Devotional Notes on John Chapter One

Verse 1

Having referred to pre-existence, and to the Word's proximity or relationship with God, the writer now tells us that there was unity or sameness about this relationship that predates creation. The verb is in the same form as we've seen earlier in the verse. It basically refers to simple existence. Word order comes into play at this point. The grammatical form that is used is called a ''predicate nominative". ''God" is not the subject of the sentence in this phrase, but rather is the predicate. The order of the words in the sentence dictates that we understand the term ''Word" as supplying us with another name for the subject of the sentence, namely, the Word.

What is interesting here is the emphasis on two contrasting truths. First, we see that the Word and God were different. They were closely related, but there was distinction between the two. This we know from the phrase ''the Word was with God". Then, we are told that we must be careful not to allow this distinction to be too absolute in our minds but we are to be sure to remember that this Word, though unmistakably distinct from the Father, is also in unity with Him.

We can infer much from the simplicity of the statement as well. John simply states that the Word ''was" God. There is no explanation of the kind of unity that he meant which leads us to understand it in its most fundamental sense. The oneness here is not to be understood as an abstract concept or as mere similarity or agreement. The oneness here is a fundamental sameness of being. The Word and God are two names for the self-same Being.

This distinction and yet unity lies at the root of the mysterious nature of our God. At its root it is indecipherable to us. We simply do not have the capacity to grasp the truth in its fullness. And this is a good thing! It is good and beneficial for us to be confronted with the fact of how much bigger God is than we are. It is profitable for us to see that our minds are finite and, ultimately, are ill-equipped to grapple adequately with the awesome realities of the nature of the infinite God. It can only be helpful for us to be reminded that we are small and simple beings and that we are in profound need of meaningful contact with the magnificent Creator and Sustainer of the universe. How can it be otherwise?

God's Longsuffering

How marvelous it is once again to think of God's patience with His people. If there is an attribute of God that I could say continually amazes me; genuinely amazes me; it is His tremendous patience with me. I understand it in theory and I acknowledge its reality and I am grateful for its presence (Lord, I am so very grateful) but I simply am set back on my haunches and I scratch my head in wonder at such mercy and grace that is truly long suffering.

Verse 2

There is an interesting contrast here at the very beginning of verse two between the translation of the KJV and the NKJV. The KJV translates it ''The same was..." while the NKJV translates it ''He was...". This is not a small matter.

We should note at the outset that this not a matter of disagreement but one of clarification. The two versions are saying the same thing; just in different fashions. The literal reading uses a pronoun that be translated either way. The KJV chose to be more linear in its process and, as the identity and personhood of the Word are not yet established in the passage, chose not imply or conclude anything concerning the identity or Nature of the Word. Rather, they chose to leave that up to the reader. The NKJV chose to render the term in light of the later context where the Word is clearly demonstrated to be a person.

Both of these renderings are perfectly legitimate and entirely literal. The KJV is perhaps a bit the better of the two as it more dearly follows the flow of the logic of the writer and does not "lead" the reader quite so shamelessly.

That all being said, clearly we are talking about a "He" here with all that implies. Just a further short note here to be sure we understand that the ''He" here is a generic term that should not be seen to refer to gender. The idea of gender is irrelevant to this passage. The Word refers to Christ and Christ was a male, but no further conclusions should be drawn than that.

We have already noted that the passage indicates that the time of the beginning the word already existed. The implication there is that the Word had no beginning; but was co-eternal with God. This is further underscored by verse two. "The Same" refers to the Word already spoken of in verse one. This clearly a person as the passage later shows us. This is why the NKJV translates it as ''He" and is right to do so.

With this in mind, the first thing we ought to note is that verse two is really just restating a part of the premise of verse one.

Eyewitnesses are the most sure testifies to a matter. For testimony to be certain; there is nothing better than for it to be delivered by someone who was there, by one who has first-hand knowledge of the events to which He is testifying. By the same token; there is no more sure way to undermine credibility than to establish that such first-hand knowledge is absent.

This is the danger of resting the truth and credibility of the Gospel on our experiences or our grasp of it. We need to remember that it is not nearly so important for Joe Unsaved to hear about my experience with Jesus as it is for him to hear about what the Word of God tells us about Jesus and about the truth.

