In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (Jn.1:3-13)
I wanted to spend a little more time on John’s theology of Jesus in chapter one of his gospel. I love the phrase, “In him was life and that life was the light of men.” In the writings of John, the term “life” or “eternal life” speaks more about quality than duration. For him, eternal life is the quality of life a man has in connection with the Father rather than eternal existence. Those who find themselves in torment will have a never-ending existence but John would not call that “life.”
When he looked at Jesus, he saw something that he had never seen before. He saw a quality of life that he had never imagined. It was a life in close and intimate fellowship with the Father. There were qualities evident in the life of Jesus that had not been seen since Adam walked in the Garden. Think of the things people saw in Jesus that arrested their attention.
The most obvious was the power available to him because of his relationship with Jehovah. As Jesus touched the lame, the blind, the lepers, and even the dead they were instantly returned to health and life. Demons were driven from their victims with a single command. Jesus tore at a few fish and a handful of bread and fed thousands. He commanded storms, walked on water, and changed water into the best wine at the wedding.
He also taught as no one had ever taught before. He taught with the authority of one who knows, rather than one who speculates. Instead of quoting great Rabbi’s he spoke what the Father was giving him at the moment.
He exuded a security and a peace that is available only to those who know the heart of the Father and know the love the Father has for them. Jesus himself said that he gave peace, but it was not like the peace the world gives. Jesus had three years to save the world but never seems in a hurry, never worried about his next meal, and never spent a moment concerned about the approval of men.
He prayed in such a way that his disciples, who had heard thousands of Jewish prayers while growing up, felt like they had never heard anyone pray before. They asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Jesus also dispensed love and grace in ways that no one had seen before either. Moved with compassion, he touched broken lives with his love and grace in a way that invited people to trade in their old way of life, full of sin and brokenness, for a new life where grace and forgiveness ran deeper than the river of sin that had been gushing through their lives.
Those who saw Jesus saw that life and that life was the light of men. If you’ve ever been lost in the dark you know how welcome a light is. Suddenly, that light gives direction and hope. Suddenly you know in which direction you should be walking or driving and the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness are chased away.
The life Jesus modeled shows us that there is something else, something more, something worth pursuing with all of our hearts. It also gives us hope that there is a heart in heaven from which all of that flows. The life we see in Jesus echoes the atmosphere of heaven. In that life we sense that there truly is a place filled with love, peace, and security. A city where sickness, death, and the demonic have no power and no place.
The life people saw in Jesus was a light directing them, calling them, and filling them with hope. The amazing thing is that his life is available to us. As the Holy Spirit conforms us to the image of Jesus Christ, our lives should begin to emit that same life and hope to those still walking in darkness. Paul said that, as believers, we should shine like stars in a dark sky. I marvel at the men and women who centuries ago ventured out on seemingly endless seas in tiny boats with only a hand-held sextant and a basic compass to tell them where they were and where they were going. Sometimes they were driven by storms for days never seeing land or a single star to give them a heading. When the clouds broke and the night sky was clear, they found hope and direction from those lights shining in the darkness.
My hope is that we (myself included) will pray harder and press-in harder to know the life that John saw in Christ so that others may see Jesus in us and that life, then, can be a light for them giving direction and hope. Remember, you are the light of the world.
