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Let’s look at John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the WORD (LOGOS) and the WORD was with God, and God was the WORD. This one was in the beginning with God. All things came about because of him, and apart from him came about not one thing. What came about within him was life, and the life was the light of humanity. Now the light shined in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood or overcome it.
This is my own translation from the Greek text.
If I translate it from the Latin of Saint Jerome, the Vulgate, it looks like this:
In the beginning was VERBUM, and VERBUM was with God, and God was VERBUM. This one was in the beginning with God. All things through him have come into being, and without him nothing came into being. What came into being in him was life (vita), and life was the light of humanity. (vita erat lux hominum) Now light shined in the darkness, and the darkness has not comprehended it.
If I read it in Hebrew, then translate it back into English it looks like this.
In the beginning was the Word (DABAR) and the Word was with Elohim, and Elohim was the Word. He was in the beginning beside Elohim. All things came about by his power (hand) and apart from him did not come about any of the things which did come about. In him was life, and the life was the light of the sons of Adam (humanity). The light shined in the darkness, and the darkness has not comprehended it.
Compare this passage with John 17:17, where Jesus says, “Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. Also compare John 14:6 where Jesus says; “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” Also compare John 8:32 where Jesus says; “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. “
These verses allow us to develop the following list of assumptions.
First of all, there is a WORD. A word is something that has meaning. A word is something that is apprehended by reason. It conveys or communicates meaning, or reason. The Greek for WORD is LOGOS. This is where we get other words like logic, and the suffix –ology, meaning the study of something, as in biology, the study of life. The LOGOS at the beginning of all things is therefore the essential meaning behind all of creation. WORD was at the start of everything. This implies that reason and meaning are at the root of all things that exist. Thus, nothing exists without reason, or meaning.
WORD (Logos/Verbum/Dabar) = GOD. Word is God, God is Word. Reason itself is part of the essence of God. Where there is reason there is God.
Life came from WORD. Life is within WORD, it is encompassed, or enclosed, or enfolded within the WORD. Life belongs to the reason which is God. This means life has reason, and life belongs to God.
WORD = God (John 1:1)
WORD = TRUTH. (John 17:17
TRUTH = Freedom. (John 8:32)
Jesus = Way, Truth, Life. (John 14:6)
GOD = LOVE (I John 4:8)
Life = the Light of Humanity. The Latin, lux hominum is the most eloquent translation here. Light shines in darkness, but darkness cannot understand or overcome the light. This light is both a mystery to the darkness, as well as something that can’t be overcome by the darkness.
In terms of our world and our needs today, this prologue to John’s Gospel helps remind us that the God we seek and the God we serve is that divine principle which exists at the root of all reality, all knowledge, all truth, and all life. This amazing Deity is defined for us in the person of Jesus Christ who took upon himself the sum total of everything that could ever be wrong with this world. Jesus is the Savior of the world. John 3:17 reads as follows; “God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” The Greek word translated as “World” is Kosmos, it could just as well be translated as Universe. If the Universe is saved by the WORD of God, perhaps we should be a little less judgmental about people and things we do not understand within this world. Perhaps we should seek a better understanding of the truth about the people and institutions which surround us which bother and irritate us so much. We should try to understand that those things which irritate us so much are also part of God’s amazing plan.
So what should we do?
1. Let light shine. The light of Jesus is the light of humanity. It belongs to us by our nature. You are a child of God, but so is that person who is different from you. All of us possess the light of humanity, so let that light shine!
2. Seek the truth. Do not settle for falsehood, or partial explanations, or half truths, or lies, or deceptions. We are all sorting out a huge flow of information every day. Some information is more reliable than other information. Learn to seek the truth by learning the basic skills of critical thinking. If there is a reason behind everything in the universe, we should use the brains God gave us to seek that reason. We should employ our own reason to interpret God’s Word, and to interpret the issues we see unfolding around us. We should employ our own reason to apply God’s Word to the situations we face today. One of the greatest evils we see unfolding around us today takes the form of foolish, inept, and poorly thought out, uncritical interpretations of the scriptures. What follows these interpretations is usually an uncritical application of the scriptures to geographic and political situations. Thus our unreasonable interpretation of the word leads us to unreasonable political conclusions.
3. Celebrate your faith. Our Savior Jesus Christ belongs to the very creative impulse of God. He was with God at the first moment of creation and he is with God today. He is the very essence of truth, and his truth sets us free by allowing us to face the truth about ourselves. He makes it safe for us to deal with the imperfection, the sinfulness, the brokenness, the essential wrongness of our lives. His light shines through any darkness we could dream up to hide from our own true nature. We belong to God, and in Christ we shall return to God.
4. Believe in the Cosmic Christ, Savior of the Universe. God’s love is so much bigger than any of the limitations to our perception. We should ask ourselves what if God is so powerful that the entire universe will be saved by God’s love and God’s wisdom. Hell suddenly becomes a very small place. Can we tolerate such amazing and such powerful love?
5. Let the darkness take care of itself. As Jesus says; “Let the day’s own trouble suffice for the day.” (Matthew 6:34) Our anger, our disappointment, and our anxiety are simply not needed for God’s light to triumph over the darkness.
Please post your responses and reactions to this message. Our discussions on this theme will continue in the Virtual Sunday School.
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