 Yes, welcome back. So we will look at John chapter one versus one to 18. That's called the prologue. It's like a summary of all that's actually going to be covered later on throughout the Gospel. So John just mentions very briefly all the very main things which he's going to be discussing in greater detail in the rest of his Gospel. So that is why these 18 verses are referred to as prologue. They are like an introduction to all that's going to be coming up later on in the Gospel. So here in the prologue, he talks about just a minute. He talks about many themes such as the word, who is the word, the identity of the word. He talks about life, light. He talks about regeneration. He talks about how the Father is revealed through Jesus. All these things he are mentioned within these first 18 verses and then you have a more detailed explanation of that later on. So just for us to understand a little bit about the setting of this Gospel, the people that he is writing to in this Gospel, these are believers who are facing persecution from their fellow Jews and they're also facing persecution from the Romans. The fellow Jews, their relatives and friends who are still part of the Jewish faith and who have not yet become followers of Jesus, they kind of look down on them because they don't regard Jesus as being divine. And so they feel that these Christians are in some way betraying the Jewish faith by becoming followers of Jesus. Because Jesus says you no longer need to follow the covenant of Moses because I am now introducing a new covenant is what Jesus says. And so the Jewish people are against the Christians because these Christians are no longer following the covenant of Moses. So they are receiving pressure from their Jewish relatives, friends, family members. And at the same time, these people are also facing persecution from the Roman authorities because in all the places where Rome had established its direct control, they expected the people of those regions to worship the Emperor Caesar as though he is some kind of a God. So whether or not the people actually believed in his Godhood, they at least felt obliged to go to certain designated temples and perform certain rituals which would kind of honour the Caesar or something of that sort. So the Jewish people, the Jewish leaders took special permission from Caesar to not have to do that. Because I mean, if one thing they had learned throughout their Old Testament life is that after God had scolded them again and again for their idolatry and again and again had punished them and finally had even sent them into exile because they could not learn that one basic lesson that you shall not worship other gods. So finally, when they come back from the exile, after they have lived over there in another nation without any identity, without having any temple of their own, without having any honour or respect, when they finally come back to Jerusalem, these exiles who return, they still have the sinful nature in them. So you still see them backsliding, but one lesson they learn is no more idolatry worship. So if you actually look at the history of the Jewish people, after they come back from Babylon, you never again see them getting back into idol worship. They still have many other defects and issues, but this is one thing which has been kind of wiped out from their system, at least to some extent. So we see that they are not given to this idea of worshipping Caesar and so the Jewish authorities in fact gain, get special permission that they will not have to go and perform those rituals for Caesar. And so the Jewish people are excluded from having to do this, but when certain Jews become believers and become part of the Christian community, now they are no longer regarded as Jews in the full sense of the term. So now you see they have to follow the rule which applies to all other people of worshipping Caesar. So this kind of is creating extra problems for them. The Roman authorities had accepted the fact that Jewish people will not perform the rituals required for Caesar's worship, but there was no legal papers in place saying that the Christians can have the same privilege of avoiding worship of Caesar. So now the minute they began to call themselves Christians, the Jewish people disowned them and said, no, these people are no longer part of our community. And so now when they are no longer part of the Jewish community, it means now they come under that law which says that they have to go and worship Caesar and no way our believers going to be doing that. These are people who have taken a stand for the Lord, I know, going against their own family members, going against their own relatives and neighbors. So when they have taken the stand for the Lord, no way are they going to go and bow down to the emperor. So this was creating problems for them, even among the Roman authority, from the Roman authorities. So these were a persecuted people. There would have been days when doubts would have come into their mind and they would have asked themselves, what we are going through? Is it really worth it? I mean, was Jesus really the Lord when he came down? Did he really rise up from the dead? Should we be following him? And so you see, that is why it was so essential that John write down this particular gospel, which is why like it says in that moratorium canon, his friends urge him to write down a record and like it says over there in that canon, it also records that under the inspiration of the spirit, he decides to write down a spiritual gospel is the term used over there. So he does this because it is necessary for these believers who are undergoing so much pressure from outside, from the authorities, from their own neighbors