1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.
6There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him. 8He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light. 9The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him. 11He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him. 12But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: 13who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14The Word became flesh and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the only born Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’” 16From his fullness we all received grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time. The only born Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared him.
19This is John’s testimony, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20He declared, and didn’t deny, but he declared, “I am not the Christ.”
21They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.”
“Are you the prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
22They said therefore to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24The ones who had been sent were from the Pharisees. 25They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
26John answered them, “I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don’t know. 27He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.” 28These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’ 31I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water, that he would be revealed to Israel.” 32John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. 33I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending and remaining on him is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
35Again, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, 36and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), “where are you staying?”
39He said to them, “Come and see.”
They came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth hour. 40One of the two who heard John and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is, being interpreted, Christ). 42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).
43On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets, wrote: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!”
50Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!” 51He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell you all, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Chapter 3 1Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
John begins with a statement of thanksgiving and truth: God loves us so much that He not only saved us but also called us to be His own sons and daughters. That is an amazing thing. He brings us into His family and gives us a place at His table. We are not mere creations, rather we are family with Him. We have moved from being creations to being children. I think of my own children and just think of the privileges they received at birth, in being my children. At birth, they received an identity as a McMullen. They also had the unique privilege of having Sandy as their mother and me as their father throughout their upbringing. As children, they were assured that we would give them guidance, teaching, comfort, direction, correction, instruction, support, and a spiritual and financial inheritance. At birth, all three of my children were loved by us from the start.
I remember after my first son Faber 4 was born, he was in the hospital under a bilirubin light. He was a bit jaundiced. I would leave the hospital, go off to work, and at the end of my workday, I would race back to Park Plaza Hospital to see this little boy who now bore my name. He was now identified with me. I had an instantaneous love for him the moment he was born. All the way to the hospital, I would say out loud in the car, “I’m going to see my son.” “I’m going to see my little baby boy”. My love and devotion for him were all-encompassing and full, even though he had just been born a day before. I loved him when he was still in Sandy’s womb, but it paled in comparison to what I felt after he had been born. He was my namesake. He was my pride. He was my joy. He was my child. He received ALL of the privileges of being called my child the moment (or even before) that he first breathed.
I suppose that’s something like God feels for us. He loves us and cares for us before we even knew Him. John says that His love was BESTOWED on you and me. That means He just gave it to us. He showers us with His love. That word actually means that he “gave it to us as a gift or an honor”. This is a total picture of grace. We did not earn this right, nor did we deserve this right, but He, in fact, bestowed it on us. So how is it that we “become the children of God?” I often hear people say, “We’re all God’s children”. This is not true. We are all God’s creations, but we are not all His children. Scripture tells us that there is a path to becoming His child. In John’s gospel, he writes,
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 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 1:10-12 KJV)
It’s not a human birth coming from the passion between two people; it is because we are born into God by His love. John says that this sonship, this becoming a child, is dependent on our receiving Him. That act of faith gives us the right, a legal right, and ability to become the very sons and daughters of Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe.