Sabbath: The Backstory: The Prologue
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 12th of October 2024
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: John 1:1-5, Genesis 1:1, John 1:9-13, John 3:16-21, John 9:35-41, Matthew 7:21-23, John 17:1-5.
Memory Text:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
Week one dealt with the end of the book of John, which explained why he wrote his Gospel. This week’s lesson returns to the beginning of the Gospel, where John sets forth the direction that he, inspired by the Holy Spirit, intends to take the reader. In the first words and paragraphs of their writing, New Testament writers often present the themes that they intend to cover. So does John, whose themes are presented as part of a grand cosmic sweep that depicts overriding truths about Jesus Christ—truths that reach back to even before Creation.
This presentation, at the opening of the book, gives readers, who already know that Jesus is the Messiah, an advantage that the characters in the book itself did not have. The reader can clearly see the grand themes that the evangelist returns to as he tells the story of Jesus. These great themes are placed within the historical period of Jesus’ earthly life.
This week’s lesson will begin with the Prologue (John 1:1-18) and summarize its major themes. These themes will then be looked at in other places in John’s Gospel, as well.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 19.
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In one of my Educational Computing classes, I asked the students to demonstrate using a spreadsheet in their discipline area. A history major wrote quite a good paper showing accessions to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sydney and Melbourne in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In the conversation that followed the presentation I asked a question about why the Sydney Adventist population was so different from the Melbourne population. My student responded that he was a historian and was stating the observable facts. It was up to the church strategists to come up with the reasons why.
It was a fair response and we both enjoyed to repartee and humour that followed.
This is in contrast to John in his recording of the Gospel. He is not only concerned with the facts but often records the relationships and the reasoning behind the facts. John is an analyst and this makes his Gospel quite different to the others.
Enjoy the study this week.
I was asked to read the Scriptures on this particular Sabbath morning - reading John 1:4-5. As I started to read, I was overcome with overwhelming grief. Grief so deep that, as tears ran down my face, my voice choked and trembled trying to articulate God's Truth. As I was trying to finish the Scripture reading, I kept repeated the words: “how deep is this darkness"!!!
As my spiritual eyes opened, my emotions became overwhelmed by sadness. I ‘comprehended’ the depths and breadth of this spiritual darkness; so ‘dark’ that God’s Light does not reach this living soul until His Mercy and Grace reaches out to him and removes this all-covering darkness.
Man is unaware, cannot understand, that without God’s Light he has no life – not here on earth nor in the world to come. This is the true tragedy as we see our fellow man living life in this darkness, not able to see life blessed by God’s Light. Only God’s Compassion – His Mercy and Grace shining through us as we live our life vested in our Savior Jesus Christ -, can help peel back the layers of darkness, exposing man to God’s saving Light.
John 1:4-5 - - ”In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
John 1:12-13 - - ”But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
John 3:17; 21 - - ”For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. v.21 But he who does the truth comes to the Light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done IN God.”
Matt. 7:21 - - ”Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
John 17:1-5 - - ”… Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
Happy new week,hoping to enjoy the week's study.
The introduction to the book of John sets the tone to provide the key messages in the book. The preface of the book of John is critical, sharp and foundational to the story of salvation. In unequivocal terms, John wants his audience to be grounded in the following truths:
1.The Divinity of Jesus – John wants us to know, understand and believe that Jesus was with God from eternal beginning (timeless origin), in fact, Jesus was God. John is very intentional to inform us that the Divine Jesus is both the Creator and the Redeemer. It is truly reassuring and comforting to know Jesus as God who has uncaused cause, who exists outside time and space and His “beginning” is eternal with no specific point of origin.
2.Christ as the Source of Life and Light – From the onset John want mankind to know, understand and believe that Jesus is the light of the world who shine in darkness (sin and evil) and illuminates salvation in the hearts of sinners (John 1:4-5).
3.The Incarnation – The mystery of our salvation is embedded in the doctrine of Divine became human in the person of Jesus. Only Jesus who created life is able to save life - God becoming man to redeem humanity (John 1:14). This knowledge, this understanding and this believe; “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us", shoots my hurting soul, my God feels my pain and sees my tears.
4.Jesus as the Revealer of God – John wanted to provide total conviction of the reality of God the Father. Therefore, wanted to make a profound declaration that whoever has seen Jesus has seen God. Whoever has accepted Jesus has accepted God. Whoever has believed in Jesus has believed in God. Who has rejected Jesus has rejected God. In this bold declaration, Jesus is persuading all mankind to look at the face of Jesus and have life eternal.
It is worthwhile to note why John gave this particular prologue. John wanted to confront head-on the heresies which were sneaking into the early Church, such as Gnosticism, which denied the true humanity or divinity of Jesus. John’s prologue was a direct counter to these ideas, affirming both Christ’s full divinity and humanity. Also, this particular prologue frames Jesus not as a great healer, not as a prophet, not as a great teacher, not as a great provider, but as the divine Son of God with a cosmic mission of redemption for the world.
As we delve into this gospel according to John, may we summon the courage through the power of the Holy Spirit and look upon the Jesus the face of Jesus and have eternal life (John 12:32) .
Your explanation is very clear.I'm so impressed.
Thanks for sharing brother . Sabbath blessings to you 🙏
If Jesus knew Lucifer was going to sin, and cause Him to have to die on the cross, why did He even bother creating Him?
Answer: Let me reword that. If Jesus knew we were going to sin before we were born why bother dying on the Cross for us? Because He forsaw a potential of redemption in us before we were born. That is not an electrical charge Maurice, or is it?😊
John foresaw what would happen in the the future as he evaluated what happened at his his time.He wrote this gospel that we may see the light and believe that he is life. Whoever believes will receive eternal life and be glorified at that glorious morning.That we will see him face to face.