and from their own community. They are no longer invited to weddings, which is like a humiliation. They were going through a lot. So they needed someone to say, you know what? I am somebody who has seen and touched Jesus. I am somebody who was walking with him. I am someone that Jesus loved. And I am writing to you these facts. So without any fear or doubt, you can trust in this Lord Jesus and accept that he is divine, that he is the Son of God. He was not just a prophet who came and went. He actually rose from the dead to prove his divinity. So you can trust him. These are the things which John brings out in his gospel. So, you know, he's writing to this kind of an audience. And of course, he's also writing to the Greeks and the other Gentiles who also can place their faith in the Lord Jesus. So it is to such people that he is writing. And so in his prologue, in the introduction, he brings out these things. He makes sure that he mentions all the main things. First of all, he establishes the fact that Jesus was not only with God, but he was also God himself. So that's established in John one month itself. And then from there, in the next few verses, immediately he starts talking about how, you know, Jesus is the one who brings life and he is the light. And it goes on to talk about how certain people who place their faith in Jesus, they are the ones who will be declared as children of God. So in that sense, it talks even about regeneration, the new birth, all the important concepts which are going to be discussed in greater detail in the gospel of John. All these are touched upon at least through one word or phrase. They're all touched upon in this initial prologue. And there are some people who say that this prologue was probably in the form of a, did you say something? Yeah. So it's there are some who say that this prologue was written in the form of a hymn. So they say that the believers would actually sing out this, these 18 verses. Now, I do not know whether that was actually factual, whether that happened or not. But they say that when you look at the Greek wording, the way that entire was 18 verses were arranged, it looks like as if there is a kind of rhythm to it. And so there is a chance that maybe it was actually sung as a hymn by the believers. So whenever the, you know, if it were a song, I mean, if they were actually singing it in those days, it would almost be like a hymn which is declaring. This is what we believe about Jesus, you know, so it would be like a declaration of their faith. So it does have a rhythm to it in the Greek language. So it might have been, you know, sung by those people. Yeah. So getting into John chapter one verse one, maybe we can look at the first two verses. If we can have someone read out John chapter one versus one and two, you know, we had this. I mean, I didn't think I had any interaction with you last year. So it's good to see you here now. And yeah. Yeah. So I said it told you or anyone else at all. It doesn't matter who someone can read out for us versus one and two. Yes. John chapter one verse one and two says, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. Exactly. It says he was in the beginning with God. And in the earlier verse, it's confirmed that he was God as well. So it's not that just he was with God, he himself was God. So one point that John seems to be trying to bring out here is that this Jesus was there in the beginning, which means he would be there even before creation itself. Because if we were to look at the beginning of Genesis, we see the wording over there. Genesis one versus two to three, you know, it says the earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. That's what it says. So it mentions how there was nothing in place. The earth was without form and void, but the spirit of God was already there hovering over the face of the waters. That's the wording we see in Genesis chapter one one. So John is trying to bring out the point here that in that beginning, even before the earth was formed, the word was already there and that word was there as Jesus and Jesus was God. So he's establishing these facts is pointing out that this Jesus predates even time and creation. So we observe that. And then, of course, we have this very popular word that is used over there. So if you were to actually look at the Greek, the original Greek Bible, when you look at John one one, we are using the word, the term word, the word was called the word was God. But over there in the Greek Bible, the term logos would be used. That's the Greek word which is used over there. So in the beginning was the logos and the logos was with God and the logos was God. This is a very well, it's a popular phrase in the sense a lot of sermons have been preached about this term logos. But when this term was first used by John right at the beginning of his gospel, it would have actually got a reaction out of the people. Both the Jews reading this very first sentence and the Greeks reading this very first sentence would have really sat up and thought about it because for them that word logos had significance. It meant something to them. So let's look at what significance this term had for the Greek people. They believed that there's this universal power which runs and controls the universe. That is their belief system. So in their belief system, they believe that there is this power which exists and they in fact called it the ultimate reason. Reason as in a rational, the ability to think. So they believe that there is this intelligent power which exists, which can think and which can make things happen. And this power is what made the world come into existence. And this power has the reasoning and the intelligence