’t get discouraged by the news in the media. The LORD is still on the throne. HE is still in control. HE is working HIS plan. Yes, it seems like the return of Christ is going to happen soon.
CHALLENGE: Our responsibility is to be light in a dark world. Be the light that shows people to the TRUE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Shine in the darkness!!!!
15 John bare witness of HIM, and cried, saying, This was HE of whom I spoke, HE that comes after me is preferred before me: for HE was before me. (1096 “preferred” [ginomai] means to enter or assume a certain state or condition, take place, to come into existence, become someone, or be ordained to be.)
DEVOTION: John is a cousin to Jesus. He was born six months before Jesus. He started his public ministry six months before Jesus because thirty was the age that was necessary to begin their ministry. To come into existence, to come to pass,
He was teaching people about the coming Messiah. He was baptizing people who repented of their sins. He had a crowd following him because they knew he was a prophet come from God.
God revealed things to John the Baptist that helped him in his ministry. It also helped understand who Jesus really was. Remember he jumped in the womb when Mary came to visit her cousin Elisabeth.
Now he makes a statement twice in this chapter that helps him promote the ministry of Jesus. He knew that Jesus was coming after him. He knew that Jesus existed before the foundation of the world. He knew that Jesus was greater than him.
CHALLENGE: We have to know the truth of the pre-existence of Jesus. HE created the world. HE came as the angel of the LORD in the Old Testament. HE is coming again.
: 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (5485 “grace” [charis] means kindness, loving-kindness, good will, thanks, mercy, gratitude, favor, acceptable or gift.)
DEVOTION: Two major covenants that represent the Old Testament and the New Testament are called Law and Grace. Moses received the Ten Commandments during the trip from Egypt to the Promised Land. During this time period Moses also received more instruction from the LORD regarding the way the Old Testament saints were to live. It is thought that the giving of the Law was negative. The Law gave the standard of righteousness. The Pharisees made it more negative. So people living in Jesus day would have thought negatively about the Law because of how it was presented to the people by the religious leaders.
Jesus came and restated the Old Testament commands and also brought in the New Covenant. The coming of Jesus was to be considered a positive event. The Messiah came to cover the sins of the world by HIS blood on the cross. HE met the standard of righteousness given by God to Moses and because HE met the standard the Father can offer us the gift of salvation through that sacrifice on the cross. The Holy Spirit gives us the conviction of sin in our life and the offer of this gift. Jesus came to fulfill the Law with HIS sacrifice.
John is showing a contrast between Law and Loving-kindness. Jesus confronted the religious leaders for their mistreatment of the Law to the point where it was not moving individuals closer to the LORD. Jesus presented the truth of the Word of God in a new way to those HE met on a regular basis. HE stated that HE was not come to break the Law but to give grace for grace to the world. The standard of righteousness was presented in a positive way by Jesus Christ.
Our message to the world is one of the loving-kindness of the LORD toward those who would become followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus showed the love of God to those around HIM. HIS teaching gave them hope whereas the teaching of the religious leaders just gave them discouragement and pride.
CHALLENGE: Our message needs to be one of loving-kindness and truth. Our love for those we are witnessing to should show through as the love of Christ showed through to those HE witnessed to. We need to speak the truth in love!!!!
: 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! (1388 “guile” [dolos] means deceit, craft, shrewdness, treachery, to trick into, cunning, deception, or slyness.)
DEVOTION: Remember that Jesus is omniscient. HE knows everything because HE is equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. They all have the same attributes. They all know the plan for our world. It was made up before the creation of the world. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are never surprised by what happens in our world. They live outside of time. We live in time.
Here we find Jesus here on this earth meeting with one of HIS future disciples. Nathanael has some doubt that anything or anyone good could come out of Nazareth. He didn’t know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem because Jesus had lived in Nazareth for a majority of HIS life.
Now he meets Jesus who makes a statement that shows that HE still had some of HIS omniscience. HE emptied HIMSELF when HE came to this earth. How much HE emptied HIMSELF of we are not sure. We know that HE was still God but also wholly man.
The fact is that HE knew where Nathanael was when he talked with his brother. He was under a fig tree. HE knew that there was no guile or falsehood in Nathanael. Nathanael was an honest man.
Jesus’ statements to Nathanael confused him. He couldn’t understand how Jesus knew so much about him. The same is true in our life. Jesus knows everything about us.
In spite of this fact, Jesus still loves us and gives us salvation as a free gift. HE offers the gift to everyone in the world but the majority never accepts the gift of salvation.
CHALLENGE: He is calling us to service for HIM.
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