John 1:1-10, The Word Was In The Beginning, By Dr. Baruch Korman

The last book of the bible I gave my attention to was the book of Galatians. I’ve always wanted to dive deep into the Gospel of John but never really got through it. But after watching Dr. Baruch Korman’s exposition of John, I felt compelled to share it on the site. The Gospel of John is a unique and powerful book, and Korman’s insights helped me to understand it in a new way. In particular, I was struck by his analysis of the structure of the book. As anyone who has read the Bible knows, the festivals of Israel play a significant role in God’s word and plan of redemption.

In the book of Leviticus, God lays out specific instructions for how these festivals are to be celebrated. And throughout the Old Testament, we see examples of how these festivals were observed. However, in the New Testament, we see a different approach. John, for example, writes his gospel with a strong emphasis on the festivals of Israel. And in doing so, he gives weight to their deeper spiritual meanings. By linking these festivals to specific events in Jesus’ life, John shows how they foreshadowed and pointed to the ultimate redemption that was accomplished through Christ. In this way, John provides us with a deeper understanding of how these festivals fit into God’s larger plan. Today, Dr Baruch Korman on the first ten verses of the Gospel of John, and I’ll strongly invite you to listen carefully to his exposition. As gentile believers, we miss out on so many Truths revealed in sacred Scripture because we don’t have access to their Jewish background. This is why i’bve truly appreciated Dr. Korman’s lectures.

John 1:1-10 Explained By Dr. Baruch Korman

The Passage 

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

Key Points Of John 1:1-10

In the very first verse of his Gospel, John makes a reference to the beginning. In doing so, he is making a strong connection with the book of Genesis in order to give the reader a deeper understanding of its relevance. John also makes use of the keyword “WORD” in the verse. And he is going to use it several times in the first chapter. We’re eventually going to see that the “WORD” is a reference to the Messiah Jesus Christ. The WORD has to do with God’s mindset, plan and purpose. The word logic is derived from the LOGOS=WORD. In other words, the Messiah Christ ( who is the WORD) reveals  the logic of God, the reasoning of God. We also learn from this verse that the WORD Himself was with God and was God. What is John trying to convey to us?

The WORD being with God reveals the intimacy between God the Father and God the Son. When we hear those two terms – God the Father and God the Son – one of the first things that comes to mind is the term Trinity, and while the term Trinity is not biblical, the concept is. That is, God manifests himself in three distinct persons – God the Father, God the Son Yeshua, and that name is so important because it refers to the one who saves or makes salvation, and then, of course, the Holy Spirit. We’ll see a connection between the Gospel of John and the book of Genesis, and what Genesis speaks about is God bringing order to His creation.

Divinity of Jesus: And The WORD was GOD

By saying that the WORD was GOD, John is demonstrating the divine nature of the Messiah Jesus Christ. To put it in simpler terms, Jesus is God. He existed for all eternity and there was never a time when HE WASN’T ( or He Didn’t Exist). John will later on speak about the dual nature of Christ, which theologians refer to as the hypostatic union, the God-Man. But now all we know from the first verse is that in the book of Genesis, the WORD already existed, because He is eternal and He is GOD (of the same essence as God).

In verse 2, John reiterates the fact that Jesus Christ ( The WORD), was in the beginning with God. We already explained what that meant, He existed and was one in essence with God the Father. He was in a perfect intimate relationship with the Father prior to creation. And if you’re still having a hard time acquiescing to this Truth, John dispels any doubts in the very next verse. Basically John is saying that of all things that were created, they were all ( ALL, nothing excluded) created through the agency of the WORD ( Jesus Christ). And Colossians confirms this Truth, in Colossians 1:15-17

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by^[f] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together

But I’d like to add something Dr. Baruch said that I thought was very important and I’ll quote,

So we read this-” in the beginning the word was with God, and all things through him were made”. Don’t miss that everything that was made ,was made through him by him and without him was made nothing which was made. Now pay attention to that last phrase, because in English we translate it the same way. We say all things were made by him and nothing that was made was made without him.

