4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Message: The Word of Life and Light
Time: Jesus' disciple John, the brother of James, the son of Zebedee was one of the inner circle of Jesus' most trusted companions. It's most likely that John wrote his gospel while he was in Ephesus, and that he wrote it for an audience that lived outside Palestine, perhaps in Asia Minor. John appears to have had in mind members of a Jewish community who had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but who had continued to worship in the synagogue. John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."
What the Lord is Saying: Yesterday, I started with a discussion introducing John. In that introduction, John takes us back to "in the beginning" to charge that Jesus was there, with God and was God and all things came into being through Him. John helps us better understand Jesus. In chapter 20:31, he states that his purpose in writing is to believe Jesus. And we are to have Life in Him.
Today in verse 4, he brings this to my attention even more. In Him was life. It is an interesting word play because we all have life. We are breathing. We are walking the earth. We are living. And yet John calls attention still to this word "Life" and directs us to the idea that this life is different with Jesus. And the life that John is communicating He also says is the Light of men. In verses 1-3 John mentions Him as creator - God in Genesis 1 creates the world and everything we see with a Word and John characterizes Jesus as the Word and in creating life, Jesus now is shown as life. And He is also the Light for all. Light illuminates and shows us the Way. The morning light comes into our world and shows us the way.
When I do a quick word study of life I see it is the Greek Word Zoe and it is speaking of everlasting or eternal life. Matthew 7:14 mentions us entering into life and few will find it. Matthew 19:16 is the rich young ruler asking about eternal life. Matthew 25:46 contrasts this eternal life with everlasting punishment. And so life is lasting and eternal and continuous. But, I think life is also speaking of breathing and Jesus is that.
There is a peace we who believe in Jesus have about life that I don't think is present in this world. Often, I hear followers of Christ wonder how non-followers make it through life without Jesus. Jesus brings purpose and fulfillment to life. He is life and that life with Him is eternal.
"...and the life was the Light of men." This life, this eternal life, this full life is what we want. It is what people want everywhere. It is what they are looking for. We work and yet in that work we want more. We want time off to enjoy and drink and be with people we love. We desire to have a family. We want to succeed in our vocations, as parents, as children. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the Life." And so this life lights our way. This is the same light that Jesus mentions is us. With Jesus in our Life as the Life then we also as His children are the light to all around us.
And this light is in opposition to darkness. "The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." When Jesus is not a person's Savior and Lord, the light, who is Jesus, is not fully comprehended.
It is almost as if John is looking for those words to help us see and understand the fullness of Jesus and Him in our life. He is beginning. He is life. He is light. Before there was light there was darkness and Genesis 1:2 describes, "The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep." And then light happened by the Word of God.
Summary: Jesus - the Word - is beginning, is eternal and complete life, is light to our way, which darkness cannot fully comprehend.
Promise: Unbelievers benefit from life and truth even while failing to recognize that these things come from God alone. It is our job to remind those around us that life and light come from God and that the Lord calls us to repent and trust in Him to benefit from His life and light eternally.
Prayer: O Father, I love these words. They are simply and yet they are are full and complete. They are everything to me and to our World. You are life, full life, and eternal life. And you are light, coming out of the darkness and shining to me and to our world. Life and light is evident to all and yes, I need to help all understand that you are the Source of all life and light.
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