 Okay, yeah, thank you so much. Yeah, we are being recorded now Alright, so we will now get into the actual John's Gospel and we will try to cover as much as we can We may not be able to look into every single verse But we will do our best to try and cover as much as we can in the 15 minutes that are left to us alright, so Getting into John chapter 1 verses 1 to 18 is what we would try to look at today John 1 1 to 18 is one independent section by itself the Commentaries would generally refer to this particular passage as the prologue because it's like an intro, you know to the rest of the Gospel of John and Many people believe that in fact this was probably like a song which could be sung so they probably had a tune for it and These first 18 verses were probably sung out It was a kind of you know doctrine in song form Because of the way the wordings have been arranged. So Scholars say that probably this prologue was divided into four song stanzas, you know, so If Yeah, I would just just give me a moment and I will share my screen so that we can look at the first slide Just so that you'll have an idea Yeah, I'm hoping that I'm visible now Is the slide visible to you all? Yes, ma'am Perfect. Thank you so much Alright, so yeah, as you can see here the first stanza is probably verses one and two and then you have a second stanza which would be verses three to eight and Then you have nine to thirteen and of course in the last stanza. So each stanza Focuses on one main point. Okay, so we would try to look at those in greater detail now Okay, just to stop sharing alright So Whatever is covered here in these four stanzas There are there are some very important themes that are being touched upon and then later on when we Get into the rest of the gospel. We see these Main things which have been highlighted here. We see them developed in greater detail so we have some important themes which are getting introduced here in the prologue section and they are dealt with in a greater detail by John later on in the in the rest of the gospel so we We see in the first verse That you know, he talks about how Christ existed all along right from the beginning He has no beginning. He has always existed. He has always been there So we see that in verse one and later on in chapter 17 the same you know, he comes back and touches upon the same idea and In in verse four and verse nine it talks about the light, you know He he's described as this light who has entered the world and we see the same theme being touched upon later on in chapter eight and chapter nine and Another important theme which gets touched upon over here is the is the enmity that there is between darkness and light So that we see that in verse five in the prologue and again, the same concept gets touched upon later in chapter three and Another theme that maybe we could you know, just refer to right now would be glory The whole concept of glory which is mentioned over here in verse 14 and later on it gets developed in chapter 12 so all of these Themes some very important themes which get which very briefly get referred to over here in the prologue are developed in greater detail later on in the Gospel Versus 11 and 12 Kind of lay emphasis on the Entire structure of the gospel, which you know, which we would see later versus 11 and 12 are Significant if we can have maybe one person read out versus 11 and 12 of chapter 1 How do I mute a person I need to learn how to do this Okay, yeah, yeah, so Kishan are you reading out the thing the passage or is someone else doing that? Versus 11 and 12 if we can have any one person read out chapter 1 versus 11 and 12 Yes, please John chapter 1 verse 11 and 12 says he came to his own and his own did not receive him But as many as received him to them He gave the right to become children of God to those who believe in his name in men Amen, so here we see that It talks about how some did not receive him and if we look at the gospel of John chapters 1 to 12 talk about how he approaches a Different varieties of audiences and some of them receive him and some of them rejected reject him so chapters 1 to 12 focus on that they They speak of people who accept it and they speak of people who did not Accept him when we come to the second half of the book which would be chapters 13 to 21 There it talks about how those who received him become part of his flock so they say that versus 11 and 12 of the prologue kind of Lay down the emphasis of the rest of the gospel So the first fell chapters talk about people accepting and rejecting and then in the next Later half chapters 13 to 21. We see how those who have accepted him they become part of his flock and It talks about him teaching them Showing things to them in greater detail all of those things so let's come now to the very first stanza which would be versus one and two and To get back into the power point Okay, so I'm assuming that it's visible on your screens So we're looking at versus one and two where the main emphasis is on Logos and God So here he begins by talking about how the word has always existed from before creation and So the word and God Are shown over here as having always existed Then the second thing that we see over here is that Just a minute just a minute, please Yeah The word that is being used over here again and again the Greek word that is used over here is the word E. I am I you know and Over here the emphasis is on the fact that This word it can be used to talk about something that has Always been there. There's another word which is used in the in the Greek which is you know you know, my and That talks about something which has started to exist So there is a beginning to it on the other hand E. I am I when it is used It can be used in the normal sense of something being there