John 1:1 --- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
I'm not feeling too well this morning. I appreciate your prayers.
After talking with the Lord, we got back to moving in His Word today.
We already have a location/time (The Beginning) and we saw the action/verb (WAS) and now we're at the who/subject, "The Word" or in Greek is "ho logos".
"The" or "ho" used here is defined: designates a person or thing that is the only one of its kind; the article thus distinguishes the same from all other persons and things.
"Word" or "logos" is defined: A word, what someone has said; Reason, cause, ground.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon further defines "logos" use biblically in John 1:1 as, "denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds."
What's awesome is John using the word "logos" here was able to capture everyone's attention in this time period, Jew and Gentile alike. They could instantly understand the gravity of what he was saying because Jewish people went to the synagogue weekly where they heard the Word of God or scriptures read aloud. So, to them they would instantly hear/read "The Word" here and relate it to the scriptures, to God's very Word. For the gentiles they were immersed in a culture where philosophers used the word "logos" to define reason or the force that structures the universe. So even outside the Jewish people, this verse instantly draws the attention into the same area.
It's truly amazing how much is packed into this one single verse. This Gospel opens with a bang but back then it would've really grabbed ahold of everyone's attention. Right out of the gate it's the very Word of God or to the gentiles the source of all reason and structure in the universe, being shown to be alive, to be eternal, to be with God, and to be God. The weight of it is staggering, but now we are razor sharp focused on who we're going to be learning about here. This book isn't just the story of a nice guy, or a nice teacher, or a prophet… this book is about THE WORD.
It popped into my head where someone is introducing a speaker at an event. They give their intro speech, "Our next speaker is Phil. He loves Jesus, loves his wife and kids. He is an expert on Lord of the Rings books and movies, Pre-Disney Star Wars, and he's here today to discuss the latent ability of jalapeno flavored frito scoops to enhance the flavor of all party dips. Without further ado, here's Phil!"
Yeah, so my intro is quite impressive, right?.... Right?... Anybody? LOL.. Oh my dumb humor. You can take my silly intro and throw it into oblivion compared to Jesus Christ being introduced in this Gospel. I mean wow! We can't even wrap our heads around a tiny sliver of it. I just think far too many times we don't slow down enough to really take in God's word and just stand in awe of how amazing and powerful it is. How moving it is, how deep, and yet still simple, and personal.
Okay, I've rambled enough for one day. Oh, how I pray you would get a fire deep down in your soul for reading God's Word. For seeking Him out in His Living Word, the Bible!
Be the Berean, don't ever just take mine or anyone else's word for anything. Hear it, be joyful, then go open your Bible and read for yourself that all you hear lines up with His Word, His Character, His Commandments, His Truth, and His Love!
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