John 1:1

Who is Jesus? part 4

What’s with this craziness? We’re four posts in and we’re still fixated on verse 1, and he’s labeling it “John’s weirdness.” I mean, come on – it’s clearly Steve who’s the quirky one. Who knows, maybe it’s me after all.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

John 1:1 ESVUK

It’s such a well-known verse, and it certainly is an unusual way to begin what is essentially a nativity story. Who would express such philosophical ideas about the Word when discussing someone’s birth?

That is exactly it: That’s what John is implying. He sees Jesus as something truly remarkable, which is why we don’t just get the standard birth story. He’s attempting to convey something that’s beyond words. Jesus is eternal; not only will he always be present, but he has always existed, even before the dawn of time.

But there’s another aspect to the Word. There’s a Hebrew word thought to be so holy that it cannot be said in full. That is God’s name, spelled by four consonants YHWH, and pronounced in part in words like “hallelujah” made up of hallel meaning praise and “Jah” which is qsc athe first part of the name of God (the j is pronounced like a y.) .

As an aside, Hebrew is written without vowels. The vowel markings in the Bible were added at a later time. The vowels in YHWH are those from Adonai, a name for God rather than God’s name, to prevent the name of God from being said accidentally.

Back to John’s Gospel. This section seems to be crafted like a song, utilizing a form of repetition commonly found in Hebrew poetry. The expression “The Word was with God and the Word was God,” appears to carry a poetic weight, especially considering the subsequent phrase contains a similar repetition.*

What do we make of this repetition? It means that “The Word was with God, and the word was God.” is saying the same thing twice. The Word and God are indistinguishable. There is no way of telling which is which.

Another thing about the name of God. God, when asked for his name by Moses said “I am who I am.” It’s like he’s the original “I am” trendsetter. You know those “I am” statements of Jesus in John’s Gospel? That’s just the beginning. Watch out for the sequels!

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*I’m autistic, finding patterns in things is what I do.