Notes on John 1:1-18
The Gospel of John
1:1-18, Prologue
The first eighteen verses of John’s gospel are very, very well known. Phrases like and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, or but as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become children of God, and, of course in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God are words that we know are central to the faith. And they all come from the introduction to the gospel, before the narrative even really begins.
This is not surprising, given the nature of the Gospel of John. Standing alone in style, John’s narrative is driven by and structured around a theological message. This is contrasted with the synoptics (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) who’s narrative conveys theological truths. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John explicitly states his purpose of his words: “these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (20:31).
John, “the disciple Jesus loved,” wrote his gospel at the end of the first century. The church was not only established, but already facing many challenges. The pressure to conform more to Judaism was a problem, as were philosophies and religious movements like Gnosticism. The former emphasized upholding the practices of the Mosaic Law as necessary for salvation, and the latter held strange beliefs such as knowledge being hidden and the physical being inherently evil.
Along with combating these dangerous ideologies, John presents the truth in a very positive manner in his prologue. Of Jesus, John mentions his preexistence (1), true deity (1), role in creation (3), message of light and life (4), offer of salvation (12), role in salvation (13), true incarnation (14), and coming as the culmination of the law given through Moses (17). That is a lot – but there is even more than all that present in these eighteen verses!
Much of the prologue can be summed up in the doctrinal concept of the hypostatic union. This technical, theological term tries to encapsulate the Biblical truth that Jesus really existed, truly God and truly man. That enabled him to teach, perform miracles, and explain God’s kingdom through His life. It also enabled His sacrifice to be potent and suitable for salvation.
The prologue to the Gospel of John is just like an overture at the beginning of an opera. It is dramatic and sometimes frenetic, but points to fuller pieces to be performed later. Each of the truths in the first eighteen verses of John will be elaborated upon as the disciple Jesus loved communicates the God breathed truth of Jesus Christ’s ministry to His people throughout his gospel.
