John 1:1-5

Who is Jesus? part 5

In my last blog post, I rambled on about how the first verse of John’s Gospel is basically poetry. So, how about we ditch the deep philosophy angle and see it as a song, a sweet serenade to God’s cosmic masterpiece instead?

I have intentionally added breaks in the words of the English Standard Version translation to reveal the lines.

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

and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God.

³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 

⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:1-5 ESVUK

In The Magician’s Nephew, the prequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis shows Aslan the lion belting out the universe into existence like a rockstar. Or maybe it’s more of a torch song. Creation is the ultimate jam of the creator.

Aslan is the God figure in this series of children’s stories. I totally recommend giving them a read; they are not just for kids, they’re a wild ride for us grown-ups too. If you’ve already read through them once, then why no enjoy them again? They’re fun.

The song at the beginning of John’s Gospel uses two forms typical of Ancient Hebrew poetry, the repetition of ideas in different words and chiasm. Chiasm, meaning crossing over, is a form used in nearly all Psalms and is a repetition of similar ideas in the reverse sequence.

Verses 1 and 2 feature a chiasm, expressing “In the beginning was the Word … he was in the beginning with God.” Within these verses, the text says that the Word is indistinguishability from God. Following this, the subsequent three verses contain a straightforward repetition, which is then expanded upon in the following verse.

Yes, it’s all about philosophy, but not the kind that overwhelms you with unfamiliar terms. It’s about using simple words in a style that resonates with you, like a heartfelt song dedicated to a creator God. I firmly believe that John did not intend to write a scholarly thesis. If that were the case, this Gospel account would have been in academic Greek. Instead, it’s written in koine Greek, the language of the common folks spoken throughout the Eastern Mediterranean due to the conquests of Alexander the Great.

John 1:1-5 is not meant to be deep philosophy, but it does make a great song.

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