THE WORD

 

John 1:1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 

and the Word was God.”

The Word, ὁ λόγος, the Logos

John clearly refers to the first sentence in Genesis as he says, “In the beginning.” With this verse Oxford mathematician John Lennox gives a wonderful explanation of a word or information driven universe. I recommend any of his writings or YouTube videos.

The ancient Greek philosophers used the word logos for the reason or principle that holds all things together. Philo of Alexandria, while a Greek philosopher in the tradition of Plato, was also an orthodox Jew. He actually wrote of the Logos as if it were a person or even the divine intermediary.

John used this term for Jesus, who is the Word of God. He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9).

In his essay, Why I Am Not A Christian, Bertram Russel dealt with the need for the universe to have a creator or prime mover. And he asked the question, “Who created God.” It did not seem to occur to him that his question did not solve the problem. It simply raised the question of whether the cosmos was formed by uncreated matter and energy or an uncreated intelligence, God. 

John 1:14

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:18

“No one has ever seen God, the only God, who is at the Father's side, 

he has made him known.”

This is the first of the word studies in the book, Contemplating The Gospel of John, that I am preparing to publish. The book has word studies, poems, and short stories highlighting each chapter of the Gospel of John.

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Are You Able To See?

 

Our visit to Sychar was as amazing to us as it was to the Samaritans. We had always been taught that they were unclean. And at least James and I had reason to fear them. I won’t go into that now. But Jesus marched us into Samaria as bold as you please. We stopped at the ancient well of Jacob. Jesus rested by the well and sent the rest of us to the nearby town of Sychar to buy food. I wondered if it was safe to leave Jesus alone, but we thought no one would come to the well in the hottest part of the day. To be honest, we felt it would be safer if we went with a larger group into town.

When we returned, Jesus was talking with a woman. None of us dared ask Him what He needed, or why He was talking to a Samaritan woman. Whatever they were talking about seemed to upset her. She left her water jar and ran off toward town.

When she was gone, we urged Jesus to eat, but He refused. We were wondering if He could have found something to eat while we were gone. He said His food was to do His Father's will. We divided what we had purchased among ourselves and sat down to eat. As we were finishing, Jesus said, “Don't you have a saying, ‘Four more months, and then the harvest?’ Lift your eyes and see. The fields are white for harvest.” We automatically looked up and saw hundreds of people coming from the town. And their robes were the color of a ripe wheat field. 

Evidently on the word of the woman He had been talking to, many of them believed Jesus was the Christ. They asked Him to stay. We stayed there two more days, and in that short time, hundreds of Samaritans came to believe that Jesus was the Savior of the world.

As we went on from there, Jesus reminded us of something He had said earlier. “A prophet has no honor in his own country.” But as we came back into Galilee, the people received Him after all. They had been to the Passover in Jerusalem and had seen the amazing signs that Jesus did there. We went first to Cana where He had turned the water into wine at the wedding feast.

One morning when He rose early to go out and pray, we roused ourselves and went out with Him. It was getting light in the east when He rose from prayer and began to talk to us.

“Why do you think I have been received here in Galilee where they tried to stone me earlier?” We talked about it among ourselves. It seemed obvious to us that it was because they had seen Him perform signs and wonders at the Passover. 

Then He asked us, “Why then did the Samaritans put their faith in me? Had they been to Jerusalem as well?” We chuckled at this. There is no way Samaritans had been to the Passover. He continued, “There is danger for people to only believe because they see miracles.”

Simon argued a little with this. “Master, I believed because I saw you fill our nets with an impossibly large catch of fish.”

Jesus said, “Was that your only reason, Simon? Had your heart not already been convicted by some of my teachings?” Simon ducked his head. “I knew that you would believe, Simon, when you saw the miracle. But there is a danger of people who see signs and wonders believing against their will. They are not repenting. They don’t want to follow me. But they know that I have to be the Christ to have done such signs.”

My brother James said, “Then why do you perform signs and wonders?”

“My father gives these signs so people will know that I am indeed the Christ. I have given you authority to do some of the same works that I do. And as the gospel spreads to the ends of the earth, He will often do such miracles so people who will come to me will know that I am the Savior of the world. But those who only believe because they see signs, will search hard for some explanation that will not require them to continue to believe in me. Some would only believe if they saw a miracle every day.”

Just then the sun peeked over the mountains and shone down on us. We could not help but turn and look at the glorious sunrise. 

Jesus said, “Is that not a wonderful sign? Only my father could set the sun in the sky or create the stars you see at night.”

Thomas said, “That is not a miracle. It happens every day.”

Jesus answered, “And if people saw signs and wonders every day, they would begin to say, that’s not a miracle. It happens all the time.”

This story is drawn from John 4.

Father, draw our hearts to trust in You.

This story is part of a book I am working on titled CONTEMPLATING THE GOSPEL. In it, I go highlight each chapter of The Gospel of John with word studies, poems and vignettes like this. These are too short to be “Short Stories,” but they bring forth the truth of the passages.

In the past months I have posted some of the poems used in the book. In the next few weeks I will post some of these stories and some of the crucial word studies. I pray they will open your heart to the truth of the gospel.

HITLER'S FAVORITE KIND OF PREACHER

 

The headline of a recent YouTube interview of Eric Metaxis by Seth Gruber read, 

“WHAT IF ANDY STANLEY, RICK WARREN, AND TIM KILLER WERE HITLER'S FAVORITE KIND OF PREACHERS?”

This interview was about Eric's latest book, Letter To The American Church. The reason for the statement was that these preachers have focused their preaching on the Gospel rather than politics. In the interview, they talked about Martin Niemoller telling Hitler he was concerned about The Third Reich, and Hitler saying “You take care of your church, I will take care of The Third Reich.”

