John

This is the first book that I read
after becoming a Christian.

When I mentioned this to a friend,
he replied that he wouldn’t recommend this
to a new Christian because of the way it begins:

“In the beginning was the word,
and the word was with God,
and the word was God.”

huh?

I realized that I had simply skipped over this verse
not knowing what it meant.

I don’t understand

THE WORD

Then I heard a story
about a Greek philosopher
named Heraclitus of Ephesus
who lived around 500 B.C.

He said
“you can’t step into the same river twice”
because
by the time you take the second step,
you have changed
and
the waters have changed.

He saw a world in constant flux,
but
even though the waters are always changing
and you are always changing
you are still you
and the river is still a river
He saw an underlying organizing principle
behind it all
that he called
“LOGOS”

Logos is the “word” used three times
in John’s first verse
(in the original Greek manuscripts).

Does the verse have more meaning
if it is written by replacing the word “logos”
with its definitions?

“In the beginning was the manifested thought,
and the motive/reason was with God,
and the organizing principle was God.”

I think I am starting to understand the verse now.

-=-=-

Reading furthur,

John 1:14
The Word became flesh,
and lived among us.
We saw his glory,
such glory as of the one and only
Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth.

The meaning is even more profound

-=-=-

John 1

This seems heavy,
mystifying to me.
These first few verses through 18
make such powerful statements
I cannot even comprehend.

I read this chapter about two weeks ago
and the beginning just blew me away.
Then last week I sat down to write about it,
but when I re-read these verses,
it didn't have the same impact on me.
Now I read it for the third time,
and I am again amazed.

Why do I sometimes "get it",
and feel affected by it,
and other times
I don't get much meaning or impact at all?

I think part of the answer might be
that these proclaimations seem so different in tone
than the last three books I have read.
It almost seems like poetry,
(or is prose the better term?)
but if you BELIEVE the proclaimations,
or at least try to imagine what it means
if it is ALL TRUE,
then it is wildly bold.
mind blowing.

At least right now.
(next week might be a different reaction)

I could spend awhile
trying to wrap my mind around a statement like

Joh 1:4
In Him was life,
and the life was the light of men.

the life was the light of men?

that is a cool thing to say,
but can you enlighten me a little more?

Joh 1:9
He was the true Light;
He enlightens every man coming into the world.

I'm beginning to understand what it means
to live an "enlightened" life.
Right now I'm generally at the point
where I realize
how much I don't have it
or at least I can't maintain it for long.

I seem to have brief periods of lucidity
and then droop back
into my typical "comfortably numb" existence

The problem is...
even when I realize how much better it is for me,
to spend
my time
and thoughts
and energy
on the things that bring joy to a life
like love
and service
Sometimes I suddenly wake up and realize
I haven't been doing it

It reminds me of when I was a heavy smoker.
All along (20 a day for 20 years)
I always knew
that it was better not to smoke.
that it was killing me
and actually had no benefit AT ALL
except some twisted kind of self-gratification
Being a smoker is not a happy thing
deep down inside
so why did I stay like that for so long?

Joh 1:12
But as many as received Him,
He gave to them authority
to become the children of God,
to those who believe on His name,

That is what I want to be!
A child of God!
Yes, this is where I want to be

Joh 1:14
And the Word became flesh,
and tabernacled among us.
And we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father,
full of grace and of truth.

grace and truth
I can get behind THAT.

Joh 1:16
And out of His fullness
we all have received,
and grace for grace.
Joh 1:17
For the Law came through Moses,
but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

I really do believe these things.

I just can't figure out why I choose to drop away.
It just makes me miserable.

I guess if I was going to pray for anything
for myself,
it would be to keep me thinking clearly
in this way.
.

John 2

I just re-read what I wrote last time.
Everything I was feeling
revolved around just a few verses.
Now I see I skipped most of the chapter.
The whole John the Baptist story,
and the collecting of the disciples
will just have to wait
until I cycle around
through the entire New Testament again.

When I started this project
I planned to plow through
three to five chapters per week,
then it slowed down to a single chapter a week,
and now
I think I could spend weeks on just one chapter!

a year from now
will I be pacing myself at 2-3 VERSES a week?
ha.

I've met pastors that can talk for an hour
on ONE verse,
but that ain't me. (yet)

so I'm gonna keep movin' on,

so here I am in chapter 2 ....

-=-=-=-

I have a Life Application Bible
It has a lot of notes,
One of the notes says
there are NO PARABLES in the book of John.

no parables?

Could that be true?

The last three Gospels had LOTS of parables.
How could an entire gospel be written
without a single one?
It seems like at least ONE would have slipped in.

which makes their absence
seem deliberate.

