John: The Incarnation and the Mission of God
0 Amens
John: The Incarnation and the
Mission
of God,
1:1-5, Preached by Pastor Michael Gunn @ Harambee Church on October 8, 2006
“Christ’s work was work that only God could do, and that He could only do it in union with flesh that was ours. In Christ, men and women of all ages and cultures have found that for which the deepest impulses in their nature cry out.”
David Wells
“Adam lives in theory trying to turn stone into bread, masquerading like he's got it figured out/Cut off from the sunshine only smart in his own head/Leaving his descendents to hope in doubt/Left to his devices, those worthless sacrifices, praying to the altar of his self/Making pilgrimages thinking he's religious, like he's got all the light and no one else.”
Lauryn Hill
Intro: John may be the clearest gospel and simplest to understand, yet it remains the most enigmatic and controversial of the four gospels amongst many scholars and skeptics. It is in John where we find clear evidence for the deity of Jesus Christ and that salvation is through Christ by the power of God alone, two concepts that are hard for any westerner to swallow in the 21st century. Actually that’s not even true, because the listeners back in Christ’s time had an equally hard time hearing that their salvation came from a Galilean peasant, and that their works and will contributed nothing to the equation. It is in John that we see the beauty of the incarnation and the mission that God is on and has chosen a people to be on as well.
Whereas Matthew writes to the Jew, Mark to the Romans, and Luke to the gentile, John writes with a missional flair crossing the contextual border to another world. His book emphasizes the discourses of Jesus, while downplaying the miracles of Jesus. While this book is accused of being Gnostic and pagan in its origin, it is directed by the history of the Jews and emphasizes a human God, which is a severe blow to those that want to hold on to the Gnostic origins of this book. There is no doubt that this author had syncretistic tendencies, but only in language, not intent. Jesus and His word is the light, it is not the light that exists in humanity. It is a light that can only be known by the will of God (John ), not the enlightened man. This is truly a missional book.
The book has been maligned as much as any NT book in regards to its dating and authenticity. There are scholars who want to date this book as a later 2nd century document, but manuscript evidence seems to suggest otherwise, since we have a manuscript fragment of John dated at around 125 ad, which put its original sometime before that date, thus negating a late date theory.
In spite of the controversy, John has survived intense opposition and accusation and has given us a wonderful picture of the person and mission of Jesus Christ. In a time where the gods are thought to be either non-existent or too transcendent, the book of John sweeps us into the majestic beauty of the triune God and speaks volumes about His personality and the Son He so loved.
There are two clear verses that indicate John’s heart and framework for which he writes this book. First, John tells us in that he writes this book, “so that you would believe.” He is clear abut his intentions, so he is careful to arrange the stories and events in such a way that would invoke belief in Jesus Christ. It is belief that gives us life and sets us on a mission. John reminds us of that mission, and reminds us that God is a sending God. He sent His Son to accomplish His will and He now sends His church to continue the task (see John ).
It is in John that we are given the missional promises that the “helper/paraclete” (Holy Spirit) would come to help us “remember” (John 14:25ff), “bear witness” (John ), and “guide us to the truth” (John 16:8-15, see too 1 John ).
Logos and the Theme of John
There are some who think that the first 18 verses were late add-ins to the book. The primary reason for this is that John hardly uses the word “logos” (word) for the rest of the book. I believe this view misses the point of this beautiful, missional song that John created to set up the key ideas he would convey for the rest of the book. Below is what John came as a witness to (John 1:6-8; 15 cf. 1 John 1:1-3), and which we are ultimately witnesses of.
