Devotion for July 1, 2021
Read John 1.1-2
In the New Testament, each of the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life begins in a different way. Mark begins at the inauguration of Jesus’ public ministry. Luke begins with Jesus’ birth and the events immediately prior to it. Matthew also begins with Jesus’ birth, but he first lists Jesus’ genealogy. John, however, begins at an entirely different point:
“In the beginning…”
This takes us all the way back to the opening words of the Old Testament: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1.1 NIV). John connects Jesus to the great eternal reality of God and God’s creation by identifying Him as “the Word:”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”
John is letting us know that the story of Jesus cannot be limited to time and place; Jesus is not a part of God’s creation, but rather has enjoyed unprecedented and unsurpassed intimacy with God throughout eternity. Jesus’ story is the most important story of all time precisely because it transcends time.
John identifies Jesus as God’s Word, a Word so powerful that He spoke creation itself into existence; again and again, Genesis 1 says “and God said” caused creation to come into being. As the Word, Jesus is Lord of creation itself and God’s revelation of Himself (for our smartphone culture, He can be seen as God’s “selfie” picture!). Therefore, if anyone wants to understand the world, life, and/or God Himself, we have to begin with Jesus.
“In the beginning...”
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