John 1

The Word with God in the beginning, who was and is God, by whom all things were made, became flesh and lived with us.  John introduced Him.  We saw Him.  He surpassed Moses in bringing grace and truth, where Moses brought law.  He has revealed God to us.

When they asked John what he was doing, he said he was preparing them for the coming of the Lord, as Isaiah 40:3 said.  "Behold the Lamb of God!" he proclaims, and men begin to follow Jesus.  Andrew brings his brother Simon, and Jesus changes his name to Cephas, or Peter, which means rock (we might say "Rocky").

Jesus heads for Galilee, home of Peter and Andrew, Philip and Nathanael.  Jesus describes where Nathanael was when Philip told him about Jesus - Jesus wasn't there!  Nathanael believes, and Jesus encapsulates His mission: He will be the ladder between heaven and earth that Jacob saw in his dream (Genesis 28:12).


Application

• Our Creator came to live with us.  Those who saw and lived with Him wrote about it here.
• This Word is the source of our life and light, and overcomes darkness within us.
• We need to heed prophets like John the baptizer and John the writer of this Gospel book, as they point us to, and describe, Him.
• Jesus, the Word, as our Creator, knows us and shapes us so much, the name He gives us is better fitting than our current names.
• We are often seeking Jesus for smaller things, when His mission covers the world, and connects with us personally.