Christian Living

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Supporting Evidence

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be one of the writers of the Gospels? When you were committed to the idea of making a record of the earthly life of Jesus, how, exactly would you set out to do it? Where, in fact, would you start?

Matthew opted to start with a genealogy, Mark began with the message of John the Baptist, Luke launches his book with the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, and then there's John. It seems to me that John was more of a thinker, more philosophical-here's the opening of his Gospel:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." (John 1:1-5)

Okay, then. Wow.

Read the Gospel of John again with these words available on a card. The entire story unfolds in a way that proves John's line of reasoning, the ideas he laid out in these first five verses. Each event points to the identity of Jesus as God's Son. Jesus' power over the creation is displayed through His actions, particularly the making of water into wine (Chapter 2) and the feeding of the 5,000 (Chapter 6).

John seems especially interested in sharing the words of Jesus. These words form the core of the message of Jesus, the news that was "shining in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."

And the phrase "In him was life, and that life was the light of men" was proven beyond a doubt in the resurrection of Jesus.

We may not have a goal in mind of writing a new record of the earthly life of Jesus, but we are nonetheless sharing a continuation of His story with the world through our own lives. Can His life be seen through us, shining in the darkness? Maybe each of us needs to take a good look at the living Gospel we are posting, printing, and publishing in full view of the world, and examine how we chose to begin our story, how it is unfolding, and what point we seem to be proving.

Perhaps some editing is in order...

Brenda Kern
June 6, 2004

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