VERSESEE

John 1:1–18

The Word Became Flesh

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Before John tells a single story about Jesus, he opens with a poem. In eighteen verses he names who Jesus is: the Word who was with God in the beginning, the light that shines in darkness, and the one who became flesh and dwelt among us. This exhibit slows down on the Greek words and patterns that shape the prologue. Greek words appear inline in the passage. Tap any of them to open a word study.

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In the beginning was , and was with God, and was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was , and the was the of mankind. And the shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it. A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the , so that everyone might believe through him. He himself was not the , but he came to testify about the . The true , who gives to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not recognize him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not receive him. But to all who have received him—those who believe in his name—he has given the right to become God’s children— children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God. Now became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. John testified about him and shouted out, “This one was the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than I am, because he existed before me.’” For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.

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The Word (Logos)

λόγοςLogosword, message, account

John opens with logos, a term his readers would hear in more than one register. In Greek thought it could mean reason, speech, or the ordering principle of reality. In Jewish Scripture, God's word creates, commands, and sustains (Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 55:11). John does not define the term in a glossary. He places the Logos in relation to God and creation: the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Light and Life

φῶς / ζωήphos / zoelight / life

In him was life, and that life was the light of humanity (vv. 4–5). Light and life are paired throughout the prologue. The light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John will return to light again and again in this Gospel. Here at the start, the images announce what the rest of the book will show: Jesus brings life that death cannot swallow, and revelation that darkness cannot extinguish.

Echoes of Genesis 1

John's opening deliberately echoes the beginning of Genesis. Both start "in the beginning." Both move from formless darkness to light. Both describe creation through God's speech. Reading the prologue beside Genesis 1 helps you hear John saying that the one entering history in Jesus is the same creative Word through whom the world was made.

  • Genesis 1:1–5

    In the beginning God created... and God said, "Let there be light."

  • John 1:1–5

    In the beginning was the Word... In him was life, and that life was the light of humanity.

Prologue Structure

The prologue moves in three broad movements. Verses 1–5 establish who the Word is: eternal, with God, creator, life and light. Verses 6–13 turn to witness and response: John testifies, the world does not recognize the light, but those who receive the Word become children of God. Verses 14–18 arrive at the hinge: the Word became flesh, and we have seen his glory. The poem builds from eternity to incarnation.

Becoming Flesh

Verse 14 is the center of gravity. The eternal Word entered human life: "The Word became flesh and took up residence among us." John does not rush past the mystery. He has spent thirteen verses preparing the reader for this claim. Everything before points here; everything after will show what it means for the Word to walk, speak, die, and rise among us.

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