FAMILY READINGS

ON THE

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN.

1

The Word with God in the Beginning:

The Light of Men.

CHAF. i. 1-5.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word 2 was with God, and the Word was God. The same 3 was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made 4 that was made. In Him was life; and the life was 5 the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

Gospel was written long after the other three. St. John was very old when he wrote it. Fifty or sixty years had passed since the time when the Lord Jesus Christ was on earth, and John was one of His disciples, and used to go about with Him from place to place, and hear what He said, and see what He did.

For this St. John was one of the Apostles of our Lord, the brother of James, who was another of the Apostles. He is also called St John the Evangelist, to distinguish

B

him from St. John the Baptist, of whom we shall read presently. Gospel means good news; and an Evangelist means a bearer or teller of good news. St. John was both an Apostle and an Evangelist. He was also "the disciple whom Jesus loved:" he calls himself so several times in this Gospel; no wonder that he took pleasure in such a name.

This Gospel is different in some respects from the others. The religion of Christ was a new thing when they were written, but when this Gospel was written, it was no longer new. Many had now been Christians for years, and numbers had been born and bred as Christians, and false opinions had already sprung up. It was necessary therefore that Christians should now be further taught, and that these false opinions should be set right. So, as we find in these opening verses, St. John goes more deeply into spiritual truth than the other Evangelists; and, besides, he tells us more of the sayings of our Lord than they.

"In the beginning was the Word." The "Word" here does not mean the Bible: it means the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God. Just as we speak our thoughts by words, so the Son came to declare the Father, and to make known His mind and will to men. Thus He is "the Word."

"In the beginning." This means, not the beginning or creation of the world, but, the ages that were before that. St. John, before relating the history of our Lord's life on earth, tells us here what He was, and where He was, before; not only before His coming into the world, but before the world itself was made.

"And the Word was with God." In those eternal ages before Creation, "the Word was with God," a

distinct Person; a distinct Person, and yet one, for next we read, "and the Word was God."

Thus, at once, before he begins to relate what our Lord did in the world, St. John tells us who He was, and whence He came. He was with God, and He was God. And that, before we go farther, we may have this fixed in our minds, he says again, "The same was in the beginning with God."

"All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made." Here he passes on to the great work of Creation, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." This was the work, not of the Father alone; the Son had a part in it. He Himself said, "I and My Father are one."

"In Him was life." The Lord Jesus did not begin to live, when He was born at Bethlehem. It was only as man that He then began to live; it was thus that He took our nature. But ages before that, in eternity, He lived; "in Him was life." He had it of Himself; it was not given to Him, as it is given to us. It was in Him, so that He could give it to others.

"And the life was the light of men." That life just spoken of, the life that was in Him, was the light of men. But when? Before He came, or after? Before; when He was with God; for even then there was some light in the world, though the world, sunk in darkness, did not comprehend or receive it; and that light was from God alone. When the living Saviour came, then there was far clearer light: but St. John has not yet spoken of that. Before He came, men did not walk in the light which they then had. "The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

How much we have in these five opening verses! The Divine nature of the Son, His eternal abode with the Father before He became man, the Creation, the life, the light, the dark state of the world. What might fill volumes is here comprised in a few words. Eternal truth of the deepest importance is thus shortly and simply set forth to us.

Let us listen humbly, reverently, and thankfully. May this light not come to us in vain! May it not now shine in darkness!

6

The Baptist's Coming: the True Light.

CHAP. i. 6-14.

"There was a man sent from God, whose name was 7 John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 "That was the true Light, which lighteth every 10 man that cometh into the world. He was in the

world, and the world was made by Him, and the 11 world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and 12 His own received Him not. But as many as received

Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of 13 God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.”

was in

THE light that was in the world before the coming of Christ was a light that shone in darkness; the ignorant and sinful world did not receive it or walk by it. Now it pleased God that clearer light should be given; and that, by the coming of the Son Himself, "the light of the world."

But first a messenger was sent to prepare His way. Four hundred years before, God had foretold this by the prophet Malachi, "Behold I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me;" this