to continue keeping it running so that they will not be any chaos in the future. So even in their belief system, they believe that in the very beginning there was chaos. Everything was void and shapeless. But into that chaos came this intelligent power which could think and it brought order out of the conclusion. So that was their understanding of the term logos. So when these Greeks would gather together and have intellectual conversations and they would talk about philosophy and they would use the term logos. This is what they had in mind. A power that has brought everything into existence. Now John in his very first sentence is declaring and saying, you know what you guys have been talking a lot about logos. I will tell you who that logos is. I can give you the identity of this logos. This logo is actually a person and this person was with God in the beginning and he was God himself. This is who logos is and that would have caught the attention of the Greeks. Most of all because he is adding a face to their very impersonal vague concept of a power. He is actually putting a face on that and he is saying Jesus is that logos. But John goes one step further over here fully knowing how shocking this will sound to the people. He says in, he was with God in the beginning and then if we were to move into verse 3. If someone can read out verse John verse 3, no John etc. Gospel of John, if you could read out John 1 verse 3 please. All things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made. Exactly. So he goes on to say that this logos has created everything that has come into existence. And then later it talks about how he came into the world. That would be your worst 10 when it says he was in the world and the world came into being through him. Yet the world did not know him. So he starts off by talking about logos. He puts a face on this logos and says you know what is no other but actually Jesus himself. He is the power which your people have been talking about. And then he goes on to say that this power actually came into the world and lived with the people in this world. So that would be in verse 10. So that is not something which the Greek people would have liked very much. Because they had a very low opinion of the flesh in their philosophy. In their philosophy the spirit is pure. The spirit is something beyond the natural, something to be respected. On the other hand they regarded flesh as something very low, something very cheap. And so it would not make sense to them. They would ask themselves why would logos, if logos is a person and not just a force. Why would this person logos want to become flesh, something that is so base and cheap and of no value. They would have looked upon this from that angle. To them it would have been shocking that someone so superior would choose to put on flesh and be flesh like normal humans. Because for the Greek philosophers the greatest ambition and aspiration that they had is that one day they can get rid of this body, be done away with it and become a pure spirit. So that was their thinking. So here John is not only saying that Jesus is the logos. He is saying this logos actually came into the world and became put on flesh the way we have flesh. And they would not have liked this concept. So it would have been shocking to them because of this. For the Jewish people why would this term logos have made them sit up and think. Now that's because of Proverbs chapter 8. Now if we were to go to Proverbs chapter 8 and we have this entire section verses 22 onwards up to maybe verse 33 even beyond that. All of those verses they talk about wisdom like as if wisdom is a person. We have this happening in Old Testament poetry where they talk about things. They personify the thing in poetry and they address it as if it is a living being. For instance the gates of the temple. So the psalmist actually writes he says gates lift up your heads. Obviously the gates are not going to have any heads. But he is personifying the gate and he is saying you know what gates you should be happy. You should be rejoicing because the king of kings has entered through your gateways. So he talks to the gates and he says lift up your heads. So in that sense. So here in Proverbs 8 they talk about wisdom like as if wisdom is a lady. And so wisdom is like this particular chapter is written as if wisdom is speaking. And this is what she says about herself. Maybe we could just look at verses Proverbs chapter 8. If we can look at verses 22 and 23 please. Proverbs 8, 22 and 23. The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his way before his works of old. I have been established from everlasting from the beginning before there was ever an earth. Exactly. He says even before the world was created. I am one of the first things that the Lord made is what wisdom says about herself. Okay. So over here it's just wisdom being personified. There was no person named wisdom walking around. This is just a poetic language. So in poetic language they are talking about wisdom as if she is a person and she says to the people. She says you know because I have been there from the beginning because God made me. I participated in the creation because God would have used his wisdom right to make all the things. So it's like as if wisdom is personifying herself in this poetry and she says I was there. I was involved in the process of what he did and I rejoice to see all the things that he created. Therefore she says in Proverbs 8 she says listen to me the words which I speak the instruction which I am giving. It is good because I am someone who has lived in God's presence and who knows what God is like. So again to repeat this is poetic language. So there was