This is one of the reasons why John tells us that Jesus was with God at the time of the beginning. What Jesus will soon reveal to us is information that no man could know. It is information that informs us about the workings of the mind of God in eternity post. St tells us about how and why God did things and about His love for His sheep and His hatred for sin. These are things that would be relegated to the realm of opinion if they were the offerings of mere men. But they are not!

The One Who will tell us of these things was there in the beginning with God. We must keep in mind that what is important here is not that Jesus was there at Creation. That is significant to be sure, and we ought not brush it aside. But is not the chief reason for John's mention of it at the beginning of this great passage.

What John wants us to zero in on is that Christ's interaction with the Father pre-dates creation. If Christ was with God at the moment of creation, as He clearly was in this passage; then He was present in eternity past as well. This is very important as it speaks both to Christ's nature as well as to His ability to know the mind and plan of God.

Actually. There is no one else Who is able to tell us of such things, save the Holy Spirit Of God Who stands en the same position as Christ does in this regard. Who else can tell me of the mind and will of God? From what other source can I get such information? The information Christ puts forth could only come from one of three sources. Either it comes from the mind of a raving lunatic spewing that which springs from a diseased and deceived mind; or from the deceptive lips of a charlatan and liar putting forward the vile product of a lying and deceitful heart; or from the mouth of or eyewitness bearing factual testimony to that which is known for certain first-hand.

You and I must decide which it is!

With this in mind, the first thing we ought to note is that verse two is really just restating a part of the premise of verse one. Actually, I shouldn't say "just" because the restatement actually serves a very good purpose. It enlarges upon and solidifies what was said in verse one. We have already noted that there is both presence with and fellowship with God in verse one. Verse Two makes absolutely certain that have take the point about these two ideas.

The force of the verse is wonderful. Not only was the Word co-eternal with God in eternity past i he sense of existence (implied by the use of the verb of the verb ''was" in the first verse), but He was also in eternally active communion with God as well. This is not simply the Word with God, but God with God!

This also introduces the concept of the Word's manifestation and relationship to creation. It was this same Word, and no other, the One having communion with God and the One enjoying fellowship with God in eternity and Who is Himself God Who we see is the One Who created the World thus connecting Himself to that Creation. There is a logical flow here as all of the concepts that are a part of the Word's manifest nature (knowledge and will; wisdom and force) are many of the same essential attributes required to create.

This also establishes for us yet another reason for His close relationships to the created world and to created things, especially to man. This convection paves the way for John to discuss the nature of the work the incarnated Word did. Many Theologians have discussed the relationship between the creative and the Redemptive works of Christ. They are, indeed, closely related, as we shall see as we move further in this narrative. God created man in His own image, and He desires to restore man to that image's perfection. Sin has all but destroyed that image; and, by means of the new creation effected in redemption, and ultimately realized en eternity yet future, will restore Man to the perfect expression of that image.

It cannot and should not be overlooked that this redemption is accomplished by the incarnation of the Word; essentially the creation of a body in which He, Himself would dwell, in the same "image'' of God that was marred at the fall (though this instance of it bore no mark of sin's effects). It was in this created body that the Word set about doing the work needful to solve the dilemma presented by sinful Creation. The dance here is is both intricate and elegant.

Verse 3

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Jn 1:3

In one of the clearest statements in all of the Word of God we read the above. "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made". Yet, for startlingly many people, the meaning of this verse is obscured and they do not read it as it was clearly intended.

"All things" is a fairly straightforward statement. It would seem to include all things. ''Were made" is past tense with ''all things" as the subject. It tells us that at some point in the past, relative to the time of the writing of John 1, all things were made. Of course, there is nothing particularly earth shattering about this bit of news.

However, at this point, things begin to get more interesting. ''Through" indicates agency. God, of course, is the Creator. No one would argue with that. Here, however, for the first time in Scripture, we are introduced to the fact that God the Father used an agent to create. His was the power and the authority, but the hand that brought forth the worlds was not the Father's. As we will see later, if was the Son's.

Bombshell #2 - the Word in verse 1 and 2 is not an impersonal force, but rather is a person! What was with God can not, now, possibly be mistaken as a force, or as the expression of power, as some do... it is a ''him".

Bombshell #3 - This person was the Agent God used to create the world and all in it! The combination of these three is very significant. The Word was with God in eternity past. The Word was already when the time of the beginning came. The Word was a person. Therefore, there was a person in a pre-existing relationship with the Father in eternity past. This person is the Creator of all things. This leads us to the inescapable conclusion that the Word is, Himself, uncreated. The only uncreated Being that exists is God. Therefore, the Word is God.

