In Him was Life
When we look around the world today, we see darkness and chaos. Some of you are experiencing that darkness in your own life, battling the enemy and certain sin struggles. Others, even during the holidays, feel down, depressed, empty, and passive—lacking drive, meaning, and purpose. You feel separated from God, not close to Him.
But as we think about the Advent of Jesus during this season and what the apostle John has to say in John 1:4-5, I believe we can find hope even in the midst all of these things today.
The Context: Jesus as the Word
Let's look back at how John started his gospel in the first three verses to understand the context for today's passage (as discussed in the first blog of this Christmas Series):
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." (John 1:1-2)
The "Word" here is a reference to Jesus, but John masterfully uses the Greek word Logos to capture the attention of both Jewish and Greek readers. Both cultures would have thought of the Logos as the starting point for all things.
The Greek reader would have understood the Logos as the principle or rationalizing force behind all things. John was telling them that the Logos is not some force or creative energy but rather a Person, and His name is Jesus.
The Jewish reader would remember that Psalm 33:6 declares,
"By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made."
They would have understood that John was implying Jesus was the God of the Bible.
John goes on to confirm this in the rest of John 1:1: Jesus was with God, and He was God. This baby born in a manger 2,000 years ago was and is the second member of the Trinity, the Son of God. He didn't come into being at that time—He has always existed.
"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:3)
Jesus wasn't a created being. He was the One responsible for all of creation. It is not a principle or force that caused all things to be created, but a personal God who existed outside the bounds of time as an eternal being—and His name is Jesus.
Jesus: The Life and the Light
Here is what John goes on to say about Jesus:
"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)
John says, “In Him was life!” What does John mean that in Jesus was life?
Understanding "Zoe" Life
The Greek word translated "life" here is zoe, and that says a lot about what John is communicating. There are three Greek words used for "life":
Bios – where we get our word "biology," referring to the physical aspect of life
Psyche – where we get "psychology," referring to the emotional aspect of life, the mind, personality
Zoe – referring to the uncreated, eternal life of God; self-existing life; the absolute fullness of life that belongs to and comes from God; life that is abundant, active, and vigorous; quality of life that speaks to the moral aspect—life that is good, right, and moral
John uses this word 36 times in his gospel compared to only 7 times in Matthew, 4 in Mark, and 6 in Luke. You can see the prominence and important place it occupies in John's teaching. The fact that in Jesus was zoe life is something John doesn't want us to miss!
Jesus Himself used this word twice to describe Himself:
"I am the resurrection and the life (zoe)." (John 11:25)
"I am the way and the truth and the life (zoe)." (John 14:6)
Both times Jesus uses the definite article "the" in front of zoe. He is THE zoe life.
This tiny baby born in a manger 2,000 years ago was life itself—not just bios life or psyche life, but zoe life! Uncreated, self-existing, eternal life. The Source of life. The fullness of life. Life in and of itself.
Jesus as the Light
John says, "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." That zoe life in Jesus was the phos (Greek for "light") of all mankind.
Light was a common way of referring to God in the Old Testament:
"The Lord is my light and my salvation." (Psalm 27:1)
"With you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." (Psalm 36:9)
For John to say this about Jesus was yet another allusion to Jesus being God. And just as John recorded Jesus saying He was the life, he also records Jesus making the same statement about light:
"I am the light of the world." (John 8:12)
Notice again the definite article—not "a" light but "the" light. The people around Him knew what He was saying. He was claiming to be God. The Pharisees challenged Him after this because they knew the Old Testament, and Jesus was claiming to be God.
This is even why we see the imagery of light when the Bible talks about the birth of Jesus. Isaiah prophesied about His coming:
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned." (Isaiah 9:2)
What the Darkness Represents
Darkness is commonly used in the Bible to denote death, ignorance, sin, and separation from God. The phrase "walking in darkness" describes people walking in ignorance (unaware of the truth), walking in sin (struggling with harmful and destructive behaviors), or walking apart from God (separated from Him).
The time period when Jesus was born was often described as a dark period of silence from God. There were 400 years between Malachi and the birth of Jesus when it seemed like God had disappeared and people were walking in darkness.
