Some Thoughts on John 1:1-2

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God."

                                                                                              John 1:1-2

In these first two verses we have the introduction of the gospel of John. Wow, what powerful verses we have here as well. On these thoughts hang the truth of Christianity. John is normally a rather flowery guy when it comes to written language, but here he is blatantly clear. John usually is very poetical, expressing things in a very educated Greek. Here though he does not want you to miss his point because the rest of gospel he is going to be demonstrating what he is saying in these first two verses over and over again. John's gospel is very different from the others, because like the others he chooses stories and words of Christ that demonstrate that Christ is who He says He is, the Son of God. This verse is so clear that you might as well rip it out if you do not agree with it. Because John has no intention of letting you miss the point of what he is saying. 

I am currently preparing to preach through the gospel of John and I am excited about this passage because it is the perfect introduction for the book. Other gospels start out with Christ's human genealogies but John starts out with showing that Christ is not a created being. He is God and He was with God in the beginning. While there are those that flatly deny the deity of Christ, of which I sincerely doubt I will change their minds, there are many of us who would confess the deity of Jesus but not live like we do. Some times in our day and times we over emphasize the humanness of Christ. We want to make Him some sort of genie/buddy that should always deliver happiness to us in whatever form we desire. I like C.S. Lewis' example of the fact that He is not a tame lion. While Christ does love us and want to give us what is best for us He does not fit into the bottle of personal desires. So often we what to shrink the God Jesus down to a more manageable size. Christ is bigger than our logic and our thoughts and that is why He says:

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." 

                                                                                            Is 55:9