One possibility that might arise is that the Word, this Person, was created by God, and then He, in turn, Created every thing else. This is the reason for the second phrase in the verse.

"And" is a connector. It joins two related ideas. The particular word used is used to join things that, generally speaking, are equal. "...without Him nothing was made that was made..." specifies that the Word created everything that has been created. It makes very dear that if a thing was created, it was created by the Word.

"Without" translates a word that has as its basic meaning the idea of separation. It could be (and perhaps ought to be) translated "apart from." The ''Him" refers back to the Word. The past tense in the phrase is consistent with the past tense in the prior context. "Was made" is in a tense that speaks of a state of being. The word "Nothing" speaks of just that. Taken together, the idea presented is that apart from the agency of the Word not one created thing was created.

The point of elaborating here is specifically to address the objection that the Word may have created every thing else, but that he, himself was created. The force of the phrase is be very pointed in declaring that if it was created, the Word created it. A secondary purpose of the verse is to demonstrate that the Word, being the creator, must also be God, as God is the Creator.

Verse 4

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. [John 1:4}

Note that the Word is called "Him" once again here in verse 4. This is added evidence for the personality of the Word, naively that we are indeed talking about a person and not an impersonal force. "In" is a simple pronoun that speaks of realm. Life is a basic NT word that refers to the capacity of being vibrant and alive as opposed to being dormant or dead. ''Was" is a simple for of the verb to be.

Life, in this context, often refers to more than mere physical living. It frequently refers to spiritual life. This is what it refers to here. In Him - that is in the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, was (existed) spiritual life. In fact, it is only in the Word that spiritual life can be had. It is not to be found any where else. Life spiritually, that elusive prize that all men seek, is to be found ''In Him". We will have to wait for later in the passage to see just how this life is obtained. Suffice it for now to accept that spiritual life is found exclusively in the Word.

Life was not to be found in the halls of the Jewish Temple. Life was not to be found in the inclusive philosophies of the Greeks. Life was not to be found in the pagan gods of the Romans. Life was not to be found in the legalism of the Pharisees. Life was not to be found in the theological liberalism of the Sadducees. Life was not to be found in the stubborn persistence of the Samaritans. Life was not to be found confirmed multicultural religiosity of the surrounding cultures. ''In Him" was life.

By ''life" we mean a couple things. First of course, we mean eternal life. That quality of spiritual existence that indicates that our destiny is not judgment and punishment, but life with God in blessing and joy. We mean eternal presence with God in heaven as opposed to eternal separation from God in hell. This life is in Him - that is it is wrapped up entirely in Christ. Apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ there can be no eternal life.

By "life" we also mean to refer to quality of life here on earth at the present time as well. This, too, is wrapped up in Christ. Life, to be lived to the fullest, the way that God intended it to be lived, must be, can only be lived ''in Him". There as a quality of life, a quality to life that is sadly absent when Christ is absent. The saddest part of all is that those who lack this quality don't know what or even that they lack it. More's the pity!

Light is that which illuminates or makes visible. Technically, it dispels darkness. The natural state of the world is darkness, the absence of light. The natural state af man, therefore, is to be unable to see. Light solves this problem. Light dispels darkness. This is precisely the reason why this figure is chosen for this idea.

That there is light implies that there is a need for light. It implies darkness. The figure of light therefore speaks of the presence of darkness.

Further, it implies that this darkness is not dispellable by any means other than by the mechanism the Word provides. Just as darkness is not able to dispel itself so also the state of man described here cannot dispel or correct itself.

Again we see that darkness itself implies a lack of ability to perceive or understand what is needful to understand. As we have noted, this shows us that the natural state of man is and inability to perceive or understand what the Word reveals.

Further, we see that the light is what causes men to understand. However. That is a result. The Word is that which lights men. That is, the Word effects that which is by its presence the light of men.

How beautiful a picture we have! Men, in unassailable darkness spiritually, need the Word and the work the Word accomplishes to provide the only light possible or available in the world.

Christ provides life for all who believe. The life that He provides is the light of men. We have discussed the nature of light and how that idea applies here. Now, we need to think about just how Jesus fulfills this task.

The life Jesus provides is the light of men in that it shows them their need for life. It shows them that they are dead.

