The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. There are two claims tucked into this short verse that invite our attention. First, there are many lights in this world. We might read that in more than one way. We might read that as saying that there are many things that...

He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. It’s curious why John (the Evangelist) goes to such lengths to distinguish between John (the Witness) and Jesus. Not just here but, as we’ll see, even more so later in this first chapter. It might be that there was a group...

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. Such a simple, short introduction to one of the most recognizable, and arguably important, characters in the gospel story. Two things, however, that stand...

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. This, I think, is one of the most poignant lines in Scripture. It first offers an affirmation about the light. The light of the Word, the light of Jesus, shines in the darkness, illuminating, bringing hope, making...

What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. There is, John says, a point to the universe. That is a debatable conclusion these days. Theories about the beginning of the cosmos, evidence of an expanding universe, the discovery of dark matter, and so on...

All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. Each of the four Evangelists has a symbol – Mark is a lion, Luke a bull, Matthew a man – that represents something of the character of the Gospel associated with that author. John’s symbol is the...