 There’s two different constructions of that same Greek word for being made and here’s the important points. The first time when John says nothing that was made was made without him, that’s simply in the past tense, but when he tells us at the end of that phrase, for all things that were made, were made  through him,  he uses that term made once more, he makes a very important change in the Greek grammar. He uses the same word but a different construction, and this is what he wants us to realize that everything that was made, everything that is being made and everything that’s going to be made in the future will be because of the WORD.

Basically John is saying that the WORD ( Jesus) is the creator of  all things  not only in the past, but also in the present and future. He is known as the logos or the word, but we need to understand what that word means here. The WORD  refers to God’s mindset, purpose, and plans, as well as the one who produces all things. He is the one who expresses God’s intentions and desires.

So far, what we’ve learned from the apostle John is that the WORD is the Messiah Jesus Christ. We also know that HE is God and that He is the logic, reasoning of God and expresses the purposes and the plan of God, in that He brings order to creation because HE is the creator, the engineer behind the created things. Verse 4 introduces us to another key concept, LIFE.

 In him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of men

In the book of Acts, in chapter 17, the apostle Paul said that we live and breathe and have our being in Him, that is in Christ. This word “LIFE” has a lot of gravity. Basically, we exist because of Jesus, He is the author of life. But it doesn’t stop there. Life also has to do with the kingdom of God and its purposes. What John is also saying is this, Jesus embodies the kingdom life that God desires for His creation. The word LIFE has to do with illumination as well. John says that when one looks to JESUS, he/she sees how God defines what kingdom living is supposed to be. Since the WORD ( JESUS) is the mindset, logic of God, He consequently also represents the exemplary life that God desires for His people.

There is a connection between life and light and John is showing it us in verse 4. In the book of Genesis, when God wanted to bring order to creation, the first that was said was,

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

I hope you see the parallel between Genesis and the book of John. The apostle is trying to show us that Light and life are inherently related. Light speaks of illumination so in Jesus the Messiah there is illumination that leads to God’s order and purposes. So if we want order in our lives, we must look to the WORD ( Jesus Christ).

The Function of the Light

Verse 5 speaks of the function of the light and our proclivity to cling on to darkness. Once again, John gives us clarity about the meaning of the book of Genesis, what do we read in verse 4 of Genesis,

⁴ And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness

If we don’t pursue the WORD in whom dwells the purposes of God, we’ll remain in darkness ( total confusion with no sense of direction or purposes). John is also saying that the illumination of God through His WORD has been made available to His creation, this is why darkness can’t overcome it. But when we cling on to our reasoning, we become unresponsive to the illumination of God, and even if we can’t overcome it, we don’t come to it. The next thing John is going to do to his readers, is substantiate his arguments and also teach them and us how to come to the Light.

God Has Made Provisions

John the Baptist’s introduction comes at a perfect time. The apostle John has just boldly stated that the WORD ( JESUS) reveals the kingdom life that God desires because He is the illumination and life of God. And his opponents are probably going to ask him to support his claims, and he does. Before we go any further, we need to see the importance of the name John. The name speaks of the Grace of God, how God is gracious. That is so key to understand the significance of the ministry of John the Baptist. He comes unto the scene to prepare the people for the LIGHT. That’s God’s grace. As people, we already know that by nature we abhor the LIGHT and won’t come to it even when it is plainly available to us. But God who is rich in mercy sent John the Baptist primarily to the Jews to prepare them for the coming Messiah. So no one can say, God hasn’t done anything to ready us for the LIGHT.

What was the purpose oh John? A testimony or a witness? It literally says that this one came for a witness, but not just any witness. He just didn’t have any testimony, but a very, very specific one, and what was that – to testify concerning the light in order that all should believe through him ( John the Baptist). Another word is is introduced to us and that is “believe”. In this verse, it means to put one’s faith in. And in this case, it is putting one’s faith in the WORD ( JESUS ), who reveals the light of God.

For verses 9 and 10, I’ll encourage you to watch Dr. Baruch’s lecture.

I hope this has helped clarified these first ten verses to you, and I look forward to the next verses. Have a blessed Day.

PS: I started Tayibs.com for the sole purpose of exploring difficult questions about the Christian faith that most of us shy away from. All the content generated on this website is thoroughly analyzed prior to being shared. And the site is run solely by myself, your generous support is very much appreciated