The life Jesus provides is the light of men in that it shows them what is necessary in order to live - namely complete righteousness.

The life Jesus provides is the light of men in that shows them that the cost of life is beyond their ability to pay.

The life Jesus provides is the light of men in that it shows them that life is available to all men.

The life Jesus provides is the light of men in that it shows them how shabby their lives are without Him.

Verse 5

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. [John 1:5]

"And" is, of course, a connecting word used to join two related concepts. Such is the case here. The particular word that is used here is ordinarily used to join things that are more or less equal or comparable in some fashion. Here, it is used to join two ideas or statements about the Word. The life that was the light of men; and the same light shining forth into the darkness.

"The light" refers to the promise and provision of life by means of the Word as mentioned in the prior verse. This light did (and does) what light does by nature. It shined forth. That is what light does. It shines. That light illuminates and warms, it invigorates and enlivens.

That is what the phrase in view tells us. The light shines in the darkness. The tense of the verb suggests action. It is as if John wants us to envision the light shining. He wants us to picture beams of light piercing the darkness and illuminating a dark place.

Of course, the light still shines in the darkness today. The world is every bit a dark now as it was then. ''Darkness" is a generic kind of word that simply refers to the absence of light. It speaks to the moral and spiritual condition of the world into which the Word come.

What is it that darkness signifies? The darkness speaks of the absence of the news of the provision of the Word. The world was in darkness; that is, it knew nothing of the God Who created it. It was clueless concerning the righteous requirements of God. They were not even aware that they had a need! They had no information about their own condition or how to solve it.

What does the light do to the darkness. The light conveys information that the world needs to know but has no capacity to discern. There is a dimension to all men that this describes. No man has the capacity to fully know himself apart from the revelation the Word provides. It is only when we see ourselves in the mirror that the Word provides (whether the Son of God or the Word of God) that we can see ourselves truly and clearly.

We are not talking about just a matter of quality here. The shining of the light speaks of the communication of information. The light shining is not just a matter of enlightenment. It is not that the Word allows or enables us to think of things or in ways that we did not before. The enlightenment that we are speaking of here is not from within ourselves. It originates from outside of ourselves. The Word communicates information that pierces the darkness of man's inability to clearly see and understand the Truth about himself and his condition. This is what the Word tells us as it lights or "shines" in the darkness.

Sometimes it is extremely difficult to understand why the unredeemed think and believe as they do. The processes by which they arrive at their conclusions is many times indecipherable and quite often just plain addled. I seriously wonder, at times, how in the world they can possibly think what they think. Then I come to a passage like this one, and I begin to understand.

If there is a passage in the Word of God that speaks clearly to the idea of inability; it is this phrase. ''The darkness comprehended it not..."

The first thing to note is the personification of the darkness. I think the idea to grasp here is that John is personalizing the concept of the darkness for us. Earlier, the world was painted as being in darkness. "The light shined in the darkness" John told us. The image was of a world slathered in darkness - which darkness was definitely distinct from them.

Here we see the darkness equated with the world. In truth, the darkness of the prior reference was not truly separate from them, bit rather arose from out of them. In this we see the difficulty of the human condition. It is circular. The cannot see because they are in darkness, and the inability to see puts them in darkness. It is an insoluble problem. Insoluble, that is, apart from the prevenient grace of God.

That the darkness did not comprehend the light is small excuse. In fact, it is no excuse at all. Indeed there is some question as to whether comprehension is in view here at all. Some translations render this word as ''overcame". The sense would then be that the darkness tried to extinguish the light but failed in the attempt. This would certainly fit with the rest of the chapter and with the accounts we have of the rest of Jesus' life.

While it may be true that there are many who oppose the things of God purposely; there are far more whose opposition is less deliberate but no less real. The people of Jesus' day are a great example. It is true that the leaders were the primary opposition that Jesus faced in His ministry; it was the people whose opposition was no less definite and no less emphatic when push come to shove.

It is important for us to see that any opposition to the things of God ultimately, boils down to precisely the same thing - opposition to the person of God. The light of the Word of God (the person of Christ) is here presented as the personification of the work of God. To oppose Him, the Word, is to oppose God. Because the Word is the incarnation of God to oppose it is to oppose God Himself.

