The opening verses (1:1-18), which form a kind of prologue to the Gospel, appear to be different from the rest. This highly celebrated poem speaks of the “Word” of God who existed with God from the beginning and was Himself God, and who “became flesh” in Jesus Christ. The passage is written in a highly poetic style not found in the rest of the Gospel. Moreover, while its central themes are repeated in the rest of the narrative, some of its most important vocabulary are not. Thus, Jesus is portrayed throughout the narrative as the One who came from above, but never is He called the “Word” elsewhere in the Gospel. Is it possible that this opening passage came from a different source than the rest of the account, and that it was added as an appropriate beginning by the author after an earlier edition of the book had already been published?
Virtually all commentaries try to claim that John’s writing on the Logos was based on Greek Philosophy. The logos in Greek philosophy meant reason and speech. The commentators claim that what John was saying is that by reason Yeshua was the very idea of God, and by speech He was the very expression of God. These ideas sound good and may even have some merit. But, what they fail to realize is that John was not a Greek philosopher, but a Jewish priest. What he had to say about the logos was not so much about Greek philosophy, but Jewish theology. While the Greek term behind the idea of “word” is logos, it is a reflection of a rabbinic concept known as Memra.
The most common Hebrew expression for word is Davar. Davar implies content and reality in one’s words. Since God is somehow “untouchable,” it is necessary to provide a link between YHVH and His earthly creation. One of the most important links regarded in ancient thought was “the word,” called “Memra” in Aramaic (from the Hebrew and Aramaic root “mr,” which means “to say”). The Memra concept - that of divine mediator between the unapproachable God and the creature man - occurs hundreds of times in the Aramaic Targums. The ancient Jews believed the Messiah to have the attributes of the Memra. This explains the writings of John’s Gospel, chapter one, showing that Yeshua met the six requirements of the Memra.
Why did God bother to speak during creation? Why didn’t the Creator just do His work silently without utterance or sound? To who, or for whom was He speaking when He said, “Let there be light.” It is clear that there is a creative, dynamic force in the Almighty’s voice, a power and energy in His words; a tangible release of divine life. His word is an extension of His nature, a movement of His will - alive, powerful, and effective - not just letters, symbols and sound. There is a vigor and action in God’s words extending far beyond the application of thought and communication. The Jewish theologians had six things to say about the Memra and they are all found in John’s prologue. What John is saying is that everything the rabbis said about the Memra is true about Jesus the Messiah.
Jn. 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The first thing the Rabbis said about the Memra is that sometimes it was the same as God and sometimes distinct from God. Two passages from Isaiah demonstrate this concept. “By Myself have I sworn, the Word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, it shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue swear” (Isaiah 45:23). “So that My Word be that goes forth from My mouth: it shall not return to Me voice, but it shall accomplish that which I please, it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). This first concept speaks of the dual nature of the Messiah – both God and man.
Sources: Isaiah 45:23; 55:11
Jn.1:2 He was with God in the beginning.
The “Word” of God is not named as such in Genesis, but it is immediately seen in action: “And God said...” (Genesis 1:3,6,9,11,14,20,24,26). God gave man His Word in order to reveal Himself to man; for God and His Word are inseparable. Starting in Genesis and going throughout the Bible, God uses His Word to first create and then reveal Himself to His creation. This is one of the two primary themes of the entire Bible. The other is His justice and mercy and their part in the salvation of mankind.
We learn in this verse that the Word was not a created being. Rabbinically speaking if the Word was in the beginning with God, and there is but one God, then the Word is God. This attests to the deity of Yeshua the Messiah, the Incarnate Word. This verse was also used by the early church fathers to contradict a heresy called Arianism. Arius, a fourth century presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt, taught that the “Word,” or son of God, was not eternal, but rather first of all creatures. The slogan, “There was a time when He (the Word) was not” expressed Arius’ position in a nutshell. This same doctrine is taught by the Jehovah Witnesses today.
Sources: Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26
Jn.1:3 Through Him all things were made; and without Him nothing was made that was made.
Secondly, the Rabbis said the Memra was the agent of creation. All that was made was made by the Word. The book of Psalms says, “By the Word of YHVH were the heavens made; and all the host of the by the breath of His mouth” (Psalms 33:6). The purpose of creation was to show forth the glory of God through Yeshua the Messiah. God alone created the universe. Isaiah 44:24 says, “Thus said the Lord your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb. It is I, the Lord, who made everything, who alone stretched out the heavens and unaided spread out the earth.”