I need to object to the headline of this interview on two points. First, it is only partly true. And it is not entirely relevant. I also listened to a sermon Eric preached at Second Baptist Church of Huston on the same subject. I need to say that it struck me for Eric to say that he had a strong sense that God was telling him to write this book. I do not take that lightly or cynically. I have a great deal of respect for Eric Metaxis. And for him to say that, gives me pause. The message was that We are in the same place as the German church in the 1930s. And we had better wake up. I certainly agree with the crux of Eric's message.

But let me defend my responses to the headline of the interview. The statement is only partly true. When we speak of preaching the gospel, we are talking about evangelizing. These men and others of similar heart are trying to reach their cities. Starting churches, evangelizing neighborhoods. They are not simply preaching to the people inside their doors.

And it is not relevant because what Hitler would have liked is not as important as what God wants. God has called us to preach the gospel because no politics will ever be as effective in changing society as the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I agree that the American Church needs to wake up. We have gone to sleep on the threshold of the destruction of our nation. I pray that it is not too late for us to wake up. We must repent of our careless mindset. We need to pray as we have never prayed. I pray that we will stand against ungodly politics and godless attitudes in society. And I pray that we will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as never before.

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ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE CHRISTMAS STORY FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

The Word

In the beginning, from before the beginning

There was God—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

In perfect union, eternal love communing.

He spoke His grace before there were ears to hear it.

He sent His Son, the Word from all eternity,

The fullness of the God-head in maternity.

God spoke the light. He spoke the truth. He spoke Himself.

He spoke the whirling spheres and vast expanse to be.

He spoke the skies and seas and earth with all its wealth.

He formed the world and all in it that lives and breathes.

Every molecule knows the wisdom of His heart,

The plants and living creatures bear His mark.

He spoke His Son. He spoke to men. He spoke to me.

For in His time the Holy One to earth has come.

And in His great love He spoke the cross eternally.

From the beginning was His plan, His grace, His Son.

The wonder of His love the world has seen and heard,

As God declared, “In the beginning was the Word.”

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SLEEPING WITH OUR FATHERS

This is an appropriate week to come to the conclusion of Jacob’s blessing to his children in Genesis 49.

“I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah. There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.”

I was particularly stirred Sunday morning as we sang, 

“O come O come Emmanuel, 

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here, 

Until the Son of God appear.”

Like Israel, we are all subject to death. In Acts 13 we are assured that David died. And like Isaac, he was laid with his fathers.

“For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, 

fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,”

Acts 13:36

All of us will sleep with those who went before us. This week we celebrate the coming of Jesus who also came to die. But He died in our place. His death brought the promise of resurrection. Another verse of the hymn cries.

“O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,

And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.”

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HANDWRITING IN THE DIRT

 

John 8:3 & 4

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, 

and placing her in the midst they said to him, 

“Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.” 

 WRITING IN THE DIRT

“This woman,” they proclaimed, “was caught in adultery!”

We know she is guilty; caught in the act!”

Dumped in a heap of her ignominy,

The measure of her sin a proven fact.

Jesus knelt in their presence and began to write,

Flagrantly ignoring their demands and rights.

They had burst forth displaying their arrogance.

By religiosity they were in control.

They staged this challenge as a public performance,

Grinning behind their hands to watch the play unfold.

His ignoring response they could hardly abide.

He scratched his finger in the dirt of their pride.

They’d planned this event gathering rocks in their hands.

Such a sinful woman would be the perfect tool.

They would trick Him into taking a stand,  

Catch Him in compassion and prove Him a fool.

But kneeling to the ground He scribbled at their feet.

Writing something down in the dirt of their deceit.

They waited on one foot and then on the other.

What was He doing? What was He writing?

Puzzled, they glanced back and forth at one another,

Rolling their eyes, their frustrations biting.

He was stretching every nerve of their irritations,

Writing in the dirt of their impatience.

But they turned away from eldest to the youngest

When He said, “Let him without sin cast first.”

 The oldest in their shame may be wisest among us.

Men who are seasoned can know themselves worst.

 Kneeling down to write, He had them from the start.

Writing in the dirt of their own convicting hearts.

He stood with the woman whose devotion He’d drawn.

“Where are those casting stones in condemnation?”

“None of them is left, Lord. All of them are gone.”

“Then, sin no more in the dirt of temptation.”

He brings forgiveness for those who know His love’s worth.

Have you seen His handwriting in the dirt?

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SHALL THE RAVENOUS INHERIT THE EARTH?

 

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey 

and at evening dividing the spoil.”

Genesis 49:27

I have been struggling with the meaning and application of this prophecy about Jacob's final son Benjamin. What does it mean? What is God saying to us?

In her research, a writer friend of mine ran across the suggestion that the prophecy about Benjamin being a ravenous wolf had to do with the whole fiasco in the final chapters of Judges, beginning with the Levite and his concubine and the wicked deeds done in a city of Benjamin. When the tribe of Benjamin was asked to turn over the criminals, they went to war, instead of allowing perverse criminals to pay for their horrid deeds. This  resulted in thousands of deaths and the almost complete destruction of their own tribe. 

Their dividing of the spoils of war was not in voluntary repentance. They received the spoils from the other tribes who had realized that it would be a terrible thing for an entire tribe to be lost from The Children of Israel.

The theme of those final chapters of Judges is declared in chapter 17 and repeated in chapter 21.

"In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Judges 17:6

As we run our businesses, conduct our politics, and live our lives in a grant no quarter and take no prisoners mindset, we set ourselves up for ultimate destruction. 

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