SUMMARY
The first verse of John’s Gospel makes clear Jesus’ origins, his relationship with God, and his identity as God abiding with us.
ANALYSIS
John opens the Gospel with the same words that begin the book of Genesis, “in the beginning.” In doing so, Jesus’ origins are traced back before the creationCreation, in biblical terms, is the universe as we know or perceive it. Genesis says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the book of Revelation (which speaks of end times) the author declares that God created all things and... of the world and thus all things came into being through him (1:3). There is no birth story in the Gospel of John; only MatthewA tax collector who became one of Jesus' 12 disciples. and LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul. record birth narratives of JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity.. Instead, this opening verse of John’s Gospel signals three important claims about Jesus. First, Jesus comes from God. Jesus’ genealogyGenealogy involves the study and tracing of families through the generations - in short, family history. One genealogy in Genesis traces the nations descended from Noah. In the New Testament Matthew traces the ancestry of Jesus back to Abraham, while Jesus' genealogy in Luke goes... (only Matthew and Luke include genealogies for Jesus) goes back not to AbrahamGod promised that Abraham would become the father of a great nation, receive a land, and bring blessing to all nations. (Matthew) or Luke (AdamThe first human God created.) but to the beginning with God. The question of where Jesus comes from will be a frequent theme throughout the Gospel of John. Second, “the Word was with God” denotes relationship, another critical theme for John. The relationship between Jesus and God is the relationship into which believers are invited. Third, “the Word was God” makes clear Jesus’ identity as God among us. Jesus’ true identity as “I Am” will also be the subject of debate in John’s Gospel. He will be seen as a prophet (4:19; 9:17), the MessiahThe Messiah was the one who, it was believed, would come to free the people of Israel from bondage and exile. In Jewish thought the Messiah is the anticipated one who will come, as prophesied by Isaiah. In Christian thought Jesus of Nazareth is identified... (11:27), and yet the full truth of Jesus’ identity is as God in the flesh.