Then,
The first miracle in chapter two,
is also not found in the other gospels!

What could these discrepancies mean?

Well,
I know some people consider them
as proof that the accounts are not reliable
since they don't agree.
but in my mind,
there is so much RIGHT about the gospels
that millions of men before me
have found them to be reliable enough.
Since even the indisputable parts
are already more than enough for me,
(so much so
that I can barely even scratch the surface),
it is no stretch of the imagination for me
to believe that these difference
contain a deeper meaning
that I just haven't gotten to yet.

at least I'm leaving that possibility open for now
and moving on.

I was wondering
what I was even gonna WRITE about this chapter
which is WHY I put this off for two weeks,
because everyone knows the story
of how Jesus turned water into wine
and
that he drove the money-changers
out of the temple.

I've heard those stories since I was a kid,
what is there to add to it?

The only thing that struck me was that
first he says he's not ready
his mother didn't argue with him
but simply told everyone to do whatever he said

Joh 2:4
Jesus said to her,
Woman, what do I have to do with you?
My hour has not yet come.
Joh 2:5
His mother said to the servants,
Whatever He says to you, do it.

(an elegant way to avoid an argument with your son?)
and then he did it anyway.

Did his hour suddenly come?
Was this really the first time he ever did anything miraculous?

If so, I can't imagine he would have the confidence,
to send the jugs out
without even checking them!
He didn't even LOOK!

Joh 2:7
Jesus said to them,
Fill the waterpots with water.
And they filled them up to the brim.
Joh 2:8
And He said to them,
Now draw out
and carry it to the master of the feast.
And they carried it.
Joh 2:9
When the ruler of the feast had tasted
the water which was made wine...

now THAT'S confidence!
I would've had a little taste first.
just to be sure.
Can't embarrass Mom in front of the town, ya know...

Anyway, that's about as far as I got two weeks ago.

He changed water into wine.
He drove them from the temple.

-=-=-=-

THEN I listened to a talk
from one of my favorite teachers....
(Ray to the rescue!)
http://www.raystedman.org/mp3/3837.mp3
http://www.raystedman.org/mp3/index.html

I don't know if it was exactly what he said
or just what I thought about while he talked
(I guess a good teacher makes ya' think, right?)
but I suddenly have a whole new perspective:

Joh 2:14
And He found in the temple
those who sold oxen and sheep and doves,
and the money-changers sitting.
Joh 2:15
And when He had made a scourge of small cords,
He drove them all out of the temple,
also the sheep and the oxen.
And He poured out the money-changers' money
and overthrew the tables.

I have this mental picture of Jesus
Kind and quiet
Humble and merciful
encouraging.
a gentle man.
And I have this impression
that no matter how bad I have been
if Jesus was to come into my modst,
He would lift me up.
Lend a helping hand.
Tell me everything's gonna be alright.

but whoa!

Chasing people out of the TEMPLE with a whip?

That's not so gentle and understanding, is it?

Would he chase ME away with a whip?

Yeah. probably.

These people were WORKING in the CHURCH.
The good guys.
Helping people get their sacrifices in order
They were probably feeling pretty good about themsleves,
and the services they were performing.
for God.

Then God shows up and overturns everything?

ouch.
shocking.
unexpected outrageous outrage

Do you think he was really mad at those people?
Or just trying to make a point?
If you think about it,
He didn't really break any laws
He didn't really break anything,
or take anything
or cause damage,
He just scattered animals
and spilled coins
and tumped tables

Kind of cool that he could do such a radical thing
and not get nailed for it
(at least not immediately)
What could they do to him?
charge him for making a mess?

(oooh, using the word "nailed" is ominous foreshadowing, eh? I'm tempted to edit that out,
but now I wonder where the expression "nailed" came from. could it be?
I'll leave it and offer an apology for my tactlessness)

Anyway, I wonder what the disciples were thinking
as they witnessed this acting out.
Were they outwardly smiling?
Keeping a straight face but inwardly cheering him on?
recoiling in horror?
trying to blend in to the background?
Questioning what they had associated themselves with?

Imagine you were a simple fisherman,
and got called by a complete stranger to "follow"
and were just starting to believe and gain confidence,
and then the stranger suddenly attacks the temple???
The most respected institution in the country?
How would you react?

Later on he refers to his own body as a temple.

Joh 2:21
But He spoke of the temple of His body

Is MY body a temple?
What happens
when he sees how I am handling my own temple?
Probably not smiles and hugs and a pat on the back.

No, I'm predicting that scourge

Joh 2:17
And His disciples remembered that it was written,
"The zeal of Your house has eaten Me up."

(There's still time to clean, thank God)
.