John 1:6-8

Who is Jesus? part 8

It all began with a catchy tune! You know, the poetry in the beginning of John’s Gospel is usually overshadowed by all the philosophical stuff. But let’s not underestimate those first 5 verses – they’re like the philosophical version of a chart-topping hit!

This is what comes next:

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

John 1:6-8

At last, a human! “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” We humans just respond better to actual people than we do to those obscure abstract ideas. Some people just don’t get all that abstract stuff. So when a church uses titles like “Faith and Worship,” I can’t help but cringe. It’s so open to different interpretations, that it’s practically begging to be misunderstood.

We’ve gone from the Word through life to light. Really confusing if you are very literal-minded, as I am. Which is why seeing a name is such a relief. And why it is disappointing to see that we’re still talking about ‘the light.’ Spoiler Alert: this John will get his time to shine in the story, but we’re still in the introductory song. I find looking at these first 18 verses as poetry very helpful: There’s a good rhythm to them.

“To bear witness about the light.” This recurring line makes it clear that we’re deep in the poetic jungle, navigating the second part of the song that kicked off in verse 1.

What we are told is that this isnot the story of John the Baptist; it’s about the pivotal role he plays in guiding others to Jesus. Revealing that we are actually approaching Jesus, the narrative builds up to the grand revelation in verse 17. Jesus serves as the magnificent crescendo in the beautiful melody of this account, while still being referred to as the light. The story beautifully unfolds, emphasizing the significance of each character and their interconnectedness.

Have you noticed the connection between the two Johns? John the Baptist’s role was to prepare the people for the arrival of Jesus, while John the Evangelist, the author of this Gospel, is highlighting the identity of Jesus. When John, the writer, mentions John the Baptist as not being the light but a witness to the light, he may be referring to himself also.

But we’re not in the main story yet. We are still in the introductory song, a nativity song, a song of joy that leads up to Jesus.

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