Sermon on John 1.1-18

This morning I preached on the Prologue to the Gospel of John at Faith Presbyterian and Reformed Church. I based my message on the chiastic structure of the passage that I think I observed there. See below. I think it is interesting that John bracketed the human responses to Jesus (6-9 and 10-13) within his description of the incarnation of the Word (1-5 and 14-18) who perfectly embodies the glory of the Creator of the universe. My main point was that, just as each chiasm in the passage does, that we need to keep Jesus as the center and have “total buy in” (my interpretation of receive) to his kingdom program and do our part in it (witness). (Joyce took the picture)

• In the beginning was the Word,
• and the Word was with God,
• and the Word was God.
• He was with God
• in the beginning.
• Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
• 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.

 

• The Word became flesh
• and made his dwelling among us.
• We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,
• who came from the Father,
• full of grace and truth.
• John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”
• From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
• For the law was given through Moses;
• grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
• No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, 
• who is at the Father’s side,
• has made him known.