In The Beginning Was The Word
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD
JOHN 1:1-5
Even before the universe came into being, the Son enjoyed close, deep oneness with the Father.
The Prologue (1:1-18) gives us a preview of some of the great themes of the Gospel and sets the earthly ministry of Jesus in its heavenly perspective.
When did Jesus become the Son of God? The resurrection was the great event which confirmed his divine Sonship (Acts 2:36; Romans 1:4). But a voice had declared it before that at his transfiguration (Mark 9:7) and even earlier at his baptism (Mark 1:11). Matthew and Luke show that he was divine from his birth and his conception (Matthew 1:20-23; Luke 1:35; 2:10f.). Yet all these events were but stages in the revelation of an eternal truth. “In the beginning was the Word”—long before he took human flesh in the person of Jesus. Mark’s “beginning” (Mark 1:1) is the beginning of the saving ministry culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus. John’s “beginning” is the beginning of everything. If God created “in the beginning” (Genesis 1:1), the uncreated Son was “in the beginning.”
“The Word.” This would mean something to Greek readers for whom logos meant “reason.” For Jews “the Word” was the revelation of God’s character, expressed in increasingly personal terms in the Old Testament “The Word was with God,” ie in personal relationship with him. “God” has the definite article, marking this out as a reference to the first person of the Trinity. “The Word was God”—here there is no article since the Word is not said to be the same person as God but to have the nature of God. The NEB paraphrases well: “What God was, the Word was.” This is the starting point for the evangelist, but in the Gospel story he shows how people failed to recognize the full deity of Jesus until Thomas’ confession of faith (20:28), which is in some ways the climax of the Gospel.
After reaffirming the pre-existence of the Word and his relationship to God (1:2), the evangelist goes on to describe his work in creation (cf. Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-4). Through him everything came into being—not just material things but life itself. So we meet two of the great themes of the Gospel—life and light. The light shines on (present tense). The darkness made an attempt to master it, but failed decisively (past tense). In that fact lies our salvation.
Note In 1:4 follow the RSV rather than the margin.