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| Saint John the Apostle |
This
past weekend, I attended a writing conference at Taylor University in Upland,
Indiana, about 35 miles from where we live. One of the keynote speakers, Bob
Hostetler, spoke on “What If John Had Not Written?” When I arrived home, I rested, got caught up
on what happened while I was away. Went to bed early because I was exhausted.
Sunday morning, I stayed home and rested. I decided to read the Gospel of John
as a carry-over from the conference. I saw things differently than I had seen them
before. What follows is a reflection on John 1:1-12.
“In the Beginning, the Word with God, was God.”
John reminds us of God’s presence at the creation of the earth. He tells us that God’s message was also
there. Also, that His messenger is God. (V. V.1-2) John continues to extol God
as the maker of all things. He states that nothing has been or ever will be
made without God and his stamp of approval. (Verse 3) We need to reread the
Creation Story in Genesis to fully understand what occurred at that time.
“The Light that Shines in Darkness”
John gives praise that God’s Son is the light that shines
in the darkness. And that the darkness has not overcome the true light. (Verse
5) (I believe the darkness will never blot out Jesus’ light.)
“A Witness to the Light”
The Apostle John speaks of John the Baptist. The people
asked baptizer John if he was the One for whom they had been waiting. He told
them no he wasn’t. The one they waited for was so great that John could not
even tie His shoe. His role was to tell others about the coming Messiah. (V.V.
7-8) John’s message was simple; he told the people to “Repent.”
“God’s Son Was Rejected by His Own”
Yes,
the Messiah was entering the world. Although He was in the world and He had
made the world, those of this world did not know Him. His people did not
receive Him. (They even crucified Him.) (V.V. 9-11) The Pharisees and Sadducees
and the priests were jealous of Jesus and chose to incite the Jewish people
into a frenzy that paved the way for the Crucifixion of Christ.
“God Granted Us the Right of Being His Child”
To those who
accepted Him as the Son of God, the Messiah freely gave the right to become His
children. All we have to do is ask Jesus to come into our hearts. This right
the Savior bestowed was and still is in accordance with the Will of God. (V.
12)
What a powerful message is found in the book of John's Gospel. It is no wonder that most Bible scholars encourage new believers to start with the book of John to learn about the true Word of God who not only created us, but came to die for us and save us from our sins...There can be no greater One that this! Thank you for these thoughts shared here today. Glad you were able to go to the writer's conference. So proud of you and your wonderful accomplishment of publishing your book!!
ReplyDeleteThank you,Pam for your kind thoughts. I wore myself out with all the walking. But I learned a lot about the craft of writing.
DeleteI heard that same message, a powerful message of the difference John made by writing the fourth gospel. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, Cecelia.
ReplyDeleteJen
I wish others I know could hear it. It has helped me with my reading of the Bible.
Delete