“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:1-2)
In the first chapter of his book about Jesus, John packs some huge ideas about Jesus into just a few simple sentences. That’s good writing. Even those of us who take God’s Word as just that don’t often give it credit for being well written. God took great care to make sure the words used to communicate his Word were not just meaningful, but also delivered with excellence.
It’s no accident, then, that John’s first big idea is to call Jesus “the Word.” You’ve probably heard that the original Greek word for “word” is logos. That word was known both to Greek philosophy and Jewish theology. It was a perfect word to introduce the idea of Jesus to everyone in John’s audience – on the way to introducing us to the reality of Jesus as the Son of God.
The first thing we learn about this logos is that it’s more than just a connection between God and the material world; it is a he. The logos is a person – a person who has been around since the beginning, a person who has been with God, a person who is God.
Think: Have you ever wondered why John called Jesus “the Word” and not “the Picture”? Why do you think God puts such value on words? Why not reveal his truth in video instead of text?
Pray: Ask God to help you get to know him better by better understanding his Word and all the words in it.
Do: Think about memorizing John 1:1-14 this week.