"What was from the beginning, what we heard, what we saw with our eyes, what we looked at and what our hands touched, concerning the Word of Life..."
-The epistles of John belong to the group of epistles (letters) called the general, or catholic (universal) epistles, meaning that they are not written to one specific assembly in a particular city or region, but rather are intended for a broader audience, for the universal body of Christ. This particular letter does not bear John’s name, but that would be consistent for this self-effacing apostle who throughout the gospel he wrote repeatedly fails to show up as he consistently refers to himself in the third person. Clearly the author of this letter was a notable witness of the life and ministry of Jesus, and the Church in antiquity received this letter as being written by John the Apostle, brother of James and son of Zebedee. In the absence of any even remotely compelling argument as to a different author, there is no need to depart from this traditional view. We also do not have any firm intel on the date or place of writing.
-But again, what we clearly have here are the words of someone who heard and saw and touched and spent significant time with Jesus, listening to His words of life (John 6.63, 6.68) - life-giving, life-changing - learning from Him, hanging out with Him, enjoy special times of intimate interaction, witnessing wonders and beholding glory. This writer - John - was a first-hand witness that Jesus, the very Son of God, came to earth bodily, in a real live flesh-and-blood body. He saw Him with his own eyes, touched Him with his own hands, heard Him with His own ears. He had tasted the bread and the fish which Jesus had multiplied to feed thousands, had drunk from the cup of the wine of His blood and eaten the bread of His body which was broken, and John had tasted (and smelled!) the fish Jesus cooked after He rose from the dead. Most likely he smelled Jesus with his own nose. We don’t know what Jesus smelled like exactly, but John doesn’t digress into that here. His was a fully orbed, full-frontal, mind-blowing sensory experience of the Son of God. A total sensory upload of God in 3D. Life-giving. Life-changing.
-But he calls Jesus the Word of Life, this One Who WAS the Word, was in the beginning with God and Who WAS God. He spoke, and created the universe, giving life to every creature. Everything which has ever lived, which has ever come to be was made by His WORD. We are reminded of the power, the priority, the preeminence of the Word, the Word of God, the place it should have in our hearts and our lives and in our churches, and that God - the Author of the Word and the Author of Life - for all that He is is the God Who SPEAKS. He has spoken, and it will come to pass. His words are the words of life, imparting life, leading to life eternal. We would do well to pay attention. Our lives depend on it. Always have. Always will.
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