The Word Revealed
The Prologue (1-18)
Every Gospel writer except John plopped Jesus down into a historical setting from the beginning of their story, to give the reader some perspective and background as to who Jesus was in history. John's Gospel is much like Genesis, where Moses declared God the Creator without first offering proof. John declared Christ as God, not proving so historically, not first recording the evidence of eyewitnesses, and not warming up the readers—just giving an absolute, transcendent declaration.
The Word (1-5)
John was revealing much about his perspective in his declaration of the beginning of the world. Before matter existed, the Word did. One could say that before matter, God's thoughts were somehow uttered and revealed through the Word, Jesus. The Greek word for “Word” is Logos. The best way I have found to define the word Logos is the essence, purpose, will, and nature of God, which found utterance through the Word.
John made three points clear concerning the Word:
The Word existed before the beginning of matter.
The Word was in a relationship with God.
The Word was God.
Some religions translate the “Word” as a “god.” Of course, that would mean polytheism, or a belief in many gods. John proclaimed that God was as the Old Testament affirmed: One (1).
John worked his logic out: because the “Word” was God, the “Word” was in relationship with God at the beginning (2). He was the very utterance of God, which began the creation of matter. Nothing, nothing, nothing—and that cannot be over-emphasized—nothing was made apart from the “Word.” The utterance of God's thoughts was a living, creative force (3).
The “Word” was living life, so to speak. The “Word” was the living light, the first day-light God created. The “let there be light” of Genesis 1:3 came before the fourth day-light of the sun, moon, and stars. The “Word” was the light uttering God's thoughts, and this uttering and unveiling of God's light became life to people (4).
The light of God's Word, the light of Jesus uttering God's thoughts, can never be overcome by any level or any kind of darkness. The very nature of light is to dispel darkness. Light invades the domain of darkness and overcomes it. God's “Word” or light is thus impervious to defeat at any level—what He says He will do (5).
The Witness (6-8)
John then took a moment to clarify the person many would hear about: John the Baptist. John the Baptist was sent from God to bear witness concerning Jesus as the true, without-any-doubt Light sent from God. Because Jesus had no halo on His head, nor any divine-like feature or transcendent creatures around Him, John bore witness of Jesus being the Light, so no other could come and claim to be the light of the world. Some evidence indicates the possibility that a small movement formed following John the Baptist after his and Jesus’ death, claiming him to be some kind of light (Acts 18:25; 19:1-6). John had come for and given his life as a martyr for one purpose: so all might give their full allegiance to Christ (6-7). John then made it clear: John the Baptist, like anyone else who bore witness, was not the light, but they were witnesses to the truth concerning Jesus as the Light (8).
The Work (9-13)
Jesus was and is the Light that gives light to everyone. To some, it is a light of salvation; to all, it is the light of exposing sin. This is why, from the time of Jesus, thoughts that had never entered people's hearts before began to enter. In the Roman world, abortion was rampant, the infirm were discarded, unwanted babies were abandoned in the forest, and women were treated like chattel. Sex outside of marriage was fanatically practiced, and criminals were mauled and slaughtered with no sense of dignity for life. The list goes on and on. The work of the true light was that it gave light to everyone.
This giving light to the whole world began the long road of conviction and reformation that still exists today. The mistreatment of humans and their basic divine dignity is a controlling factor in the world in the battle between good and evil. The effect of light in the world is on everyone (9). Even though Jesus was Light to the world and made the world, when He entered the world in a human body and began shining God's light on the world, they had no idea who He was (10).
Jesus even came to His own people, to those whom God had fully advised concerning His coming. Through prophets, Yahweh made it unmistakably clear that Jesus was the fulfillment of what God had foretold. Even with centuries of promise, however, His own people refused to receive the light He was shining on them (11). So, Jesus came home and no one welcomed Him; some did receive Him and some did give Him allegiant faith, and these were the ones given the right to become God's children (12).
This new family, this people of new birth, did not find themselves born into the family through sperm and egg. Nor was this an act of their decision-making or human willpower, rather this was God creating a new creation through allegiance (13).
The Watcher (14-18)
John then added his witness to life with Jesus. Jesus was the Word of God and became flesh and God all at the same time—all God, all man—nothing like what had ever happened. Jesus did not just appear to be like a man; He was a man. John was clear: humanity and deity merged in Jesus.
For a time, Jesus lived with the disciples and lived in the world. John used the same Greek word used for the tabernacle when stating that Jesus “dwelt” among them (Jesus “tabernacled” among them).
As John reflected on Jesus’ life, he admitted that they had seen Jesus' glory, which was the Father's glory resting on His Son. Then John stated what the light, the glory, the presence of God resting upon one totally God and totally man looked like: a person full of grace and truth (14).
John inserted John the Baptist’s claim that Jesus was of a “higher rank” because, although He came after John, He was the Word; and actually, He came before John the Baptist because He was there with God in the beginning. John was making the point that even John the Baptist knew Jesus pre-existed and was God (15).
John continued with what he had seen concerning Jesus: mostly what caught his attention was a “fullness” on Him. The fullness on Him kept spilling over on all who had received Him—grace and more grace (16).