But it is also used wherever it talks about something which has always been there which never had any beginning it It talks about the word that this Greek word is used to talk about something which has always been in existence, so John whenever he uses this word E. I am I With with regard with regard to Jesus, you know He always uses uses it in this sense of someone who has never been Created someone who never ever had a beginning someone who has always been there so We see John using this word E. I am I in that specific sense So over here in this first stanza We see that the word existed even before creation and If we were to compare this John chapter, you know This first two verses John chapter one verses one to two if you were to compare them with Genesis one over there in Genesis one You have The creation being talked about here you have some you here You have someone who is busy being described as existing even before this creation. So throughout the prologue We see a kind of comparison being done With the book of Genesis that will become clearer as we go along If we can look at Psalm 33 verses 6 and 9 if we can have one person, please read out Psalm 33 Versus 6 and 9 Yes, please By the word of the Lord were heavens made and all the host of them done by the Breath of his mouth he gathered gathered the waters of the sea Together as as an heap he laid up the depth in storehouses So all along the Jews had this idea in their mind that it was a word that created You know, it was it was by by word that everything was brought into creation They already had that concept and so over here John is telling these Jewish people He's speaking to them and he's saying, you know You always said that it was through the word that everything was created and now I am telling you that this word is none Other than Jesus himself. So it's not just a spoken word, but it's also a living person. So John builds on what the Jews are already familiar with he takes up an idea which they Concepts which they are already familiar with and he shows them that this word Which they always thought of as having done creative activity is none other than actually Jesus himself and In the Inter-testamental period also there are some apocryphal writings, you know Writings which were written down during that time by different people, you know in between the time of the Old Testament and the time of the New Testament there were different people who wrote different things and One of those writings is something called wisdom of Solomon. This is not one of the biblical books It is just a writing which was written by someone during that time and not by Solomon because Solomon would have been You know long dead, but it is just titled as the wisdom of Solomon The thing about the apocryphal books is that the people would Name their writings after popular figures of the Old Testament in the hope that people would consider their work of writing as something important and people would you know Read it and and talk about it and its popularity would spread And so they would use the names of famous characters when they are writing their book even though the actual author would be somebody else So one of those apocryphal books which was written during the inter-testamental period Was the wisdom of Solomon and even over there in that wisdom of Solomon. There are references to the power of God Which is at work in the world in the form of a written thing So even in the inter-testamental period there was a kind of awareness that creation came through God's creative spoken activity and so here John is saying or these this kind of creative word that you people have been talking about all along It's not just a spoken word, but it's actually a living person So he tries to bring this across to the people right in the prologue right in the beginning itself And he says that this word was God So it was not just a word which existed in the presence of God But it says this word he was a living person and he is God himself Okay, so he uses this kind of wording over here What else can we learn from this particular portion? Okay, maybe we can now move into the second stanza Which would be verses three to eight Okay, so in the first Stanza the emphasis was on how the Logos has existed With God and he is God moving to the second stanza here The emphasis is more on the creation the creative act So if we look at verse three, yeah, if maybe we could know if one of us could just read out verse three Chapter one verse three ma'am. Shall I read it? Yes, please him all things were made without him nothing was made Nothing was made that had been made Yeah, so all things that were created were created through him Which means that he himself was never created Okay, so it was the created things which were made through him and it establishes the fact that he himself Was not among those things which were created among the list of things which were created He already existed even before those things were created. He already was so John tries to bring out that specific aspect So in the first stanza we Saw who the logos is he is God and now in the second stanza we see what he does Through the logos everything that was made was created. So here in the second stanza We see what the logos does And then coming to verses four to five Maybe we can read out verse five Yeah, if one of us could read out verse five, please The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it Okay, so It's established over here that the darkness cannot defeat or overcome the word. Okay, so We have an introduction over here of the concept of the enmity that lies between darkness and light so in Which version did you read out from brother just now? When you read out this particular verse I just ES ESV Okay, ESV. Yeah Coming to