Jesus as the Word and What It Means | John 1:1 Explained
John opens his Gospel with a profound declaration: “In the beginning was the Word.” Discover what John 1:1 reveals about Jesus, creation, and the Trinity.
The Word Became Flesh – John 1:14 and the Mystery of the Incarnation
The infinite became finite. The invisible became visible. Explore the wonder of the Incarnation in John 1:14—and how the Word became flesh for us.
In the Beginning Was the Word – What John 1:1–3 Teaches About Jesus
Jesus is the Word—eternal, divine, and personal. Read this love-letter-style reflection on John 1:1–3 and what it reveals about Christ.
John the Baptist: The Voice in the Wilderness
John the Baptist grew up in the desert, appearing on the scene shortly before Jesus began his ministry. He traveled the countryside near Judea, preaching repentance and baptizing those who confessed their sins. As prophesied by his father Zechariah, John was to go before Jesus and “prepare the way for him, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1:76-77). Who Was John the Baptist Because John was widely known and had many followers, the Jews sent priests and Levites to him to find out who he was. Some thought he was Elijah; others wondered if he was the Christ. But John “confessed freely, I am not the Christ” (John 1:20). Instead of accepting praise or attention, John pointed directly to Jesus. When he saw Jesus, he declared, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). He even sent his disciples to follow Jesus. John knew: “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). The Voice in the Wilderness: John’s Purpose He understood his purpose as “the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’“ He knew that for people to accept Jesus and His gift of salvation, they must first prepare their hearts. Isaiah 40:3-5 is a call for just that: A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Make Straight in the Desert a Highway for Our God Before eastern princes marched through uncharted territory, it was common for men to go ahead of the royalty and prepare the highway. John the Baptist was the voice of the one calling his people to prepare their hearts for the Lord Jesus. He was calling them to repentance. In the same way, we are called to prepare the highway of our hearts for Jesus so that we can receive Him and the salvation He offers all who believe in His name. Every Valley Shall Be Raised Up Some of us struggle with raising the low places in our hearts. We are mired down by shame and guilt, and that shame and guilt keep us from making a straight way for Jesus. We think we must stop sinning before we come to Him, but that’s not true. Jesus came for the sinner. Jesus himself said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). We do not have to be free from our sins before we come to Jesus. We simply must be willing to go to those low, desolate valleys of our heart and bring the sin up and place it at Jesus’ feet. It does not matter what the sin is; the cross has made us flawless. Every Mountain and Hill Made Low For some of us, our pride raises us and keeps us from making a straight way for Jesus. We think that we do not need Jesus or his forgiveness. We do not see the true nature of our sin. We mistakenly believe that we are good enough. Only when we see the true nature of Jesus and His absolute goodness can we understand the depth of our sin. We must be willing to bring our mountain of pride down and bow low at the feet of the only perfect One. The Rough Ground Shall Become Level And for all of us, other things are keeping us from making a way for Jesus — things in life that we love more than Him. These are the things that become the rough ground and rugged places on the highway of our heart. They can include selfishness, love of money, love of worldly things, unbelief…for each of us, these are different. We must be willing to dig these things up, leveling and smoothing the highway of our heart for Jesus. The Glory of the Lord Will Be Revealed John the Baptist came calling in the wilderness for his people to repent and prepare their hearts. He was just a voice, a witness to Jesus, testifying that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. John could have reveled in the people’s praise, but instead he pointed them to the Lamb of God. He made every mountain and hill in his heart low and bowed at the feet of the One who came after him, but was greater than him, Jesus. We Are Called to Prepare the Way Like John the Baptist, we are called to prepare the way. We may not have his lineage or the seal of a miraculous birth, but we can still be faithful witnesses by how we live our lives. Like John the Baptist, we should point to the One whom we owe everything to—the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Then and only then will the “glory of the Lord” be revealed, and all people will see it…” Hungry for more Bible study tools and truth?At Making Him Known, we offer free verse-by-verse studies that help you dive deeper into God’s Word—one chapter at a time.📚 Explore all our current studies here. Want to reflect Christ in your own life? Read: Do You Look Like Jesus?.
Zeal for Our Father’s House – John 2:13-21
Shortly after Jesus’ first miracle at the wedding in Cana, Jesus and His disciples traveled to Jerusalem for the Jewish Passover celebration. Once in Jerusalem, Jesus and thousands of other Jewish people made their way to the Temple, the holiest place in the Jewish world. Upon entering the temple courts, Jesus “found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.” As a convenience to those traveling far, sacrificial animals were sold in the temple courts. However, to purchase these animals and pay the required temple tax, visitors needed to present an acceptable currency. Money changers stationed themselves outside the Temple to offer currency exchange services for a premium. Jesus, when seeing this, “made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my father’s house into a market.” John 2:13-16 The temple courts had become a place of buying and selling instead of a place of worship. Jesus Caused A Stir in the Temple Courts Imagine the disciples’ surprise when Jesus made the whip and began driving out thousands of cattle and sheep from the temple court, scattering coins and overturning tables. The disciples had not been with Jesus very long. Now Jesus was causing a stir in the temple courts and publicly declaring that He was the Son of God. John 2:17 says that Jesus’ actions reminded the disciples of the Messianic Psalm, which says, “for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.” Psalm 69:9 Jesus’ actions made it very clear that selling sacrificial animals and changing money in the temple courts was insulting to God and, therefore, insulting to Him. He certainly showed His zeal for His Father’s house, the Temple. The Temple was to be a holy place, a place of worship, yet the men selling the cattle and sheep were there to make money, not to worship God. When Jesus began driving out and scattering their profit, why didn’t they resist? Why didn’t the temple guard or nearby Roman soldiers stop Jesus? Sacrifices Are To Be Valuable One possible reason that Jesus was not stopped in the Temple is that when those in the Temple heard His words, “How dare you turn my Father’s House into a market,” they felt convicted. They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew that the Temple was a place for worship, not profit. They knew that selling sacrifices was not keeping with God’s purpose behind requiring sacrifice. A sacrifice was to be valuable to the person offering it: that is why God required the sacrifices to be the best of a person’s flock or his field, not something that a person would feel no “sacrifice” in giving. It wasn’t until after Jesus drove out the animals, scattered coins, and overturned tables that the Jews questioned His authority: They “demanded of him, ‘What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’” John 2:18 Jesus answered them in a parable of sorts: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jew’s response was one of disbelief: “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” John 2:19-20 Jesus often used parables to explain spiritual things using earthly ideas. This time was no different. These words were prophetic to what would happen to Jesus. The Temple he spoke of was His body, which would be destroyed by death and then raised again in three days. Our Bodies Are God’s Temple Our bodies are also God’s Temple: although destroyed by sin, when we believe in Jesus, we are raised to a new life in Christ Jesus. Before Jesus’ death, God’s presence resided in the Temple behind a curtain and could only be approached by priests. But when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, this curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom, and God’s presence became available to all through Jesus Christ. Matthew 27:51 Instead of a temple in Jerusalem, God now resides in all who believe in His Son. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” 1st Corinthians 3:16-17 We are God’s house, His Temple! Zeal for Our Father’s House When Jesus began driving out the cattle and sheep from the Temple court, scattering coins, and overturning tables, His actions were meant to “cleanse” His Father’s house, the Temple. Like Jesus, we should have zeal for our Father’s house. Instead of being complacent and allowing those things to corrupt us which do not honor God and do not accomplish His purpose, we should speak up and take action. God’s house is meant to be a place of worship and sacrifice, a holy place, a place that honors God. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 Stop and ask yourself today: Does zeal for my Father’s house consume me? Am I offering my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God? I urge you not to be afraid to cleanse yourself of anything which distracts you or keeps you from focusing on your true and proper worship of the one who gave it all for us, Jesus!