John kept watching and made this observation: Moses gave the revelation of the law, and no other nation had ever seen such glorious truth. Jesus was different, however; He revealed grace and truth to the Church (17). The only way anyone could have ever seen this glorious grace and truth was for God to be seen. This seemed impossible since no one had ever seen God literally and directly. Then John let all know that the “only God” (meaning unique and distinct) who was at the Father's side became visible. To make God understandable, God took on a human body and became completely man and completely God. Then, as a full human being, He poured out God's grace and truth (18).
This is the end of John's prologue, after which the book continues into the historical story of the Gospel.
Jesus Revealed as God's Lamb (19-51)
The history of Jesus' ministry begins with the description of John the Baptist's encounter with Jesus and the religious leaders.
Religion Scrutinizes Jesus (19-28)
When John was on the east side of the Jordan River (28), some religious leaders came to scrutinize John the Baptist’s actions.
The Jews (John's title for the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem) sent some of the priests and Levites to John to see if they could figure out his popularity. Knowing Christ was coming soon or had already arrived, the delegation went to ask John the Baptist if he were the Christ; he emphatically answered, “No” (19-20).
They then asked him if he was Elijah, with his obvious Elijah-like traits, the clothes he wore, his purpose in turning hearts, and his popularity. Knowing Elijah had not died but was taken, they asked if Elijah had returned as John the Baptist. John again declared, “No.” Next, they asked if he was the coming prophet Moses had referred to (Deuteronomy 18:15). By this time, some thought the prophet Moses had promised was different from the Prophet who would be the Messiah. John again answered, “No” (21).
They wanted to know who he was so they could give an answer to the authorities who had sent them, and whose authority they thought John the Baptist should respect (22).
John the Baptist then announced that he was the fulfillment of the Isaiah 40:3 prophecy: a voice in the wilderness making a path that would lead straight to Jesus, the Messiah (23).
The Pharisees were a group of men who held to a legalist interpretation of the Law. This legalistic interpretation of the Law was greatly influenced by the Talmud, which was a book wherein the Jews had placed oral teachings and traditions handed down through the centuries. At times, they would hold the traditions of the Talmud above the word of God, making the Old Testament scriptures bend to their traditions. In essence, the Pharisees wished to know, in a legalistic way, where John the Baptist got his authority to baptize since he had no official title (24-25).
John then told them he was baptizing people with water because the Messiah was standing among them, and they did not even know it (26). He was baptizing to make a way for people to turn from their ways to God; then, they would be able to go straight to Jesus and believe in Him, whom they would not ever be able to know if their hearts didn't turn and they weren’t placed on a straight road to His feet.
John the Baptist made it clear that the One coming after him had such a high station that John was not even worthy to serve as His lowest domestic slave. The lowest-ranking slave was the one who took off the filthy shoes of guests (27).
John the Baptist answered those leaders: “I am a nobody with no title, no station, no position—just a voice showing people the road to the feet of Jesus.”
John the Baptist Introduces Jesus (29-34)
The day after John the Baptist's encounter with the delegation from Jerusalem, he saw Jesus. As soon as John saw Jesus, he told everyone who was with him that He, the One right there, Jesus, was the One. Jesus was the One to whom John had come to turn everyone's hearts. Jesus was the One to whom John had come to make a highway. In John's words, He was the One “standing among you whom you do not know.” He was the One who was born after John but who had a higher rank than John.
John declared Jesus to be the chosen Lamb of God. In pointing out Jesus as the Lamb, John began to reveal what kind of a King Jesus would be. He was going to be a spiritual King, come to free the world from the real oppressor: sin.
John declared Jesus had come and was devoted to being a sacrifice—God's ultimate sacrifice (29). Jesus was the One who came after but pre-existed. He was, in John's prophetic estimation, far more than human (30).
The main purpose of John's ministry was to baptize many with water to get them ready to receive Another, whom he would also baptize in water, but the special Person he would baptize would experience the amazing. John would baptize the One in water and then witness the Holy Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then, unlike with anyone else, the Holy Spirit would remain upon Him. When John saw such a phenomenon, he would know Him to be the Messiah and would declare so to the world.
John seemed to have had no idea who that would be, but when it happened to Jesus, John knew He was the Lamb of God. He then told all he had baptized that Jesus was the One, the One who had come to restore God's Kingdom-rule to the earth, the One to whom they were to give their allegiant faith (31-34).
Yahweh Is There When Enemies Surround My Life
The next four Psalms are the Psalms of “God is there,” no matter what the muddled circumstance. In Psalm 57, God is “there” to encompass David when pursuers have him trapped. In Psalm 58, God is “there” when David is completely surrounded by injustice. In Psalm 59, God is “there” when David's home is surrounded by enemies. In Psalm 60, God is “there” when David's life is surrounded by Battles.
Psalm 57 is a “Lament Psalm” written by David on the occasion when he fled from Saul and hid in the cave (1 Samuel 24:1-8).
The Psalm has two basic divisions:
A prayer for protection (1-6)
A pledge to praise (7-11)
Observation: David prayed this Psalm when he felt surrounded and trapped by Saul in a cave, with no way out. This circumstance brought him to his knees in prayer and praise.
Purpose: To teach us how to pray when we are being pursued and surrounded by troubles, with no way out. This Psalm teaches how to reach out and embrace Yahweh who surrounds us.