John 1:5-9 Light, Darkness, and true Messiah
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Bible Study Reading: John 1:5-9
John 1: 4 says “In him was life and that life was the light of men.”
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what that means, “the light of men.”
Verse 5 shows an interesting battle between light and darkness. Since we know that Jesus is life and light, darkness must be the evil forces in the world that are in opposition to life and light. There are two interpretations for this verse:
- “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”
- “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome.”
- Light and dark cannot co-exist. Darkness is, by definition, the absence of light.
- Satan tried, unsuccessfully, to destroy (overcome) Jesus’ rescue mission.
- Satan likely does not understand God’s love for sinful human beings.
Either interpretation makes sense in the context.
John 1:6 transitions into the story of John the Baptist who:
- was sent from God
- purposed to testify concerning that light
- was not the light himself.
The word “that” in verse 7 “he came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe” suggests that John was testifying about specifics, not just about the promised messiah in general.
During his lifetime, many people thought that John the Baptist was the Messiah. John (the Author) probably gave the story of JTB such prominence in this gospel to demonstrate that Jesus, not John the Baptist, is the Messiah. Even John the Baptist denied being the Messiah, while Jesus did not deny it