TEXT
"9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Why do you think John refers to Jesus as the true light? Why is it important to see Jesus as the true light?
In the first half of these verses, we see that not all who encounter the truth about Jesus will accept Jesus. How should this impact our evangelism?
How does the truth that we (the church) are children of God impact how we interact with the church?
MANUSCRIPT
Several weeks ago, we purged our youngest son's dresser, removing the clothes he could no longer wear. We call this game "old and new." During this game, we make two piles: an old pile and a new pile. The old pile consists of clothes that no longer fit; therefore, we get rid of them. The new pile consists of clothes that still fit; therefore, we will keep them.
In today's passage, we see Jesus, the true light, has come into the world. He has come as the ultimate source of spiritual truth, as the ultimate source of eternal life. And through his coming, we see that humanity has two options: receiving him as Lord or rejecting him as a fool.
There's no middle ground. You can either receive Jesus or reject Jesus. One will lead to life, while the other will leads to death. One will lead to intimacy with God, while the other leads to distance from God. One will lead to security, while the other leads to damnation.
Today we will see that those who receive Jesus will become children of God. Their status in this world and their status in heaven will change. Therefore, the overarching theme that I want us to build toward today is this: the Christmas season is a time when we get to celebrate our Lord together with our spiritual family. The church isn't like family; the church is family. It is a family that has been crafted and molded by the grace and mercy of God, not the works of man. Therefore, it should be something cherished and valued by those who've received this adoption.
Let's go ahead and dive in…
"9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
THE TRUE LIGHT
I'm not sure if you've caught on or not, but there has been a consistent theme of light in these verses.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (v.5)."
John the Baptist came to "bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light (v.8)."
And now, in verse 9, we see a reference (again) to the true light. "The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world."
The word used here for "true" is alēthinŏs, which means to be real, authentic, or genuine. It's a word used 56 different times in the gospel of John. So, John is making a conscious effort to distinguish Jesus from other "lights." To be the true light means that Jesus isn't one among many lights; he is the only light. He is the defining light.
John here is saying that Jesus is the accurate, genuine, and complete revelation of God's truth. You may be able to look to creation to learn about God in a general sense. But Jesus is the ultimate self-disclosure of God to man. If you want to see God for who he is, look no further than Jesus. If you want to know God, turn to Jesus.
The light of the world is the one by which all things are seen clearly, and all things make sense. He is the one who shows us who God is. He shows us what true perfection and holiness are. He shows us where true life resides. In doing so, he also shows us where we fall short. When we encounter the true light, he shines deep into the darkness of our hearts, which illuminates where we do not measure up to his perfection and holiness. When we encounter Jesus, we see ourselves for how evil we are. And because of this, we will see that the world loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil.
Nonetheless, "The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world."
The word used here for "world" is "kosmos." The word "kosmos" is used 78 different times in this gospel. It's a complex word in the sense that it has several different definitions. On the one hand, it can mean all the created universe, the giant ball we live on. On the other hand, it can mean all of the world's inhabitants. The typical use of this word, however, describes the part of creation that has deliberately rebelled against its creator.
So, in one sense, Jesus, the true light, the source of life, entered into the kosmos, his creation. He came into the world, walking on his creation, eating his creation, depending on his creation. But, in a deeper sense, the true source of life and light entered a world of darkness to dwell amongst those actively rebelling against him.
DID NOT KNOW HIM
The very thing he breathed life into is the same thing that has sinned and rebelled against him, and it is this rebellious world that Jesus has entered into. We see this in verse 10– it is the world that he entered into that "did not know him."
In commenting on the concept of "knowing," Herman Ridderbos says, "Knowing is not just intellectual… to not know the Word is to reject a relationship with him." So, this isn't a word of ignorance; it is a phrase of intentional rejection. Sin so blinded mankind that they refused to recognize their creator. They saw the true light and all of his majesty and chose to run in the opposite direction. Like putting my child's clothes in the "old pile," they have displaced him, rejected him.
As we see in verse 11, "Jesus came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." So, Jesus came to those who belonged to him, yet they did not receive him. The true light wasn't just misunderstood; he was maliciously betrayed and rejected by his own people. Jesus was not merely unseen, unknown, or misinterpreted. He was fully known and understood, yet he was despised, rejected, beaten, crushed, pierced, and murdered.
Feel the weight of that—what a tragic reality. When God was most seen, he was most rejected. Sometimes we hear the lie whispered amongst hardhearted people that goes to the tune of, "I don't believe because I have too many questions." We begin to convince ourselves that if all of our questions were answered and we could see God in his full majesty, then we would believe. But these verses teach us that, even if we had all of the evidence on the table, many would still choose to reject Jesus. Sometimes it is the clearest message that encounters the most hostility.
CHILDREN OF GOD
But verse 12 offers us some hope. John tells us that there will be some who receive him. There will be some who believe. And those who believe in his name will be given "the right to become children of God."
God's goal in sending Jesus was adoption. Ephesians 1:5 says, "In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…" So, Jesus actively came into a world that rejected, betrayed, beat, crushed, pierced, and murdered him so that those who received him might become children of God. Before the foundation of the world, his predetermined loving plan was to create a redeemed family united by the blood of Jesus. The Father sent his Son into the world so that those who receive him might become his adopted sons.
But what does it mean to receive Jesus?
The word receive in these verses means to welcome with open arms and accept with friendliness. So, receiving Jesus means accepting and welcoming him into your life for who he is, not who you want him to be. To receive Jesus is not to mold Jesus into who you want him to be; it is to allow Jesus to mold you into who he wants you to be. In receiving Jesus, you don't get the luxury of shaping Jesus into your servant; you become his servant. In receiving Jesus, you don't get to pick and choose what parts of Jesus you like; you accept him for who he is. To receive Jesus is a complete, joyful surrender. You welcome him as a Savior, trusting he's able to save. You greet him as a Leader, trusting he knows what's best for your life. You accept him as Provider, trusting his provision. You welcome him as a Counselor, trusting his Word. You receive him as Protector, depending on his protection. You accept him as King, trusting and submitting to his rule. To receive Jesus is to submit every fiber of your being to Jesus.
And, those who receive Jesus have been given "the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." So, one of the key beauties of the gospel is that, through receiving Jesus, our status changes. Both on this earth and in heaven, our status changes. In receiving Jesus, you will go from being a child of wrath to a child of God, an enemy of God to a son of God. You were once blind, but now you see. You were once lame, but now you run. You were once an enemy, but now a son. You were once a pitiful sinner, but now a righteous heir. You were once a nobody, but now a somebody.
Brothers and sisters, by the grace and mercy of God, you are born again into a new family. We are not like a family; we are a family. We are a family that has been crafted and molded by God's grace and mercy, not man's works. Therefore we ought to cherish and value one other. We ought to selflessly love and serve one another.
So, the question remains today: have you received or rejected the true Light? Do you believe that Jesus is the light of the world?
If you have received Jesus in faith, inviting him to be the Lord of your life, then you are a miraculously born-again child of God.