verses six to eight If Yeah, if any one of us could just read out six seven and eight and we will look at we look at some of the Main things which come out of that portion versus six Moms reading it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John He came as a witness to testify concerning that light So that through him all might believe he himself was not the light He came only as a witness to the light. Thank you. Yeah, so over here. It's describing Kind of courtroom, you know birding is used over here As in someone coming forward as a witness and verifying and saying You know this what I'm speaking now is is truth and they are giving their testimony Regarding the identity of Jesus. So over here John is presented John the Baptist is presented as a Witness and he verifies the fact that Jesus is That Jesus word that Jesus is the you know the truth. All right, let's look at the third stanza Where now the emphasis is on revelation The logos and revelation that would be verses 9 to 13 If we can just read out verse 9 chapter 1 verse 9 map the true light that this light to everyone was coming into the world okay, so Over here John introduces the word. I know that world Okay, and that's the Greek word cosmos and he uses this particular word 78 times in this entire gospel of John. So for him this this particular term He it contains a certain significance in most of the places where he uses it He tends to give it a slightly negative kind of idea and a kind of negative kind of significance So it says over here that this True light came into the world and we see that the world was not willing to Accept it if we can just read out verse 10 If one of us could please read out verse 10 He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not Okay, so over here The first part talks about the physical world the created world But then the next portion where it says the world did not you know accept him. It's talking about people their responses, so Most of the time when John uses this term world He's talking about the people not just the created structure, but he's talking about actual people And their response to him and here we see that you know, they are Rebelling against him. So even though he created them Their response to him is that of rebellion. They do not believe in him. They do not trust him And then if we can look at Verses 12 and 13 if one of us could read out 12 and 13 please But as many as received him to them, he gave the right to become children of God Those who believe in his name Who are born out of blood? Not of the will of the flesh Not of the will of man, but of God Okay, so This probably would have been a very Very Significant statement to the Jewish people because they always considered themselves as the children of God, but over here It's being told that He has come not just for the people of Israel, but for the entire world so for the Jewish people this would have been probably a slightly new concept and Because he has not just come for his for the people of Israel but for everyone in the world and In verse 13 It says that the people would be given the power to become God's children Okay, so even those who are outside the fold of Israel They too would be given the power to become part of God's family All right, let's look at the fourth stanza Which is verses 14 to 18 Maybe we can We can look at verse 14 first Yeah, if someone can if someone can please read out verse 14 Verse 14 the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us We have seen his glory the glory of the one and only son who came from the father full of grace and truth Okay, so now this would have been something which would have sounded very strange to the Greek people because For them the idea of flesh Was something substandard. They regarded the spirit as something very divine and something to be, you know Raised on the other hand the thought of the flesh as something not very good as something corrupt and So for them this would have been a very shocking and new idea that John is talking about Divine Godhood choosing to become something as Imperfect in their eyes, you know in their eyes. They considered flesh as something very Below standard and so it would have come as a surprise to them that this divine God would have been willing to become Human being would have been willing to assume a human flesh, you know and be and be willing to come and in in the form of a human and There's another term that we see over here in this particular verse where it talks about how he came in the dwelt with his people and The word that is used over here Is the word is the Greek word skin who which talks about? You know God living with people and this is the same word which is used even in the Greek translation of the Old Testament that word skin who and it and that particular word is used in Exodus chapter 25 verses 8 to 9 and that word is also used in Zechariah chapter 2 verse 10 And we are talking about the Greek translation of the Old Testament, you know the Septuagint because originally the Old Testament was written in the Hebrew language and it was then translated into Into the into the Greek language and so the Greek Old Testament Exodus chapter 25 verses 8 to 9 and Zechariah 2 10 these two In these two places the words can do the same word which John is using is used over there And we see that over there in the Greek Old Testament It's talking about the tabernacle that word is being used for the tabernacle. It literally means that in physical form God comes down and he lives among his people. So in the Old Testament They thought of God dwelling among his people in a in a tent in a tabernacle but over here he comes in a body, you know in a in a human body and So for the Jews this particular usage of this word over here would have reminded