One of my favorite devotional songs is called “You are holy” by Michael Smith. In the chorus, the men sing one part and the women sing a different part. The women’s part goes this way: “You are Lord of Lords; You are King of Kings; You are mighty God; Lord of everything; You are Emmanuel; The great I am; Prince of peace; Who is the Lamb; You’re the saving God; You’re my saving grace; You will reign forever; You are ancient of days; You’re alpha, omega, beginning and end; You’re my Savior, Messiah, Redeemer, and Friend; You are the Prince of Peace and I will live my life for you.”
That part of the chorus is a catena. A “catena” is a rhetorical device where you list a series or a chain of connected ideas. What Michael Smith did in this chorus was to give us a wide view of the nature of God by recalling all these different designations for Christ found in the Scriptures. John does the same thing here in the first chapter of his Gospel. He gives us a wide view of the nature of Christ but it all boils down to Jesus being the “voice” of God. Being the “Word” or “Voice” of God, when Jesus speaks, we hear God’s voice.
Let’s feed on God’s word…
THE WORD (THE VOICE) – 1:1-5:
Who is Jesus? Jesus has existed from the beginning. As the Word, the “voice” of God. You cannot separate the voice from the man.
Where did Jesus come from? Well, He has always been. He is the Creator. All things came into being through Him and nothing that has been created was created without the spoken word of Jesus Christ.
“Life” is not found as often in chapter 1 as “light” is but it is found in the Gospel of John forty-seven times. It is to be emphasized that Jesus gives life. He sustains life. He has the ability to take life. Of course, Jesus gives His own life. In the purpose statement of the Gospel of John (20:30-31), we have “life” if we believe in God through Jesus Christ, based on the signs in the Gospel of John which Jesus did. “Light” is found twenty-three times in the Gospel of John.
In the next paragraph, John will elaborate on the Word shining in darkness…
THE TRUE LIGHT ENLIGHTENS THE WORLD – 1:6-13:
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Notice verse 7, John the baptizer preached “so that all might believe through him [Christ].” What was the purpose of the Gospel of John? So that all might “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God and that believing we might have life in His name.” The verb “to believe” is found ninety-eight times in the Gospel of John!
This true light, the voice of God (1:1) came into the world to “enlighten every man.” What does light do? It shines. It enlightens. It allows you to see through the darkness. “Darkness” is another theme that appears a few times in John’s writings. Out of sixteen uses of the word, John uses it 14 times! The whole world, in its spiritual ignorance, lives and walks in darkness. But Jesus, the Voice of God, came to lead man through that darkness. Jesus enlightens “every man.” Jesus did not come just to save certain people. He came that He might save every one, every man who will respond to Him. The invitation of Jesus is open to everyone.
THE VOICE IS MADE FLESH – 1:14-18:
In this final paragraph we’ll consider, John shows that Jesus, the Word, the Voice of God, is made flesh. We get to see him, handle Him, touch Him, hear His very voice. Notice verse 14.
The Voice became flesh. This is fundamental to Christianity, so much so that John writes three letters (1, 2, 3 John) to emphasize how important it is to understand that Jesus is God in the flesh. The Voice of God became flesh and we saw Him. We saw His glory (cf. 2:11). John does not use “grace” very much in his writings (7 times). But he uses “truth” extensively: 45 times!
There are two words that are often associated together in the OT: “lovingkindness and truth.” That’s this same expression: “grace and truth.” That “lovingkindess and truth” that the Israelites had sought from God in OT times? It is now available in Jesus Christ, the Voice of God.
Who is Jesus? Creator. Sustainer. Life. Light. Grace. Truth. But especially the Voice of God. Let us obey Him.
Paul Holland