no person named wisdom who was created. There was no lady sitting over there named wisdom but it's just a poetic language. So what happened in Jewish tradition is as the centuries went by they began to think about this. They began to think about this wisdom as if not a person at least as a force because they were listening to these Greeks and the Greeks kept talking about their logos and how it is their logos which has brought the world into order and is keeping the chaos away and all of that. And so they began to think to themselves do we have something in our writings which is similar to what these people are talking about. And so basically in that sense in a very human way they began to think about Proverbs 8 as a form of logos. So this is how the Jews began to think about logos. And so here John is declaring and saying yes you people may have your own traditional idea of what logos is. You may see it as some kind of wisdom that God used to create the universe. But what I am saying over here is logos is not just this wisdom. The actual logos was God and he was with God and he was there even before wisdom came into this poetic wisdom was anywhere around because the poetic wisdom is something which was created it says in Proverbs 8 22. So the Lord brought me forth as the first of his works before his deeds of old. So wisdom is something which was created if you want to use the poetic language over here in Proverbs 8. But the actual logos there was no creation involved. He was always there nobody created him nobody made him he always was there. So now John is kind of urging these Jewish people to rethink their idea of logos. He says logos was in the beginning even before wisdom was formed. Logos was already there that is the actual true logos. He is the one who has brought everything into existence and it is through him that everything is continuing to exist without chaos. So he is replacing the Greek idea of logos with Jesus and he's telling the Jews this is the actual logos which is holding the world together. Jesus Christ he is the one and so he's making a very direct statement over here that they need to believe in the divinity of Jesus. So we see the John saying that in the beginning was the word and he says the word was with God and the word was God. So it's one thing for the word to just be with God but the third phrase very clearly establishes that the word is also equally divine just like the rest of the Godhood. And so by writing out the sentence John very very clearly affirms that the one God whom we worship the Yahweh of the Old Testament whom we worship. He is a triune being generally enough preaching when we talk about Jehovah or Yahweh. We generally immediately think of the Father alone but no Yahweh is actually a triune. He is made up of Father, Son and Holy Spirit because you see in the Old Testament the Lord, the God, the Creator that they are talking about is Yahweh and Yahweh is actually triune. So that's the concept that he's trying to bring out over here when he says that the word was with God and the word was God. So God the Father is a distinct person and Jesus Christ is a distinct person who is equally divine. Now this is one verse which has been slightly modified by the Jehovah Witness cult for their convenience. So if somebody were to try and because for them you see they believe that Jehovah Yahweh is the only God and Jesus is a lesser God. Somebody that Jehovah created Yahweh created him. So he is not fully God in the sense that God the Father is God is their belief system. So when they are quoting this particular verse, John 1-1, this is how they put it. They say in their Bible what they call the Watchtower New World Translation in that this is how you see John 1-1 being put. It says over there in the beginning the word was and the word was with God. The third portion is where they kind of change things and they say and the word was a God and it's a small G that is used over there. So it's like as if he's a created being is what they wish to say. So when scholars who know the Bible took up this issue with them and they said, Why are you translating this last portion as a God? No, the word was God. But you're making that into the word was a God. Why are you doing that? The reason that they give is that they say if you look in the original Greek before that word God, you don't have the article. The is not mentioned in the original Greek. So they say because of this, we are saying that it's not referring to God. It's referring to something lesser. It's referring to a God like the gods of the other nations. So in that sense, so that is the argument which they use. But if you look at their translation in all this New World Translation of the Jehovah Witnesses, they do not apply this rule in many, many other places where you do not have the article. So when it comes to Matthew 5, 9, when it comes to Matthew 6, 24, 35, 75 and a whole bunch of other places where you do not have that article, the preceding the phrase God. They still use the capital G. They have no issues in using the capital G in all of those places. But only over here in one one, because they do not want to accept the divinity of Jesus. Only over here, they choose to use the small G in their translation. Now, you can't have double standards like that, right? I mean, it does not make sense. So, you know, you need to minister to someone who is from that background and they raise this particular argument. You will be in a position to explain to them. It's there in your notes. So if you were to look in your PDF, it's there. This piece of information is there. So you can actually use those verses. There's a list of verses where the article there is not there in front of, you