OCTOBER 25/26 JOHN 1-2

October 25/26, 2014

John 1-2

Now we begin the most unique of the four gospels. Without John, the title “most unique” would apply to Luke. Yet, even with all the wonderful material we only find there, Luke holds hands with Mark and Matthew; they are called the “Synoptic Gospels,” because they each give a “synopsis” or a comprehensive outline of Jesus’ ministry. 


John, however, breaks this pattern. He selects from the many events we’ve read about in the synoptic gospels a comparative few. He omits, almost entirely, the parables. And John himself teaches, and recounts much of Jesus’ own teaching that we find nowhere else, especially Jesus’ claims to divinity. In John, we see most clearly, that Jesus is the God/man, one with the Father and one with us!

We see this from chapter 1, verse 1; John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” That’s divinity! A little later in the prolog, John says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) That’s humanity! We see this juxtaposition al through the gospel. But perhaps the most vivid picture of it comes at the end of John 1, in verse 51. Jesus tells Nathaniel, who was impressed at Jesus’ foreknowledge, that there would be even more impressing things to come: “You will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Here Jesus is recalling Jacob’s dream of a ladder that sits on earth and reaches up into heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it. Jesus is saying, in essence, “I am Jacob’s ladder; I connect earth to heaven and God to human beings; I am the God/man.”

John the Baptist saw it. He pointed at Jesus and used another Old Testament image: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29) As we will learn, only a God/man could accomplish that!


In John 2, the God/man goes to work. First, at the urging of his mother, Jesus turns the water into wedding wine. There’s a miracle and a message. Jesus’ first sign occurs at a wedding. When he returns, he will come as a Groom for His Bride! Then, Jesus clears the temple. Commentators argue about whether Jesus cleared the temple once or twice, but because John places it so near the beginning of his ministry, and the other gospel writers place it at the end, I believe he did this daring thing twice! 

Already, in just the first two chapters, we are seeing what the God/man can do!

Your fellow pilgrim through the New Testament,

Pastor Gary