John 1:1-5
John immediately locates his Gospel to Genesis in the context of Creation, establishing “the
beginning” as a fixed point. He then identifies the Word, with a capital as a proper name which
will dominate the rest of the passage as an uninterrupted force that arcs from Genesis 1:3 to the
Fourth Gospel. The construction of these lines: “In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God,” John makes them a homogenous (trinitarian) concept
with no possibility of separating. Theology notwithstanding, this technique of insinuating a
three-part relationship between Word, God, Creation allows John to explain the mysterious
creation of “light” as the proof of Jesus’ existence from the beginning of the universe. It seems,
therefore, that John means to reveal the presence of Jesus in the form of Light from the
beginning, as a confirmation of an eventual incarnate Logos: Jesus, Son of God
This would be my opening to a close reading of the above referenced passage. My thesis is
at the end of this opening paragraph.
(cont)
John affirms his fixed point in the next line, “He was in the beginning with God.” As a
conclusive statement. John continues to justify this idea in the next line, which maintains that
since Jesus was present with God, manifested in the creation of “light” it follows that the rest of
Creation—6 days—participated on some level in this “light” (Jesus). John says “came” into
being, implying a process, something not instantaneous, but unfolding. In 4 John specifically
writes “What has come into being in him, was life…” which now harmonizes the opening
proclamation with the same homogenous feature: light is life, and “his” life was “the light of all
people.” We notice that John says “of” and not “to;” which suggests that Jesus, as Word, Light,
does not stand outside of man, like a beacon to show the way, but rather as the very essence of
life in all men, where Jesus’ force is involved in every person “coming into being.” While in
human terms “coming into being” means being born, we also know that Jesus will later explain
to Nicodemus that one must be “born from above” as well. Thus in these short verses John uses
precise language and syntax to construct a syllogism, or logical, deductive display of reason to
believe that Jesus is of God, with God, from God.
Here I have addressed the next section with attention to the wording. Note that I offer a
kind of sub-thesis at the end of this paragraph, to help hold the entire essay together.
John concludes this artful passage with “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did
not overcome it.” (5) With great economy, John uses a present tense “the light shines”,
suggesting that this light, from the beginning (of Genesis) is still shining. But then curiously,
John adds “and the darkness did not overcome it.” What can we make of this change in verb
tense? Perhaps John is revealing that darkness, as Genesis notes, was here first. This, by
extension could mean that darkness was not created at all, but simply a steady state until Light is
activated through Logos—the Word, the manifestation of God through language. If we expand
this, we can say that darkness, as evil or opposition in any form is the default of the universe
without God’s manifestation. God communicates His presence, His manifestation, through the
concept of language. Light, therefore, is proclaimed as God’s singular, original existence first by
speaking it so that Man can here it, and then through His Son, the incarnate Logos, who walks
among man by speaking to him. Even though John’s use of past tense when he refers to verses 15, he uses the present tense for “shines” and in so doing, keeps the concept of Jesus as ongoing,
and never ending. John uses concise, masterful language and logic to tie the First Word spoken
by God, as the indisputable justification of Jesus as that Word, who was with God, and was
(always) God.
I have summed up my analysis by reiterating in a different way, the thesis I presented in
the opening paragraph. Of course, this is not a “polished” essay, but a brief example of how
to approach a close reading. I study the passage at the level of word, sentence, explain and
expand the role of verb tense and metaphor of Word and Light, and begin and conclude
with the same thesis. I hope this is helpful.
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