know, before the word God, but still the Jehovah Witnesses accept all those portions as God in all of his Godhood. So in the same way, that very same thing is used over here in one one. So you will be able to explain to a person who is seeking and tell them, see, this is a fact. This is a grammatical fact, which can be clearly seen. So you do not have to worry and feel that you're in any way being, you know, wrong in accepting Jesus as Lord. He is very much truly divine and he is Lord. So we can use this argument and we are trying to help a seeker from that background. So moving on to verses three, four and five. Thank you so much. Those of you who are reading out the scriptures to us. So yes, if we can have someone read out verses three, four and five, please. Yeah. Good on the one. All things were made and without him nothing. That was made in him was life and the life was the light of man and the light shines in this and the darkness did not comprehend it. Yeah. So you are reading from the NKJ. Okay. And I'll explain why I said that. So let's look at the first portion, verse three. Where it says without him nothing was made that has been made. So this logos, he everything that was made has been made through him, which obviously means that he himself was not made because he's the one who's making everything that exists. So it does not include him. So he's about that beyond that. So here it is clearly being established that the logos Jesus, he's the creator. He was there before these things were made. He himself was not created. And you know, Colossians 116 confirms the same thought it says over there in him, all things were created things in heaven and on earth visible and invisible and all of that. Okay. So and then in fact, Colossians 116 also says all things have been created through him and for him. So both John and Paul were clearly trying to convince the Jewish community that yes, Jesus is divine and you need to believe in his, you know, in his divine origin. Now, moving on to the next portion of which is verse four in him was life and that life was the light of all mankind. It doesn't just say here that it doesn't just say that you know he had light and life with him. It says that he himself was the light of all mankind. That life was the light of all mankind is what it says over here. So it's not just that Jesus is a container of life. He himself is life. It's not just a container of light. He himself is light. And then in that sense, keeping that thought in mind, it goes on to say the light shines in the darkness. You know, this Jesus, this light, he shines in the darkness and the darkness has not like, you know, Rosalind read out has not comprehended it. On the other hand, if you were reading NIV, it would say the darkness has not overcome it. Both translations are correct. In fact, because that particular Greek word over there can be used in either sense. I may be reading a very tough chapter of in chemistry in the chemistry textbook. And so once I have once I have overcome or grasped, comprehended what is there in that chapter. I would say I have Katalam Bhanu this particular chapter. I would say that. So in that sense, I have grasped it. I have comprehended it. I have overcome it in that sense. So this word can be translated as overcome or it can be translated as comprehend. But over here in this particular verse, which would be the actual best translation, which really brings out what John is trying to express. And I think it's actually the NIV which does a better translation and I'll explain why. So this logo is Jesus and this Jesus, he is the one who is shining into the darkness and the darkness will not be able to overcome this Jesus. Yes, it's true that the darkness also does not comprehend Jesus because the people of evil, the people of the world, the ones who are in darkness, they choose not to know him. They choose not to comprehend his divinity and bow down to him and submit to him. That is also there. But I think over here John is more interested in the idea of the darkness being unable to overcome this light, overcome this Jesus, the logos was light. Why do we say that? Because you see, he started off with that first verse where he said in the beginning and immediately when the Jewish people would have read those words in the beginning, the Genesis one would have come to their minds because that is how their scriptures begin. So he is again now in this verse connecting Genesis with what he's trying to say over here. Because in Genesis chapter one versus two and three, this is what we see. The earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was howling over the face of the waters. Then the Spirit of God who is howling over the waters is what he says, he says, let there be light and there was light. There was darkness up to that point of time. It says darkness was on the face of the deep. But now you have light coming in once God speaks the words and says, let there be light and this and the darkness which had been hovering over the face of the deep for goodness knows how long that is unable to overcome this light which has now come and taken over. So once God says, let there be light, that light is there. So only when it is evening, only when God gives permission for the evening and the darkness to set in for that brief amount of time, there will be darkness, physical darkness. But otherwise, the darkness will not be able to overcome the light and completely drive it out in the same manner. Here in the, in John, in the beginning was this word, the logos and this logos was light and he was life. And once he came in, you know, John is saying in the same way, the physical darkness could not overcome the light, the physical