But Jesus, as the zoe life and the Light of the World, entered into that dark period of silence and separation to bring hope.
Jesus Overcomes Separation
The Light had appeared. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. God was no longer silent. People were no longer separated from Him. God was walking in their midst, talking to them and involved in relationship with them—Emmanuel, God with us.
As Isaiah had said, "A people living in the land of deep darkness have seen a light has dawned." They were separated from God no more. He was right there physically in their midst.
Jesus Overcomes Ignorance
John later says:
"No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." (John 1:18)
In other words, Jesus reveals God. When people looked at Jesus, they were seeing God. When they heard Him speak, they were hearing the words of God. When they saw His actions, they were seeing the actions of God. When they saw His personality, they were seeing the character of God.
They were no longer walking in the darkness of ignorance. He was making God known to them.
Jesus does the same thing for us today. He reveals who God is to us. He makes known what God is like and the way He relates to us even today.
Jesus Exposes Sin
When the Bible says people were "walking in darkness," it often refers to how they were walking in sin. But they and many of us don't even know we are walking in sin sometimes. We look around at what the world is doing and do that. We feel like doing things and do them, thinking it must be the right thing to do.
But Jesus reveals sin to us. Light exposes the darkness.
By His grace, He begins to show us where we fall short. He reveals the truth about our sin and our sin nature—how it separates us from God and leaves us spiritually dead, and that there is nothing we can do about it. He shows us that no matter how hard we try to become our best self, we won't be perfect. We'll still have a sin nature, and we'll still be separated from a holy and perfect God.
We'll still be spiritually dead.
Jesus Overcomes Death
Walking in darkness also refers to walking in spiritual death. This is what began to happen in the garden the moment sin entered our world.
Adam and Eve did not lose their bios life. They did not lose their psyche life. They lost their zoe life.
When you see Jesus, you begin to understand who God is. As the zoe life of God, He turns the lights on for you to see who God is. But as you do, you begin to realize that He is also exposing your darkness.
He shows you that you have a sin nature. His life is the light that exposes your deepest problem at the core of your being—your sin nature and that it leaves you spiritually dead.
He shows you that you have a bios life and a psyche life, and that is where you've been trying to find life, meaning, and purpose. That's why you feel empty, like you have a hole inside of you that you cannot fill or ever satisfy.
Because you were meant to have the zoe life of God at the core of your being. He is meant to be your Source.
But there's darkness there. A sin nature. Death. No life.
The Good News: Light Overcomes Darkness
As Jesus turns the light on in this area, He begins to show you that His life can bring light to that area of your life.
He reveals to you that He died on the cross for your sins and was raised from the dead three days later, and now He offers you forgiveness and zoe life if you'll just receive it by faith.
When you do, His zoe life comes to dwell in you.
Now there is light where there was once darkness. There is life where there was once death.
This is the fullness of life. The complete life. The Source of Life. Your life is different.
Walking in darkness symbolizes ignorance, separation from God, sin, and death. But if the One who is Life reveals His truth to you so that you are no longer ignorant but aware of your reality, and you respond in faith by trusting in Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, then you are no longer walking in darkness!
You are no longer separated from God. You no longer have a sin nature. And you are not dead but have the zoe life of God as part of your new spiritual DNA!
When John says that "In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind," this can have a radical impact on every single one of our lives, no matter who we are and how dark the darkness is that we've been walking in.
Why We Celebrate
This is why Jesus came. This is why we celebrate the incarnation and the Word becoming flesh at Christmas time. Because if He had not come as the life and light of men into this dark world, we'd all still be stuck in that darkness with no way out!
But there is a way out. Jesus is the way out.
As John says in verse 5, Jesus (as the Light) shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome Him. Nor will it ever!
Your Response
If you've never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior and are walking in darkness, sin, and death, then it's time to walk into the light today and receive His zoe life. You can do that by turning to Him and praying a simple prayer of faith.
If you have put your faith in Jesus for salvation, then know that you have zoe life today. You have abundant, complete, fullness of life in Christ. First John 5:12 says, "Whoever has the Son, has life."
Walk in the zoe life that you have in Him. Experience His light in you and allow it to shine through you so that others find hope in this dark world they are living in and experiencing the effects of today.
