Isaiah 9:1-3
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
John 1:1-9
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
The point of having these two passages together is to show that the Old Testament prophecy about the “Great light” is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus.
Word = 3 times
Life = 2 times
Light = 7 times
Witness = 3 times
EXAMINATION
Isaiah 9:1-3
(v.1) “In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.”
The humbling of the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali refers to the invasion and annexation of the northern parts of Israel by Tiglath-pileser III in 733/732 BC.
(v.1) “Galilee of the nations.”
At the time the region of Galilee was occupied by many gentiles. This is what the reference to, “of the nations” means. By prophesying about the great light coming to Galilee the prophet pre-figures the church. The gentiles will come to know God as well as Israel.
(v2.) “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”
Verses 2 and 3 of our passage are written in the form of a synonymous parallelism. Notice the structure. The two halves of verse 2 essentially say the same thing. The same goes with verse 3.
Galilee was in darkness because their lands had been taken over by the Assyrians who had repopulated pagan peoples into the land after conquering it. A common practice by conquering nations.
Remember when the Jewish leaders said, “No prophet ever comes from Galilee” (John 7:52). Now this situation is reversed. No prophet comes from Galilee, but the Messiah does, who is much greater than a prophet. He is the object of prophecy.
(v.3) “You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.”
This part of the passage may also be interpreted as being about the Messiah. Jesus has increased joy, as like a harvest. Jesus lived in Galilee. He is the light. By people believing in Jesus the followers of Jesus are multiplied. Notice the language used: “Harvest,” and Divide the spoil.” These mean a great increase in joy because of the Messiah.
We see the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-3 in John 1:1-9.
John 1:1-9
(v.1) “In the beginning was the Word.”
What we translate as “Word” was the Greek word, “Logos.” John begins to unfold how he uses and applies this Greek term to Jesus. Logos means, “Word,” or “Message.”
WHAT DOES THE WORD OF GOD DO FOR US?
(v.1) “the Word was with God.”
Two things are in view here: the Word and God. By being with God there is more being referred to than just a spoken word. The Word is something more than just speech. Since the word is being portrayed as being with God, we see a hint that the Word is a person.
(v.1) “the Word was God.”
Now we see the true identity of the Word. The Word was God, and he was also with God in the beginning. This signifies a person. One person is God, the other person was with God, who was also God. Therefore, we have two people in view who are deity.
(v.2) “He was in the beginning with God.”
Again, we see the Logos being signified as a person. “He” was with God. But let’s not miss the second thing John say about Jesus. He says he was with God, “In the beginning.” IE, he was with God the Father at the creation of the cosmos. This, “In the beginning” harkens back to Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Here is God the Son, co-eternal with God the Father, together at creation.
Then we have a stunning revelation.
(v.3) “All things were made through him.”
Only God has the power of creation. So, to say that all things were made through him is to signify again that this Logos is the Creator, also God. Paul also touched on this in Colossians 1:15-16, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
Remember that in the past I’ve used a three-fold description of how God works. The Father plans, the Son performs, and the Spirit empowers. We see this in the original creation. The Father planned creation and was present at the beginning. The Holy Spirit was also there as the text says, “The Spirit was hovering over the waters.” Then the Son, according to Colossians 1 performed the act of creation, who was empowered by the Spirit. All three are thus present at creation.
(v.4) “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
WHAT DOES LIGHT DO FOR US?
After declaring Jesus’ identity, he then adds another term to Jesus to further signify what Jesus does for us. He calls Jesus, “Light.” Without light we cannot see where we are going. But light shows us the way to walk. This is also true spiritually. We cannot perceive God without a light of truth guiding us to the Father. Jesus is that light. Thus, if you have Jesus, you have the Father.
Life also is in Jesus because Jesus is eternal, thus, he is the source of eternal life, which he gives freely to us. He then calls Jesus, “Light.”
(v.5) “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Some older translations say, “The darkness has not comprehended it.” But newer translations use the term, “Overcome.” This second translation is more accurate. The Greek word here means, “To lay hold of,” or to “Grasp” or “Seize,” or “Mightiest prevail.” IE, conquering is in view here. And this is appropriate. Darkness doesn’t take over light. Light eliminates darkness.