them about the tabernacle and they would have Understood that John is trying to say that in the even though in the Olden times The Lord had only come to them in the form of a tent now He is coming to them in the form of an actual human person. So this particular wording would have been very significant to them and What else do we see over here? It says, you know the last portion if you could, you know, just read verse 15 Once again, you know the last portion of yeah, if you could just read verse 15 once again John bore witness of him and cried out saying this was he of whom I said he who comes after me is Precord before me for he was before me Okay, no, I think I seem to have got the wrong verse Just a minute All right, I don't seem to have the reference right now We'll just move on to verses 16 and 17 Yeah, if if we could instead read out 16 and 17, please if one of us could please read out verses 16 and 17 Please read Thank you, ma'am an office fullness We have all received and grace for grace for the law was given through Moses But grace and truth came through Jesus Christ in men All right over here. I mean if we were to It says in the if any of you can read out From the NKJV if you have that version with you does anyone have the NKJV Because over there you literally have the literal translation of that verse For the law was given to Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ Oh, is that the NKJV? I think I have it and Office fullness we have all received in grace for grace The law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ Yeah, you know it says grace for grace and so different translations have tried to explain what that means They've because the literal translation is literally that it just it says grace upon grace grace for grace it has been received and So, what does that mean? What does that term mean? In the Old Testament Grace was given through Moses. So even in the Old Covenant there was grace because God was choosing to enter into a covenant with human beings and So he was extending grace to them. So there was grace even in the Old Testament and Now in the New Testament you have a new phase of grace Something which which is more advanced. So there was grace even in the Old Covenant, but over here there is The NIV puts it puts it this way it says out of his fullness We have all received grace in place of grace already given Okay, so it's their attempt at trying to explain that particular phrase in their translation So in the Old Testament there was already grace given under the Old Covenant, but here now through Jesus there is a new kind of grace a new level of grace that is being bestowed upon the people and What is the difference we see that over here, this is a grace which Which makes people Children of God, right? So we saw that in the prologue. We saw it in one of the earlier verses where it talks about how Everyone who believes in him will be given the power to become children of God So even in the Old Testament Those who lived under the Old Covenant and who chose to follow the Lord They were considered God's children But then they had not stepped into the fullness of what of the salvation, you know, which was promised So they too had to wait until the time of Christ's coming And and and I know they had to wait until his act of crucifixion upon the cross and his resurrection For all of that to be truly completely realized in them. So What is the new grace that is being given this new grace is where you are Sealed with the Holy Spirit and so you become a child of God in a in a sense in a deeper sense Which was not Attained earlier, you know, which is not there which was not available in the Old Testament So over here it talks about how mercy How grace and truth have now come through Jesus Christ There was truth revealed in the Old Testament There were things that God had revealed to his people in the Old Testament under the Old Covenant of Moses But now the Greater revelation the more complete revelation has come through Jesus Christ So it talks about how grace and truth have now come through Jesus Christ Coming to verse 18 Yeah, if we if we could just read out verse 18, please No man has seen God at any time The only begotten son, which is In the bosom of the father, he's had declared him. Thank you. Okay. So In the um, you know, it's it's talking about how In the previous words We looked at how the law was given to Moses But now grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ And now this verse is talking about how no one has seen the father Except the one who is in the bosom of the father, which is of course Jesus Christ So, uh, there's a kind of subtle reference over here Uh, to how Moses too had wanted to see God if you remember in the Old Testament He says to the lord lord, you know, uh, I wish to see you But then God says that it's not possible for him to see and so he only allows Him to see his back even as he just passes by so Over here John is trying to point out that Moses was indeed a great man The lord chose him and used him as the leader through whom God's revelations were revealed but now someone greater than moses has come over here who Has always seen the father and been in the bosom of the father. So moses Two is a great leader But now john says it's time for you to start listening to someone who is greater Someone who has actually seen god with his own eyes. Someone who has always been in the presence of god So the a greater one has come so no so it is wrong to go on clinging on to the old covenant It is time for the people to start Stepping into the new grace and truth which the fuller revelation which Jesus is bringing in So that's the concept that he is trying to present over here And then What else? Yeah, maybe we can look at one small thing in the power point Just a minute In if someone can read out verse 18 in nkjv please john 118 In nkjv and another person can read out the same verse in niv nkjv No one has seen god at any time the only begotten son Who is in the bosom of the father? He has declared him Yeah, and then if one if someone can read it out from niv No one has ever seen god But the one and only son who is in self god and is in closest relationship with the father has made him known Um, I'm not too sure that's niv Uh anyone else who has the niv? Yes, ma'am. It is new international version. I don't okay. Maybe it's a it's a different edition probably Yeah, okay. All right. