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Scripture Reading: John 1:1-5

John was getting old and he never tired of the story of Jesus. He had told it again and again and wanted all to hear it. His purpose was clear: to tell the story of Jesus so that all who may read or hear may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and by believing they may know God in a personal way. So many things probably ran through his mind as he had a pen in hand or as the one who was to write waited patiently by.

He thought of His friend Jesus. He thought of all the healings that had occurred. There was so much He could write about from what He saw. Volumes of books could be written and would not even begin to tell Jesus’ complete story. He remembered the love that Jesus had shown and that too could fill up volumes. The one theme that stuck out more than any other for John was that God sent His Son Jesus to fellowship with common man. He had come down from heaven to interact with humans and to offer Himself up as a sacrifice for others that they may have a relationship with God once again without shame. He was amazed at the plan that God had set into motion before time began.

While He thought of Jesus’ words and works while on earth, there was so much more to the story than what He did. All throughout His childhood John would sit and listen and learn about the teachings of the coming Messiah. He would listen intently through the history of his people. Those stories had a different meaning now that Jesus had came and showed that He had a different destiny then the Jews had expected Him to have. Now it seemed to make sense. John could think through those lessons and stories and see God’s fingerprints, His plan, all throughout the entire Torah. He saw a completion of that in Jesus.

Where to begin with so many thoughts? John started the story where the story began so many years ago. In the beginning God…those words alone had so much impact on the rest of the story. In the beginning God…He created heavens and earth, plants and animals, sun, moon, and stars. He also created mankind in relationship with Him. But there was more even before all that. There was that union of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit that existed even before time began.

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The one writing for John looked up with questions in his eyes. This statement had a lot of weight to it. The conversation may have been like this:

“What is the Word?”

“No, Who is the Word? The Word is Jesus.” replied John

“Jesus is God?” the question was volleyed back to John

John probably sat back and grinned, “Yes He is God. They are one in nature. Jesus and the Father were in perfect fellowship with One another, timeless before the time began, and one in unity of the plan which we have seen.”

“What about the Scripture that says ‘Hear O Israel the Lord your God is One God’?”

“Yes,” John replied back, “Three distinct persons, One God.” It was difficult to think and say. God was so much higher than what can even be imagined. Yet Jesus was distinct and yet He was God.

John sat back and thought of what to write next. He wanted to share this awesome plan of God intersecting life with His people, a plan from the beginning of time. He may have looked at his hand and then looked up at the sky and marveled.

“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” Brother Paul had also made mention to this fact in his letter to the Colossians. Paul had wrote, “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. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

            All of nature was God’s handiwork. The stars in the sky and the grass of the field, the birds, the animals, the fish, mankind, all symbolized God. He thought of that first story. God had made mankind in His image. He designed them to reflect who He was, to bring glory to Himself. But he didn’t want clones or drones. He wanted people who would chose to follow Him and in following Him become more like Him.

            So God laid out a choice. Eat of the fruit of the tree of good and evil and in that day, this relationship that we have will be destroyed. They heard but they didn’t understand. God is a perfect holy God with Whom there is perfect justice. They didn’t understand what it would do, as a result the broken world that we now live in with pain and suffering, sickness and disease, sin and despair. And until Jesus had came the world seemed hopeless, lifeless.

            “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” That life, that fellowship, that union, that knowing of God that existed in the Garden, now existed with Jesus Christ once again. John remembered what it was like before Jesus and many Christians now explained it similarly. Something was wrong, it was like stumbling in the darkness, fumbling, missing something.

            Then Jesus came and showed them life. It was as if He were a candle in a dark night softly beckoning them closer into Him. He could see what he hadn’t seen before. His perspective had been changing as the Light penetrated his life showing the temporal verses the eternal, a man-centered view to God centered view, from selfish pride trying to work his way into heaven to a grateful humble state of accepting the gift of God.

            And John had thought back through his life since this encounter with Jesus and nothing compared to this life, knowing God. He had endured persecutions and sicknesses, yet he knew while his body was a broken temporary vessel, his soul was connected to Life. He thought about the darkness that he endured that was overcome by the Light. No matter how deep the darkness was, it could not compete with the Light, it could not extinguish the Light.

He thought of the plan that God had set up since the beginning of time to rescue and to draw into Himself. As one’s character is transformed in the Light, God receives glory. As one thinks of the plan and how Jesus played that plan of giving life, God receives the glory. John was only at the beginning of eternal life, the life of the ages, that is knowing God. There was so much to the story. So much to tell.

So where are we at in this story? Are we sitting in darkness? Are we overcome by darkness? Is there hope that the Light overcomes darkness? Are we amazed at God and His handiwork? Are we in awe of the character of God? Are we humbled by His coming to reach out to us? Are we experiencing the life of the ages of knowing Him?