Primary Text: John 1:1-18
Memory Verse: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1-3
Introduction:
The Apostle John used “logos,” the Greek term translated “word” in English, tying the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ to the preexistent Word of God. Greek philosophers used “logos” to refer to “reason,” which was believed to be the force structuring the universe. Philo, a Hellenized Jewish philosopher born in Alexandria, Egypt, using allegory to blend Greek philosophy and Judaism, combined the image of “reason-logos” with Jewish conceptions of the “word.” In Proverbs, Wisdom was personified (Proverbs 8), speaking of its own nature, attributes, and benefits, which ancient Judaism called the Word and the Law (the Torah).
When John calls Jesus “the Word,” he identifies Christ as the embodiment of the entire revelation of the Holy Scriptures, there-by declaring that only those who accept Jesus Christ are fully honoring God’s law (John 1:17). The Jews treated Wisdom (the Word) as divine, yet distinct from God, so it was the closest term John had to describe Jesus and the perfect unity He had with His Father. All four Gospels begin by placing Jesus within a historical setting, but the Gospel of John is unique in the way it opens. The Book of Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus that connects Him to David and Abraham. Mark starts with the preaching of John the Baptist. Luke has a dedication of his work to Theophilus and follows that with a prediction of the birth of John the Baptist. But John begins with a theological prologue. John seems to be saying, “I want you to consider the teachings and activities of Jesus Christ, but you will not fully understand the good news unless you view Him from the oneness He had with the Father.”
Paul wrote in Colossians 2:9-10, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” To miss understanding the person of Jesus Christ, and look only to His deeds and teachings, is to misunderstand the very heartbeat of the Gospel.
Studying the Word
Lesson Study
- What was Luke’s stated purpose for writing his account of the life of the Messiah? Luke 1:1-4
- What political powder keg did Luke’s writing strive to suppress? Luke 23:4, 14, 22
- Why is the Word that was in the beginning so completely profound? John 1:1-5 [Note: dictionary.com defines “profound” as: “penetrating or entering deeply into subjects of thought or knowledge; having deep insight or understanding.”]
- Who is the witness spoken of in John 1:6-8, and what was his specific purpose?
- By what process do we become the “children of God”? John 1:9-13
- What was the true essence of Jesus’ ministry among us? John 1:14-13
- Through which line is Jesus’ royal lineage tracked, how far back does it go, and what is significant about the 42nd generation? Matthew 1:1-17
- Through which line is Jesus’ natural lineage tracked, and how far back does it go? Luke 3:23-38