Before He even started creation, the Lord purposed in His heart that one day Yeshua would go to the cross to die for the sins of all mankind. Everything in creation, including man, was created to fulfill this purpose. In order for salvation to be completely a free gift, the Lord had to put it into place before He created man with the free choice of rejecting it. The Apostle Peter said it this way: “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of the Messiah, as a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (I Peter 1:18-20).
Sources: Psalm 33:6; I Peter 1:18-20
Jn.1:4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
Jn.1:5 The light shines in darkness but the darkness has not understood it.
Vs. 4,5: Verses 4 and 5 tie together in a very unique and profound way. Verses 4 and 5 speak of a great light which refers back to some Old Testament passages. Isaiah the prophet wrote: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a brilliant light; on those who dwelt in a land of gloom a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:1). The "Jewish Study Bible" gives the explanation that the verbs used in these verses are in the past tense. Some interpreters view them as examples of the prophetic past, which predicts future events using the past tense because they are as good as already accomplished.
The future event being predicted here is found in Isaiah 9:5, 6. “For a child has been born to us, a son has been given us. And authority has settled on His shoulders. He has been named ‘the mighty God is planning grace,’ the eternal Father, a peaceable ruler” — in token of abundant authority and of peace without limit upon David’s throne and kingdom, that it may be firmly established in justice and equity now and evermore.” Most later readers (both Jewish and Christian) understand verses 5 and 6 to describe an ideal ruler, i.e. the Messiah.
The Lord said through the prophet Malachi, “But to you who revere My name the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2). The Jewish Study Bible says the background of this verse is mythological. The rising of the “sun of righteousness” is a metaphor for the dawn of a new day, i.e., an era of history. Both of these verses have to do with a great light and both are Messianic verses. The “light” used in this particular context in Yochanan’s Gospel is a direct reference to the Messiah. Both of these Scriptures speak of a Messiah that was conceived in the mind of God from before creation that comes forth to issue the Kingdom of God on this earth. In his letter to the church at Ephesus the Apostle Paul explained it this way: “To make all people to see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Yeshua the Messiah” (Eph. 3:9).
To add force to this identity, the Jewish people know that light (fire) is one of the central elements of theophany, — a temporary physical manifestation of God to man. At the covenant with Abraham, “a smoking oven and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the animal” (Genesis 15:17). God appeared to Moses from a burning bush (Exod. 3:2). He went before Israel in a pillar of fire to guide them by night (Exod. 13:21,22; 14:24; Num. 9:15,16). One of the most prominent images associated with the Shekhinah is that of light. All these things serve to remind the Jewish listener of the supernatural characteristics of the “light.” This is not a reference to ordinary light, but to Deity being revealed to mankind.
Sources: Isaiah 9:1, 5, 6; Malachi 4:2; Genesis 15:17; Exod. 3:2; 13:21, 22; 14:24; Numbers 9:15, 16; Ephesians 3:9
Jn.1:6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.
Jn.1:7 He came as a witness to testify concerning the light; so that through him all men might believe.
Jn. 1:8 He himself was not that light; he came only as a witness to the light.
Jn.1:9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
The Yochanan named here is Yochanan haMatbil. He is the harbinger, the one who goes before the Messiah.
The terms Shekhinah Glory and Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) are sometimes used interchangeably in the form of revelation of the Divine Presence. In Talmudic Midrashic literature, the anthropomorphic expressions of the Bible are avoided as much as possible, and terms like Memra, Dibbur, Yekara, and Kavod (speech, glory) are employed instead. Depicted under the figure of light, the Divine Presence is often presented as coming into intimate contact with human beings.
Jn.1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.
Jn.1:11 He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.
These two verses together have probably been used more than any other to build a case for the Jews rejecting Yeshua. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. This subject will be dealt with at another time where the proper context can be established.
Jn.1:12 Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God.
Jn.1:13 Children not born of natural descent, or of human decision nor a husband’s will, but of God.
Thirdly, the Rabbis taught that the Memra was the agent of salvation. This was based on Hosea 1:7 which says, “I, YHVH, will save them by the Word of YHVH.”
Source: Hosea 1:7
Jn.1:14 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.
Jn.1:15 John testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, “This is He of who I said, ‘Her who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”
Jn.1:16 “From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.”
Fourthly, the Memra was the means by which God became visible. The Rabbis referred to this Divine Presence in the O.T. as the Shekhinah Glory. And now this Word that was God took upon Himself flesh, and so He became visible. The Bible reports many instances of God’s appearing to man: to Abraham (Gen. 18), to Jacob (Gen. 32:25-33), to Moses (Exod. 3), to Joshua (Josh. 5:13-6:5), and to the people of Israel (Judges 2:1-5). In all these passages the term “Adonai” and “the angel of the Lord” are used interchangeable. In some of them the “angel of Adonai” is spoken of as a man. The Bible thus itself teaches that the All-powerful God has the power, if He chooses, to appear among men as a man. The N.T. carries this Jewish idea one step further: not only can God “appear” in human form, but the Word of God can “become” a human being — and did so.
