Light into Darkness: A Short Meditation on John 1:1-18

The idea that God invaded earth through Jesus is no religious cliché. It is earth-shaking and life-changing. God has spoken through his own Word. This truth sets Christians apart from all other faiths. This was a visitation like no other—one that leaves nothing the same. The darkness of humanity was exposed by the glorious light of “grace and truth” (v. 14). What kind of light could make this happen?

Before the creation was “the Word,” who was in an eternal relationship with God, the Father. This divine Word was the agent of creation and the source of its life. The Word was no mere philosophical principle or heavenly being content to bask in divine glory... He made his dwelling in our midst by coming to earth as Jesus of Nazareth. He was not silent

The Author of the story became one of the characters. He lived, he died, and he rose again, as John goes on to tell. Although he created the world, many of his own creatures rejected him, loving their familiar darkness more than the wild and radical radiance of “the Word made flesh.” Others exchanged their darkness for his Light, and became children of God. How about you?