The Word as God (John 1:1)
The Word and Creation (John 1:2-3)
The Word and Life (John 1:4-5)
The Word and the World (John )
The Word and Humanity (John -13)
The Word Incarnate (John )
The Word Revealed (John 1:9, 16-18)
Gnosticism, Contextualization and the Incarnation
“Now as myth transcends thought, incarnation transcends myth. The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also fact (emphasis mine). The old myth of the Dying God, without ceasing to be myth, comes down from the heaven of legend and imagination to earth of history. It happens-at a particular date, in a particular place, followed by definable historical consequences. We pass from a Balder or Osiris, dying nobody knows when or where, to a historical Person crucified under Pontius Pilate. By becoming fact it does not cease to be myth: that is the miracle.”[1]
The Sovereignty of God in Salvation
Next to Romans, this book wreaks with the sovereignty of God in salvation. It will be a hard doctrine to swallow, and one I believe that lost Him much of His congregation in John 6. This is a doctrine that without which, evangelism would be an unbearable burden. I believe John will help us see that it is God who is in control of salvation, and though it remains a bit of a mystery (or an antinomy/paradox, as J.I. Packer puts it) it is a doctrine that rightfully places God on the throne, and we at His incredible mercy. I pray that we are prayerful throughout this book, and continue to seek the truth of God’s word, and not a theology that we cling to. Let’s have God’s word speak for us, and let’s show charity to all who disagree. The pivotal point in these first 18 verses is found in verse 12, “but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” This must be in our mind as we interpret the many verses in John in regards to salvation.
From the Head…
It is no mistake or coincidence that our book begins with “In the beginning” which is a clear reference to Genesis 1:1 (see 1 John 1:1), and sets the tone of this book which will go on to expand on this theme, especially as it relates to the rest of verse one.
Our verse takes us back to pre-existence, and confronts us with a bit of a conundrum and beautiful reality as to the nature of God. While some sects have relieved the conundrum by translating our text as the “Word was a god,” the grammar and the context and the avalanche of biblical evidence seems to scream otherwise. This “Word” (Logos) is both with God, and is God Himself. Before everything, there existed the necessary being, God, who existed as one, yet existed in plurality. God did not create out of necessity and loneliness, but out of love and compassion to share existence with His creation. In Acts we see that, “He is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” He created man to have life and to flourish; He ordered the world to sustain life, and He did this through the “Word,” which is a living being, representative of who He is. God hasn’t left this world without a witness to who He is. Our problem is not evidence, but eyesight. It is here that John does his best work at contextualizing his gospel to an audience that is both Jewish and gentile. The idea of “logos” had a rich heritage in both camps. To the Jew it was the life ordering word of God that spoke the universe into existence and revealed Himself to Moses and the prophets. It gave life! Jesus is God in the flesh, and has made the concept of the
Moses writes in Genesis, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” which is exactly what John does with our verses today (see Psalm 33:6). But the thing that strikes me in Genesis 1 is how the word speaks order out of chaos, and existence out of non-existence. “In the beginning” God created reality, and He created man in “His image.” Everything that God creates is then proto-type, while man remains an “Imager” or imitator of that creation. Jesus is that word. He has revealed the Father (God) to us, and it is that word that is our authority on issues of life. According to our verses, it is Christ who created (See Colossians -17). Yet Genesis is clear that it is God who created. Then Jesus is God! He is the voice of God, and has been throughout time. When Moses spoke with God at the burning bush, he spoke to the angel of Yahweh (Exodus 3: 1-6). When Abraham encountered God at the Oaks of Mamre, he encountered “three men” one in which was the pre-incarnate Christ. Christ not only did the acts associated only with God (forgiving sins, creation, etc.), but He accepted worship from men (see booklet).
It is in understanding that our life is a product of God’s creation that allows us to seek it in Christ, the creator of life. John’s use of the word light does not have the Gnostic idea of self enlightenment here, but of clear guidance as a light guiding our path, which is the by-product of the “Word” of God (see Psalm 119:105). We are guided by something outside of the prison, while the world religions and human ideologies continue to look within for their answers, only to create another hell based on human pride and blind pragmatics. And yes, even man’s religions, including Christianity, falls into this abyss when we look to our experiences and fail to look toward His word.
To the Heart
Where do you go to figure out life’s dilemmas? Who or what is your final authority when it comes to making moral and ethical decisions? Where do you begin your pursuit of truth? Do these begin with you, or with something outside of you? The natural path of humanity is to reject the truth of God’s word and formulate opinions based on intuition and ignorance. Jesus came to give you life; it is therefore your willful rejection of Him that keeps you from the abundant life that Christ came to give.
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