By Andrew P. Bacon
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” With those words, Charles Dickens opened his classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife,” is the opening sentence of Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice. “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,” opens George Orwell’s 1984.
Each of these opening lines draws the reader in, giving clues to the message and content of the book. “Best of times” and “worst of times” hints at the historical background of that book. “A single man… fortune… in want of a wife” hints at the themes of marriage, class, and society. “Cold… clocks… striking thirteen” hints at a dystopian world. The most widely distributed, best-selling book of all time is no different. The Gospel of John, in its opening lines, draws the reader in, hinting at its message and content:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 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 1:1-5).
The Apostle John—Jesus’ bosom buddy—wrote these words by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to draw in the widest audience possible: unbelievers from every walk of life, across every cultural and social context, from the first century through today.
In the very first verse, we are introduced to a Person: the Word. He was in the beginning of time and history and was not only with God, but also was—and is—God. That statement must have puzzled John’s unbelieving readers (John 20:31). But it must have also piqued their interest, just as all great opening lines have done.
At the beginning and end of John’s final book, Revelation, he would record Jesus’ declaration that “I am the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev 1:8; 22:13). In Greek manuscripts of Revelation, the text reads the Alpha and the Ω. Alpha, the first Greek letter, reminds the reader of the related first Hebrew letter, aleph.i Ultimately, all Scripture testifies of Him—the Word Himself who became flesh.
“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (1:3). The Logos 21 translation (found in the Living Water booklets) renders the verse’s second clause: “…and apart from Him not one thing was made that has been made.” Later in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul gives this description of the One introduced in John 1: “He is… the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible… All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col 1:15). The author of Hebrews writes, “through whom [Jesus] also He [God] made the worlds” (Heb 1:2).
“In Him was life” (John 1:4). This is the One who commanded: “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb… the fruit tree…Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth…Let the earth bring forth the living creature….Let Us make man in Our image” (Gen 1:11, 20, 24, 26). Later in John’s Gospel, this same One will cry out: “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43). The Word, in whom was life, had the power to create life in the beginning, has the power to raise one back to life, and will exercise that same power in the last day. In the last day, the Word— Jesus Christ—will raise to life again all who have believed in Him for everlasting life (cf. John 6:39-40, 44, 54; 11:24-25).
Later, in his first epistle, John would write: “… our hands have handled… the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen… and declare to you that eternal life…” (I John 1:1-2). The author of the Gospel of John—who physically felt, touched, and saw the Word for himself—invites his readers to encounter the Word for themselves through his first-hand account.
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Like flipping on the light switch in a dark room, hope was activated in a dark and hopeless world. Hope arrived in the Word, who became flesh, and the life in Him is a shining beacon. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (1:5). Other renderings of “did not comprehend it” include “did not grasp it,” “has/did not overcome it,” and “has never extinguished it.” Just as the darkness in a room has no chance against the light from a switch, the darkness of this world has no chance against the shining beacon of hope found in the Word, Jesus Christ. After all, He was the One who originally commanded, “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3).
At the beginning of his Gospel, the Apostle John, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives clues to its message and content. The reader is introduced to the Word, Jesus Christ the Creator. Then, in what some call the pinnacle of the Prologue, John 1:12-13 clearly states John’s primary message: Whoever believes in the Word has been born of God. The reader can begin to see that Jesus, the Source of physical life, is also the Source of everlasting life.
As believers in Jesus—the Word, the Source of life—let us boldly invite unbelievers to read John’s Gospel so that they, too, may be drawn into its message of everlasting life.
Andrew is a pastoral leader at Blasdell Gospel Chapel, living in rural Buffalo (NY) with his wife and three boys. He is active in preaching, children’s camp ministry, and tentmaking in software development.
i Editor’s note: We get the word alphabet from the first two Greek letters, alpha beta. However, those letters were adapted from the first two Hebrew letters, aleph bet. While there is a connection between the first Greek and Hebrew letters, the same is not true for their last letters. The last Hebrew letter is tav, a consonant, unlike the last Greek letter, omega, which is a vowel.
ii NKJV, LOGOS21 and NASB, NIV, and NLT, respectively.