The truly glorious thing here is that, even given all of the opposition and all of the various groups of people who set themselves against Him, they still found themselves unable to overcome Him. The worst and most concerted opposition ever could not avail against the light! Darkness could not win!

Verse 6

[6] There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

John's arrival on the scene of history is one of the most dramatic moments the Bible records. I have always been a sucker for drama. I love a great dramatic moment when hidden purposes are revealed or the real hero makes himself known at last. This is one such moment.

The late OT period is an ugly period in Israel's history. Having won the idolatry battle after the Babylonian captivity they proceeded to lose the war by surrendering to formalism and liberalism that yielded the extremely antagonistic and intensely unspiritual atmosphere of the first century A.D.

Israel was in a horrible condition, in whatever realm you want to speak of. Socially, politically, economically, intellectually, and especially spiritually they were in remarkably bad condition.

They are the textbook example of the class of people we can call the ''Shoulda known betters". So this idea applied any where, at any time, to anyone, it was to Israel. They were the vessels of God's revelation and interaction with humanity in the OT. God has spoken to them numerous times by numerous means. He had sent them many gifted and anointed men. He had delivered them time and again from enemies and had fought for them and given them victory over oppressors again and again.

He had dealt with them mercifully and graciously. He gave them token after token of His affection for them. He had been patient and gave grace instead of deserved punishment over and over again. He had made His home with them and had blessed their homes with prosperity and even affluence over the centuries.

If ever there was a people who should have known God - it was the Jews of Jesus' day. Yet, they knew Him not! This was the scene onto which John emerged to preach and call men to prepare the way of the Lord and to make His paths straight.

Israel had seen many prophets over the years. God had sent man after man after man to carry His message to His people. Sometimes Israel received the Prophet and heeded his message, but most often they ignored or discounted that message and even persecuted the Prophet for bringing it. This could almost be called the ''norm" in Israel.

The thing about Prophets was not just that they had a sense of "mission" or "sent-ness". That is a fairly common thing. There are plenty of people around who have a mission. People get a thing in their minds and they focus on it and poof! They have a mission! Many times those missions are commendable, even honorable. Frequently they are worthy of embracing and pursuing, of giving self and even sacrificing self for.

The prophets (and the Apostles of the NT era) had far more than just a sense of mission or the conviction that they had a task or something to accomplish in life. They understood that they were indeed sent out.

There is a real difference between having a mission and being commissioned. Many times an individuals sense of mission is self imposed. That is, it arises from out of their own heart, mind, conscience, sense of duty, etc. Now, we should understand that there is nothing wrong. necessarily, with this.

What is different about the mission of the Prophet (as well as the NT Apostle) is that they have been commissioned or sent out. This is demonstrated in the little word "by". Johns mission did not originate within himself. It was not self-imposed. He had not looked around and seen a need and decided that he would fill it. No situation or occur and had grabbed his attention and burdened his heart and compelled him to take action. This is not the way John got his mission.

Now, this is not unusual either. Many human authorities send out representatives to accomplish tasks for them. Nations commission representatives to speak for them and to accomplish their purposes and protect their interests. Many organizations actively recruit people to embrace their vision and accept their mission. So, it is not a matter of simply being called or commissioned that sets the Prophet apart from others with a mission.

What sets the Prophet apart is nothing human whatever. There was nothing special about John that prompted God to choose John. He did not have any sterling or essential qualities that made a necessary component to God's plans for the area at that time. This, of course, is never the case with God's choosing. It is never rooted in the qualities or actions of the person or group chosen. It is always rooted simply in His own good pleasure.

John was sent out ''by God". It was not his own desire. Nor was it any human authority who commissioned him to serve the task he was called to. No group recruited him to serve their agenda. This was not a matter of his own decision or evaluation of what was necessary. John was commissioned, not by any of those things, but by the God of the universe.

Now, we should note that anyone can make that claim. Many, in fact, have made that claim. Through the years there have been a significant number of people who have claimed exactly this. Much of the terrorism that is going on today is perpetrated by people who claim that God sent them to do it! Some of the most horrible crimes in history have been perpetrated in the name of religion. Many notorious crazies have taken the stand and said that God told than to do whatever they have done.

The claim to be from God is not sufficient. There must be more that validates them. And, indeed, there is. Anyone who speaks for God will speak God's Words. His message must be consistent with what God has, indeed, said. We know that God has spoken in the Scriptures so, what the Prophet says must agree with what the Word already says.