light. In the same way, this Jesus, the logos, who is light, what the restoration which he is now bringing into the world through his life, the darkness will not be able to overcome it. Just so that we can grasp this concept a little better. Let's think about Genesis for a bit. If you look at your creation account, when was the sun created? The sun was created on day four. So for the first three days, there was no sun around. So it was not the sun which was providing light to the planet Earth. It was God. God said that there will be light and there was light. The word which he spoke, that was light. And it gave light for three entire days when the sun gave no support at that time. The SUM gave no support at that time. The SUM was not even created. It was the SUM, the son of God, the light who literally lit up the first three days. Because that was a spoken word which God spoke, that there will be light and there was light. And he is the one who lit up the Earth for the first three days. And then on day four, you have the sun being placed in the sky and that starts providing light. So that is why even in Revelation chapter 21, and if you go to the very end and you look at Revelation chapter 21 verses 23 to 24, there it says the city, that new Jerusalem and the city that is the new city which is established by God and the new Earth. It says over there, the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it. For the glory of God illuminated it. The lamp is its light. And then it goes on to say in verse 24, and the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light. So you have a physical light which is being talked about over here and you also have a spiritual light which is being talked about over here. In the light of the spiritual truth which has been revealed to these nations, they are now saved by it and they are now walking in it in this new Jerusalem. And who is the light over here? The lamp. The lamp is its light. He is the glory of God and he is the one who is illuminating this new Jerusalem. So in the same way, even in Genesis, that's what he did. God himself was the light for the first three days and then he put the sun in place to do its functioning. And so now when this Jesus has come into the world, it says in verse 10, that he was in the world and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. So over here, he comes into the world and once he comes into the world, John is declaring and saying the darkness will not be able to overcome him. That restoration process which Jesus has now initiated because of his final work on the cross. That thing which he has started off, the darkness can never overcome it. So you and I, when we are facing our challenges in life, we have the evil forces of darkness attacking us even now. Even though now we have become children of the Lord, we still sometimes face sickness. There's poverty and financial issues. There may be division and rivalry between believers in the church. And when we look at all these things, we may think, my goodness, these sicknesses are so big, these divisions in the church are so deep. The darkness is at work. The dark forces are so strong and we may think all those thoughts, but it's good for us to remember what it says over here. The darkness will not be able to overcome the light of logos. Logos has come. He has started something because of his finished work and what he has started that the darkness can never overcome it. So even if we feel that the things that are lined up against us are big and huge, they cannot overcome the light because this is logos who is casting his light upon us. So when we stand in faith on this logos, the written word of God, we stand in faith on him and say, this is what he says. And so I choose to believe that this is what he has done for us as believers and he will fulfill it in his own way, in his own time. When we take a stand and choose to believe this and obey it and hold on to it, the light will overcome the darkness because the darkness can never overcome the logos himself. It's impossible for the darkness to do that. So the NIV probably has a slightly better translation when it says that the darkness, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. So we will look at verses 6 to 13 which mainly is talking about how John the Baptist comes and gives witness, he gives testimony and says that this Jesus, he is the light. So John testifies and says that the light, the logos, it is Jesus and not somebody else. It's not somebody who's going to come in the future. And so if anyone chooses to believe this fact, it says in verse 12, that person will be given the right, that person would be given the legal right to become a child of God. So that person will not be born of flesh and blood. That is what it says in verse 13. Such a person who has placed his belief and trust in Jesus Christ. That person is not going to be just born out of the flesh the way humans are born. But something extra is going to happen to that person. That person is also going to be born of God. So over here in this verses 12 and 13, the details of this is not given. But then later on when we go to John chapter 3 in the conversation with Nicodemus, these things get clarified further. So we see these things being brought out in verses 6 to 13. And then if we were to move on into verses 14 to 18, so here is where it says that he became flesh. The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. So this is one important point that we need to emphasize before we close our class. So the word of God, the logos, he becomes flesh and he dwells among us. And that word that is used over there. This also is mentioned actually in your talks. That word over there dwelling, you