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so no the point that I wanted to make was uh, just a minute All this thing got deleted I can be No one has seen god, but the one and only god The one but the one and only son Who's himself god? And is in closest relationship with the father has made him known Who is himself god is an explanatory Uh thing which they are trying to bring out over there through that particular translation Uh, because I mean, uh, yeah, let me just put up the power point. Um Oh, I need to say share Okay Just a moment. Okay. Uh, now is this visible on your screen? Yes, ma'am. Okay. Now. This is how the wording actually is summoning. This is just bible hub. Okay But I've just looked at this verse in bible hub and uh, so if you see The word god is used over there Both for jesus and the same word is used for the father as well. Okay, so Teos is the word Uh, in in the first portion we see it as teyon because I mean that's just uh, you know the the grammar That's being used over there, but it's actually the same word teos So the word god, uh, the word teos is being used over there both for the father and for jesus So, uh, niv tries to explain that in one of its editions where it says who himself was god. Okay, just um So over here, we're not talking about someone at the level of moses But now we are talking about someone who is far superior and so john says we need to Pay attention to this greater person who has now come to us and who is bringing a greater revelation Yeah Okay I think the sharing has now stopped. All right. All right. Yeah, um So these are just some of the main things that are there in In these first 18 verses Now before we go a little further um Are there any questions any doubts? Anything at all that you want to raise up regarding these first 18 verses You could just directly ask or you can type depending on what you would prefer um No questions of any kind All right, then, uh, we will um We will close for the day, uh, but before we do that um Just, you know To inform you regarding the assignments and assessments We would have four of them The first two would be very simple. Uh, we would just have multiple choice So you would just have to take the correct answer. So the first two would be 25 marks each So 50 percent of your marks would you know come in through the first uh two assignments itself You would have one week's time To go through the questions and you know answer The other two assessments, uh, would be two weeks duration each. Okay, so you would you would get two weeks time to to cover the The assignment from the day of posting you would have two two weeks time to you know go through it And um, that would be of a written nature So you would have to gather some information and you would have to give a written write-up of the assignment. Okay, so, uh That may require a little more effort Uh, but in the it'll also give you a chance to you know, look up some online resources consult this and that And uh, you there would be some some level of self learning even as you're doing that. All right, so, uh, the And because of that, you would also have more time being given to you. You would have two Two weeks time for each of those uh two assignments So, uh, I don't think um, there would be no exam as such. Okay, so you don't have to worry about an exam So, uh, I think it would be quite, uh, easy for you to score. I know in this, um In this particular Subject, I don't think there would be any issues regarding that all right, so, um We will meet again next class. Uh, and For this particular class, I had prepared a lot of you know notes and a lot of information and Uh, I I realized that even as I'm going through it it's all rather very scholarly So, uh, the next time when we have a class, we will do it differently I will jot it down more in the form of application points so that, um, uh This what we are looking at this word of God will become very Real very personal It's something that had not quite occurred to me and I'm very sorry. I really apologize to all of you When I was preparing my notes, it seemed like an excellent thing that I was doing Uh, but then now when I am actually speaking it out I was thinking no, I don't want to talk about this and I don't want to talk about that because It all sounds so abstract. So, uh, um Please don't keep me in your prayers. I would really appreciate that because The whole point of doing this is that uh, whatever we are reading should become so real to us and I was unable to do that today And it's a mistake which will never take place again. Um, because I'm very I mean, I really want to do a good job. So, uh Uh, yeah next week we will meet again and uh, we will look at each verse and try to see how that can Apply to us to our lives to our world And hopefully, you know, um, we will have a deeper study even as we are doing that. So, um, thank you so much for being here in the class and uh, thank you so much for, you know participating reading out the verses helping me out When I could not figure out the whole audio thing. So thank you so much. And yeah, god bless until next time Thank you, ma'am. Thank you