Sources: Genesis 18; 32:25-33; Exod. 3; Joshua 5:13-6:5; Judges 2:1-5
This verse also contradicted the heresy of Gnosticism. Gnosticism is a philosophical view that understands that the knowledge (gnosis) of reality was to be attained only by divine disclosure and which sees the goal of human existence as the liberation of the soul from this physical body. The concept of a Holy God indwelling a flesh body completely contradicted what they taught
Philo identified the Logos with an individual called the Metatron. The Metatron was a Rabbinical name for the angel of YHVH, that unique angel that crops up in the O.T. Philo says the Logos, or Memra, was the Metatron, but some Rabbis did not agree with this. Metatron is said in Jewish lore to be the angel that led the tribes through the wilderness (as Shekhinah), and may have been the dark angel who wrestled with Jacob. Others talk of him as the angel that stayed the hand of Abraham as he was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and also as the angel that gave warning of the flood. The medieval philosophers treating the belief in angels in a spirit more rationalistic than Philo, who spoke of the Metatron as the great archangel with seventy-two names, claimed for man a rank higher than that of angels (Saadyah Gaon).
Jn.1:17 “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah.”
Fifthly, the Memra was the means by which God sealed His covenants. “The Law was given by Moses” (according to Genesis 15), indicates the covenant was sealed by the Word of God given to Moses. “Grace and truth came by Yeshua the Messiah” indicates the New Covenant through Yeshua was sealed by His blood, showing that He was the covenant signer. Grace and truth are personal attributes of God which Yeshua not only revealed in a unique way during His brief earthly lifetime, but in His eternal capacity as the Word of God. He, as God, has been continually bestowing upon humanity since the dawn of creation. Grace, truth, and the Torah are all from God, supreme expressions of who He is.
Source: Genesis 15
The term “covenant” translates a Hebrew word in the O.T. whose primary meaning is “a binding pact.” It is used to describe alliances between people, and it most often refers to an agreement between God and humans. All such covenants are conditional, being predicated on stipulated terms at the time of ratification. In the cases between God and man, the stipulations are made by God, and the people have the choice of accepting or rejecting them. They do not have the right to offer alternative conditions. If people accept the conditions they will be blessed according to the terms of the agreement as long as they keep it, or be cursed if they violate it.
Jn.1:18 For no one has ever seen God, but God the One and only, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
Sixthly, according to Jewish theology, the Memra was the means of revelation, and God revealed Himself by means of the Memra. Many who saw the “Angel of the Lord” saw God in a veiled form. In Exodus 33:20-23 it says, “but, He said, ‘you cannot see My face and live.’” Although this verse says that man cannot see God’s face and live, the Bible records several instances where men did see God and live. Moses saw “God’s back.” Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne “high and lifted up.” The seventy elders of Israel “saw the God of Israel ..... and ate and drank.” Jacob saw and wrestled with a “divine being.” Gideon saw an “Angel of the Lord.” Other temporary manifestations (theophanies) can be found appearing to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre, to Moses at the burning bush, and the prophet Elijah in the cave at Horeb. Therefore these passages must be taken to means the ultimate glory and nature of God are hidden from a sinful humanity.
A theophany is a temporary manifestation, showing, revelation, or appearance of God to people. In the Old Testament there are frequent examples of theophanies, especially in times before the Babylonian Captivity. Sometimes the Lord seems to appear bodily, in visible form, sometimes as an angel or messenger, often as a cloud or fire relating to a glorious and majestic presence. These are usually referred to as the “Shekhinah”, although another term that is used interchangeably is the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit). The most frequent and awesome theophanies are those related to the Ten Commandments, the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle, and the crossing of the Red Sea.
Source: Exodus 33:20-23; 24:9-11; Genesis 18:1; 32:30, 31; I Kings 19:9-16; Judges 6:22, 23; Isaiah 6:1
Verse eighteen presents an interesting problem of interpretation for textual critics. Manuscripts used to translate Bibles such as the King James version translate this verse “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared Him.” Manuscripts from the Alexandrian family, normally considered to be best, translate this verse “No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared Him.” The Alexandrian text is certainly a better witness to the true monotheistic concept of the Bible.
Sources: Authorized English Version (KJV) 1869; Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus
