Last time we looked at the first “God-send”, the first thing God sent out just in that nick of time, to help us out of our pinch. He sent out Light. We’re all born in spiritual darkness, separated from the eternal life God offers. And God is sending out, He’s shining the Light of His truth in the darkness. Believing IN Him, This Word Who was with God and IS God, trusting in Jesus the Word of Life reignites the Light in our hearts, it reconnects us TO the Life, the zoe of God, the abundant glorious experience of Life with Him, life as it was always meant to be. [In Him was life], the Light of men. And just how big is our pinch? Desperate [a matter of life & death]. We must reconnect to the Light, to this One in Whom is Life, the Light of men. Our eternal life - AND our zoe in this life - depends on it
With that in mind, John now introduces us to another God-send. Not The Light itself, but a man. [6 There came a man sent from God] There came to be (same word as came into being in v3) a man. A person. Everything came to be through the Word, especially people, and now a specific person comes to be. And sort of like how light goes out from its source, this man was specifically sent out from God. [apostello] - which gives us our word, apostle. One sent out. In this case, by God Himself. A God-send.
God "sends out". He sends out light. Sends out angels. In extreme circumstances He sends out plagues and locusts and droughts. But mostly, usually, God sends out people. He sends out people, people. This word is [anthropos]. Anthropology = the study of man, of people. And our author John tell us that there came to be this particular person, who had been sent out from God, by God. His name was…wait for it…John. Technically he’s the first John we meet in this book. And John our author doesn’t go into the details of the birth and history of this first John. What matters to author John is WHY this first John came and WHO sent him. There came to be this person, sent from God. And here's one takeaway: Your past and even your personality don’t matter as much as Who sends you and why. All we read is, God sent —> and John went. He showed up. We don’t need to know where he grew up. What he’s like. What he likes to eat for breakfast. Where he went to school. We don’t need to know what he used to do. God sent and John went. The Lord is not looking for perfect people. He’s looking for available people. God sent and John went.
Why was John sent? God has wired us as inquisitive beings - we instinctively ask the question, "why?" There's a Greek word that answers our why - [hina - it means, "in order that" - it appears 145x in John] [7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.] John gives us the hina right in the middle there. The verse should read, He came as a witness in order that he should testify about the Light. God sent John to be a witness. In fact this one we call John the Baptist could be called John the Witness. A witness has witnessed something, they saw it, they know something about it - AND they have agreed to testify about it. They’re going to talk. They’re willing to confirm some fact [Deut. 19:15b “On the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.]. Often the challenge is getting [the witness to talk]. You’re not really a witness if you're unwilling to testify (UNavailable). The Lord is looking for available people. Available witnesses. God sent John AS a witness [noun], IN ORDER THAT he should witness [verb] about the Light. John was available.
And so this man named John sent from God came as a witness - with words. With a Message of words. God sends messengers with messages to people. He communicates using words with His image-bearers who use words. That’s what The Word does, what He’s done since the beginning. He communicates with words. And often times He delivers these words via messengers. The OT word for these [messengers] is malakh. Both angels AND people are called malakh. The malakh shows up, carrying a message. They may also have some commission to fulfill, specific task(s) to carry out. And more or less the malakh officially represents the one who sent them. A special function of God’s malakh is that they, by their very presence, present an aspect of God’s glory. This is perhaps more obvious with angels? But that’s something else that God’s messengers do - they present an aspect of God’s GLORY:
2Cor. 4:6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2Cor. 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 1Cor. 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Believers can shine an aspect of God’s glory in all that we do. But specifically, the Lord says: Acts 1:8 You (all) will be My Witnesses. One message John gives us in his book is that God sends all those who believe the Message about Jesus to communicate that message to others. God sends US - all we who believe in Jesus to be messengers. God•sends.
Obviously the response to the malakh, to the witness will vary. 2Chr. 36:15-16 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy. Important point: the witness is not responsible for the verdict. For the response. The job of the witness is come forward and speak up. To faithfully tell, to confirm the truth about what they saw, what they know.
And so, God - the Word - sent out a witness, a person with words - words about the Word. And his name is John [Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.”]. It’s a traditional Hebrew name, a shortened form of [Johanan]. It means, the Lord is (or has been) gracious. God gives undeserved favor. John's parents had been unable to have any kids, and in fact had really grown too old to have kids, but the Lord was gracious to them and gave them this son in their old age. This name reminds us that, God is gracious. But there’s more to this name than just what God is doing for this one couple. The Lord is getting ready to show His grace to the entire nation of Israel [Lk 1.16 “And he (John) will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.]. And really to the whole world —> so that ALL should believe. God IS gracious.
Let’s not miss the end goal of this particular witness - [7] …so that, in order that ALL might believe through him. All. That word in the Greek means ALL. Everybody needs to believe. And our English here says, so that all might believe. But that’s not how the Greek says it. It’s a strengthened form of the subjunctive. Not in order that all might believe, but that all [SHOULD] believe. Author John is really saying, John came as a witness so that all WILL believe through him. There’s [expectancy], urgency, and scope to our vision, our calling: we want to give [ALL people] the chance to choose to (hear and) believe the Message, the Truth about Jesus. [All of Jesus for All the World]
[8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.] John the Witness was NOT the Light. He was a great witness. Many people came out to hear him. But we need to be super careful not to place too much weight on the messenger. That IS what fallen people do. Someone comes along with a great message, and maybe they have an eloquent or entertaining way of delivering their message, and we prop them up. We follow them. We go out of our way for them, to hear them. To a certain extent we can put our trust in them. We may even idolize them. But sooner or later, all human messengers prove to be all too human. They are not perfect. I’m not perfect. Far from it. The goal of the witness is to tell people, to point people to the Light. John the Witness was a great witness - particularly because he pointed people like author John to the Light. To Jesus. As we’ll see, author John starts out following John the Witness, but he points him to Jesus. [“He must increase; I must decrease…” Jn 3.30] So that all should believe. So that they will trust in the words about the Word Who Was and is The Light. That’s our calling - to believe, AND to help others believe in Jesus. [Is 6.8] He must increase…
A decent name for our children? Johanan has given us the name John/Jon: Sean/Shawn, Jean (French), Giovanni (Italian), Juan (Spanish), Johann, and Hans (German), Jan (Dutch), and Ivan (Russian). The female versions include Joanna, Joanne, Jan, Jane, Jani but also Hannah has given us Anna, Jana, Ann/Anne, Nan, Nancy, Anita (Spanish) and Annette/Nanette (French).