John 1:1b
In the beginning was the Word….
Readers of Scripture over the centuries have been taken by John’s choice of words in these introductory verses of his Gospel. People often refer to these first eighteen verses as the Prologue, the words before the main word. Prologues open up a story, set the stage for the action that comes, and prepare the reader for the narrative journey ahead.
John does that by giving us a brief history of the existence of the Word. And it’s this word, “Word,” that has gained so much attention over the two millennium of Christianity. In the Greek this word is “logos” and it was a very important word to the philosophically-minded Greeks, as it can mean “word” or “saying” or “decree” or “mandate” or all kinds of other things related to speaking and even teaching. Think, for a moment, of how many of our words still contain the root of this word – geo-ology: words, sayings, teaching about the earth (geo); bio-ology – words, saying, and teaching about life (bios).
But logos can also mean “reason” or “central principle” or even “rationality” itself and in this way describe all manner of things connected to the essential mind. And so commentators have seen John’s choice as both creative and deliberate, as the Word John describes is the very reason and wisdom of God, the divine rationality that has ordered the cosmos since, well, since the beginning. John again is making a connection to Genesis, as the logos he describes is the very rationality, wisdom, and power that first ordered the universe…in the beginning.
Which means that in his Prologue John tells us that he is painting on the grandest of canvases, taking the whole universe and all of history as the stage on which to tell his story. Again, his sheer narrative nerve is impressive.
But while I appreciate the varied and nuanced ways we can translate logos, I want also to keep in mind its most basic meaning, just as translated here: “word.” This Word, which John will later identify as Jesus, is not just the mind of God or the divine rationality underpinning the universe; it is also and simply God’s Word, that is, just exactly what God wants to say to us.
This, then, is Jesus: God’s message to us. The one thing God most wants to tell us. The heart of all that the infinite and immortal God would say to us who are mortal and finite and have such difficulty listening to God. And so in these opening verses, John invites us to give him all of our attention, for in the story that follows we hear God speaking clearly, directly, and eloquently to us.
Prayer: Dear God, we give you thanks that you not only created us and all that exists but seek to be in relationship with us and so speak through the divine Word that we may know of your great love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Really enjoying these teachings on John thanks so much.