know, where it says the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. That word is the Greek word. Skenu, S-K-E-N-O-O. And that is the exact word which is used in the Greek Old Testament. We know, right? The Old Testament was written in the Hebrew language. And then when the people of Israel began to become more familiar with Aramaic and with Greek rather than with Hebrew, they could no longer really read Hebrew, though they were speaking it in their homes, but they could no longer read it and be able to pronounce it properly. So, you know, they were becoming more familiar with Aramaic and Greek. So at that point of time, Godly people came together and began to translate the Old Testament, the Hebrew Old Testament into the Greek language so that people can continue to read it and understand it. So in the Greek Old Testament, the Greek word which is used to describe the tabernacle of God, it's literally this word, Skenu. And so now here, John is using this specific word in his saying, you know what, this Jesus, he became flesh and he came and he made his Skenu, his dwelling, his tabernacle among us. Now, the significance of this would have been huge for the Jewish people because they are familiar with the Old Testament. And you know, it says in Exodus chapter 40 verse 34. This is what it says in Exodus 40, 34. Then the cloud covered the tabernacle. That's basically the Skenu. The cloud covered the Skenu of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the Skenu. So the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle. Now, the same glory has come down earlier. It was only inside the confines of the tabernacle. And once the glory comes down upon the tabernacle, nobody even has the guts to go inside. Because in their unclean, uncovered form where the blood of Jesus is not yet covering them, they would be finished because now we are covered in the righteousness of Christ. We are very safe and secure. But back then, once the glory of the Lord comes into that Skenu, they cannot even enter it. So that same glory has now become flesh and is happily walking around. It's literally dwelling with the people, interacting with them, having meals in their homes. And it's an amazing thing. So he says over here, John, the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son. So this Skenu could only be inside the confines of the tabernacle when the glory of God comes down upon that tabernacle. Now he's literally, he's now become a moving, talking tabernacle. He literally is walking around everywhere. He's literally the glory of God in physical form. And he's walking around and he's interacting with people and showing people that this is what God is like. So when it says we have seen his glory, what did John mean? He was saying that wherever Jesus walked around, you had bright sparks of light coming out of his skin. No, Jesus looked as sweaty and as human as everyone else. They would literally walk from town to town. So Jesus was not looking all bright and shiny. There was no halo around him. So in what sense did they see his glory? They literally saw the way God would behave. They literally saw the way God would talk. The way Yahweh interacts with humans. That's the way Jesus is interacting with humans. The kind of love that Yahweh feels. You know these people of Israel, they've been worshipping Yahweh for centuries, but they've never seen him. They don't know what he's actually like. And now they're actually getting to see in physical form how loving he is, how wise and clever he is in his wording in the way he talks, how tender he is towards people who are in need. These are things which they are discovering for the first time. So in that sense, here John says, we have literally seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son who came from the Father, full of praise and truth. And so on a day to day basis, Jesus, this logos, reveals what the glory of God is like. So these are the verses, these are the main points that we wanted to bring out from the prologue. So we will continue this in the next class. So I hope that at least to some extent, the prologue was useful to you, not just as information, but also helping you to draw closer to him, you know, exercise greater faith in him. So let's just close with a word of prayer. Lord, we just thank you so much for the things that we could learn from the first few verses of the John's Gospel. Thank you, Lord, for choosing to become flesh and come and dwell among us, so that you can show us literally in the flesh what Yahweh is like, how loving and compassionate he is, how all powerful he is without any limits. And Lord, we thank you that you were willing to even sacrifice yourself for us. And so we pray a lot that even as we go through this book of John, we would really know you in a very intimate and real way. And I pray that you would help us to believe in you more and more, because that's the whole point of this Gospel of John, to help us believe in Jesus and make him our foundation. So I pray that all that we learn, O Lord, in the rest of this course, it will cause us to draw nearer to Jesus and place our faith in him and build our lives on him. Thank you. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you so much. And yes, we will meet again next class. Next class, if you can have doubts and questions and give your feedback and your thoughts on the things that we are saying, all you need to do is raise your hand over there. You know, press the icon which raises the hand icon, or if you can actually appear on camera and raise your hand, that's also fine. That would make it so interactive for all of us. All right? Thank you so much. Yes. Thank you, Pastor. Thank you, Pastor. Thank you.