Darkness is also symbolic of sin. Thus, Jesus, the light, wipes out our darkness, our sin. Our sin has not overcome us, Jesus has overcome us. I John 5:5 says, “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
(v. 8) “He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.”
As the text opens up further, John talks about John the Baptist. John began revealing who Jesus really was. One of his greatest witness statements was when he said that Jesus was, “The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In the Old Testament a lamb was a sacrificial sin offering. So, right from the beginning John is saying that Jesus will die for our sin. The Logos, the eternal Word, and the Light of Life will himself die for our sin.
John says John the Baptist wasn’t the light, but Jesus was the light. But later in scripture Jesus calls us “light” (Matthew 5:14).
(v.9) “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”
Jesus, the true light, was the one anticipated. He was coming into the world to save us.
Now, we’ve seen three things in our passage that all refer to Jesus. Jesus is called, “The Word,” the “Light,” and “Life.” So let’s boil this down to interpretation. What do these things mean?
INTERPRETATION
What is John’s Big Idea?
There are three terms that John uses in this short passage to reveal to his reader who Jesus was.
- Jesus is the Word.
- Jesus is the Light.
- Jesus is the Life.
Note that nowhere in scripture are humans referred to as the Word, or Light, or Life. The exception might be Jesus’ referral to us in Matthew 5 as light, but we are not light in the same capacity as Jesus. Jesus is the source of spiritual light. Look at what Paul says in Ephesians 5:8, “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” Jesus is the light source, and our light is a reflection of him.
Jesus is the Word
By referring to Jesus as the Word we get the picture that Jesus is the revelation of God embodied in his Son, he is the source of all that is true. Consider the importance of the Word. The universe was created through God’s word. The Bible is the revelation of God’s person through the spoken and written word. Scripture says the word of God lasts forever.
Jesus is the Light
By saying Jesus is light it means that Jesus shows us the way to the Father. Remember John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Note that Jesus doesn’t say he is the way to Heaven, rather, he says he is the way to the Father. Heaven is not our goal. Getting to God is our goal. Heaven just happens to be the place where the Father manifests himself openly.
Jesus is the Life
By calling Jesus the life means that he is the source of all life. First, he is the source of earthly life, as in being the Creator of all life on earth. Second, he is the source of spiritual life. Remember Jesus’ rebuke of the Jewish leaders. He said to them, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39). The scripture doesn’t give us life, Jesus gives us life. The scripture is a pointer directing us to the person of Jesus.
Actually, John 14:6 reflects all three of these statements. “The way,” is revealed by light. “The truth,” is the revelation of his word. And then there is, “The life.”
APPLICATION
Because Jesus has revealed himself in these three forms of Word, Light, and Life, we should take our que from John about how to apply these three spiritual truths about Jesus in our lives. So, I have three suggestions for today’s application to do that.
Believe the Word
First, believe the word. To believe the word of God is to believe the revelation he gives about who he is. If we believe in Jesus then we have a relationship with him and if we have a relationship with Jesus, then we also have the Father.
Walk in the Light
If we believe the word about Jesus, then since Jesus is our light source, we should walk in the light. This means that we must walk in the way that Jesus walked.
Sometimes the scripture says that the word of God is a light to our path. In this way the concepts of word and light work together to the end that God reveals not only himself to us, but how we should live. Thus, this also makes a tie-in with our last application point.
Receive the Life
We receive eternal life through Jesus. He offers eternal life to us freely, by his grace. Now, if you’ve never received Jesus Christ then you are without eternal life. If you are without eternal life, then you don’t have a relationship with the Father and you walk in darkness. If you walk in spiritual darkness, then you are not living according to the word of God (Jesus). Do you see how all of this ties together?
So, our application points are simple and three:
- Believe the Word
- Walk in the Light
- Receive the Life
Lastly, three times in our passage the passage says John the Baptist came to bear witness about the light. Repeated so often is importance, so we took should bear witness about the light of Christ, that others might receive him.
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