John begins his Gospel with the same words that open the whole story of God with his people in the book of Genesis: in the beginning. Genesis goes on to detail the good universe God created, including the humans who were meant to have a special relationship with God. John will use his Gospel to show how God acts in a new and exciting way in his creation. God sends his Word, who is Jesus, to be the light of the world.
Yet when God sent Jesus, the chosen people and the rest of the world preferred darkness to light! But that didn’t stop Jesus, for as John reminds us, the darkness cannot overcome the light.
Spoiler alert! This is the heart of the whole story of God with his people, and the Easter story especially. John chose to tell his readers the end of the story at the beginning of his Gospel. Jesus overcomes sin, the power of Satan, and the finality of death—all the darkest things in our lives and world—and shines the light of love, forgiveness, and grace to chase away all the shadows we want to hide in.
The rest of John’s Gospel will fill in the details of the new creation God is bringing about through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. But don’t miss the essence of the story! The darkness doesn’t win. The light does.
Enjoy the glow!
Reflection:
- Do you tend to step into the glow of Jesus, step into the glow of the light of the world, or shrink back into the shadows? Why?
- What new and exciting way do you want God to work in your life? Turn that desire into a prayer and ask God to move!