Further, their actions and lifestyle must not contradict their message. This is where many so-called messengers of God fall down and are revealed for what they actually are. Hypocrisy is the great revealer of hearts. The Word says that the deeds and actions show what is truly in the heart. People readily see this and recognize that what a person does demonstrates what is in their heart. Over the long haul this cannot be hidden.

Why was John noteworthy? Because of the call of God on his life. He was a man "sent from God" who was commissioned by God to serve the purposes of His Kingdom. That makes him special!

The prophet of God carries a double-edged sword of responsibility. He has a responsibility to God and to the men to whom they are sent. The responsibility in both directions originates with God.

His responsibility to men is to speak the message of God to God's intended audience - the ones to whom they are sent. They are responsible for the content of the message as well as for the manner in which it is delivered. Further, they are responsible that it be delivered, and that it be delivered to the proper recipients. They are responsible for the clarity of the presentation and for its conformity to the standard, the Word of God. They are responsible to try and understand their audience so that they can present it in as relevant and humanly inoffensive a fashion as possible.

The one thing they are not responsible for is the response or result of their preaching. That responsibility falls to the hearers themselves. Once the message is delivered, the responsibility of the preacher is at an end. They are not responsible for their understanding or for their response to the message.

Their responsibility to God is a bit different. The responsibilities to the hearers originates with God and are laid on the prophet by God as the supreme authority. The prophet is accountable for the faithful fulfillment of those tasks. Further, they are responsible to God to see that nothing in their lives contradicts or hinders the message either with regard to its reception by the audience or to its blessing by God. This bears on matters of sin as well as matters of lifestyle. The message must be central and God holds the messenger responsible for seeing to it is, indeed, central.

There is nothing in the Word of God by accident. God doesn't do anything by chance. Even the names of God's servants are significant. "John" means ''God is gracious". We know that John acted as the forerunner of Christ. It could be said that in a very real and special way John was the forerunner or announcer of the Grace of God in the ultimate sense as demonstrated in the coming and work of Jesus Christ. John was appropriately named!

What a glorious place John served in the plan of God! How marvelous to be the one whom God sent to announce His ultimate expression of His Grace! We all long to play some significant part in God's work. No one wants to be a nobody. No one wants to be insignificant. How wonderful it must have been for John to serve such a role.

Verse 7

[7] This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.

''This Man" refers, of course, to John. "For" indicates that we are talking about a purpose here. ''Witness" is the Greek word "marturew" and refers to the offering of testimony of which one is convinced. The emphasis is on the conviction of the testimony. This is why we take our English word "Martyr" from it. A martyr is one who is so convinced of a thing that he will uphold its truthfulness even to the point of giving his life rather than deny it.

John came to bear such a witness. He was, from the very beginning, committed to the bearing of witness to the truth of the revealed message of God, no matter what the cost. If ever there was an exemplary example of such a witness, it was John. He and His life was exemplary in many regards. Fist; he lived a life that was entirely given over to the pursuit of His assigned task. Nothing was permitted to interfere with the accomplishment of that to which God had called him.

He was also exemplary in his willingness to say whatever it was needful to say in order to deliver the message he was charged to deliver. Also, he was fearless in regard to the ''deliver-ee", that is, he gave no consideration to who his hearers were. Great or small made no difference to him - he was witness for the Almighty.

He was likewise exemplary in regard to the method of his ministry. He preached in exactly the needful fashion using the exactly the needful technique to accomplish the task given him by God. He was careful with his words and with his manner to see that his audience was left to grapple with his message with nothing to interfere one way or another.

In same fashion he was exemplary with regard to his message. He spoke the words of God and the words of God alone. There was extraneous information to be sifted through. There were no personal illustrations and no appeals to humor. He did not alliterate his messages and, as far as we know, he did not use poetry or drama. His concern was that the message of God be communicated clearly and powerfully.

We might also mention his powerful example with regard to the content of his message. He never sugar-coated his massage. He spoke the plain unvarnished truth with no diversions or side-roads to distract the hearers from the central theme of preparing to receive the Messiah.

Lastly, he was exemplary in regard to his endurance. He remained faithful to his calling until the bitter end; until they come to his cell to end his life. Ultimately, he literally lived up to his mission; he was a ''marturew", so convinced of his testimony that he was willing to die, rather than recant the testimony to that which he knew to be true.

Notes on John One