Site Search Engine

The Creator

John Chapter 1 verses 6 to 13

After the introduction (verses 1-5), the historical part of John's Gospel begins with verse 6, and consists of two parts:

• the history of our Lord's public ministry from the time of His introduction to it by John the Baptist (so called in the other gospels) to its close (verse 6 to end of chapter 12).
• the preparation of His disciples for their ministry after He returned to Heaven, His sacrifice as the Lamb of God on the cross, and His ressurection.

The forerunner was John (the LORD has been gracious), called the Baptist in the other three gospels. He was sent from God, of priestly descent. His father, Zacharias, was a priest of the division of Abijah (1 Chronicles 24:10), and his mother, Elisabeth, was of the daughters of Aaron (Luke 1:5). The mission of John was the subject of prophecy (Matthew 3:3; Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1). His birth was supernatural, from a barren mother, both parents being advanced in years (Luke 1:7); it was foretold by the angel Gabriel (Luke 13-17), who also appeared before Mary the mother of Jesus to announce that she would be His mother.

John was a great man, but he was a man, a son of man. God gave him both his mission and his message, both his credentials and his instructions. Perhaps uniquely, John was filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth, yet he performed no miracle, nor do we find that he had visions and revelations; but the strictness and purity of his life and doctrine, and the direct tendency of both to reform the world and to revive the interests of God's Kingdom, were plain indications that he was sent by God.

John came for a witness, for a testimony: formerly there had been the testimony carried inside the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:16) - tablets of the law (Deuteronomy 10:1-5), manna (Exodus 16:33,34), rod of Aaron (Numbers 17:10), by which God's presence among the people was made known. But now He was to be revealed by His own Son: for the testimony of Christ is the testimony of God (1 Corinthians 1:6; 2:1).

John came for two reasons:

• to bear witness of the Light: to tell the world that the long-looked-for Messiah was now come as a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of His people Israel (Luke 2:32), that He was the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world (v.29).
• That all through him might believe: not in John, but in Christ, whose way he was to prepare. He taught, through the doctrine of repentance for sin, that of faith in Christ.

John was not that light: that was expected and promised, but he only was sent to bear witness of that great and ruling light. There were those who rested in John's baptism, and looked no further (Acts 19:3).

Christ was the true Light (this word appears in 77 locations in the New Testament): not as if John the Baptist were a false light, but, in comparison with Christ, he was a very small light (John 5:35-37).

Christ is the great light that deserves to be called so, in three aspects:

1. By his creating power he enlightens every man with the light of reason; life itself which is the light of men is from him; all the discoveries and directions of reason, all the comfort it gives us, and all the beauty it puts upon us, are from Christ.
2. By the preaching of his gospel to all nations he does in effect enlighten every man. His everlasting gospel is to be preached to every nation and language - the end of the earth (Acts 1:8), like the sun which enlightens every man that will open his eyes, and receive its light (Psalm 19:4-6), to which the preaching of the gospel is compared (Romans 10:18).
3. By the operation of his Spirit and grace he enlightens all those that are receptive of the message of salvation; and those that are not enlightened by him perish in darkness (John 12:46-50).

Christ was in the world, before his incarnation, upholding all things as the Word; but he took our nature upon him, and dwelt among us. The greatest honour that ever was put upon this planet of ours, only a minute portion of the mighty universe, was that the Son of God once lived as one of His creatures here for a while.

The world was made through Him: He came to save the world because it was a world of his own making. Why should he not concern himself to revive the light that was of his own kindling, to restore a life of his own infusing, and to renew the image that was originally of his own impressing? The world was made by him, and therefore ought to do him homage.

And the world did not know Him: The great Maker, Ruler, and Redeemer of the world was here, but the inhabitants of the world were unaware, so they didn't own Him or welcome Him, as they did not know him; and they did not know Him because he did not make himself known in the way that they expected: in external glory and majesty.

He came to his own, meaning the people of Israel, that were peculiarly his own, above all people; he came of them, he lived among them, and he was first sent to them. In remembrance of the ancient covenant, wayward as they were, Christ was not ashamed to look upon them as his own possession and to seek and save them.

His own received him not: considering how much they owed Him, those who were his own would be expected to have welcomed Him, and great opportunities lay before them of coming to really know Him. They had the oracles of God (Romans 3:2), which told them beforehand when and where to expect him, and of what tribe and family he should arise, and He proved Himself with signs and wonders. It is therefore not said that they knew Him not, like the rest of the world, but that they received Him not: because they refused to accept His teaching, they did not acknowledge Him as the Messiah. The chief priests, that were in a particular manner his own (Numbers 3:12-13), were ringleaders in this contempt put upon him.

But as many as received him: though Israel as a nation did not accept Him, there were those within it that received him, and many more that were not of that fold (John 10:16).

To them He gave the right to become children of God: formerly Israel was called my son by God (Exodus 4:22); now, individual Jews and Gentiles who received Him were given by Christ the right to become the children of God (Galatians 3:26). It was in Him that they were predestined to the adoption (Ephesians 1:5) and from him they received both the character and the Spirit of adoption, He being the first-born among many brethren (Romans 8:29).

To those who believe in His name: the terms receive and believe are very important. Receive means to receive what Christ did in our place for our sins. Believe means to trust what Christ did in our place as our substitute (Ephesians 1:12, 13).

Born ... of God: all the children of God are born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God that lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23). It is not produced by the natural power of our own will, but by the grace of God.

 

R David Jones

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. (John 1:6)

The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. (John 1:7)

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. (John 1:8)

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:9)

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (John 1:10)

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (John 1:11)

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12)

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:13)