Matthew 25:31-46

Any act of kindness and support our government shows for those less fortunate is an act of faith in God. In our actions we get to be the hands and feet of Christ. 

The nations will be judged!

Pray for our Nation for in her actions she will be judged.

The actions described here reflect obedience to the command to love one’s neighbor—and thereby demonstrate love for God, as well. Jesus’ remarks here call for Christian care to reach all the way to the bottom of the social structure, thus inverting earthly values. Faithlife Bible.

The final section of this discourse involves judgment. Matthew has been called “the Gospel of judgment” because the subject occurs so often. This is to be expected, since Matthew emphasizes the coming of the kingdom and thus the judgment that accompanies it. In the previous two parables, Jesus had been speaking of the judgment on those Israelites who were unprepared for the coming of the Messiah. In the last parable of this discourse, Jesus focuses His attention on all the nations of the earth.

The kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world indicates that this kingdom has always been God’s goal for humans. NKJ Bible.

Mathew 25:31-46

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Isaiah 58:7 | Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Ezekiel 18:7 | If he has not oppressed anyone,But has restored to the debtor his pledge; Has robbed no one by violence, But has given his bread to the hungry And covered the naked with clothing;

Ezekiel 18:16 | Has not oppressed anyone, Nor withheld a pledge, Nor robbed by violence, But has given his bread to the hungry And covered the naked with clothing;

John 5:29 | and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Mark 1:14-15

The message of Jesus? Repent, and believe. 

Jesus fulfilled the promises given by God to those who believed in Him and in the salvation he brought to man through the Jewish religion. In God’s plan He knew the very people that were to receive the Messiah would reject Him. It was too life changing an event to be for the Jews alone. 

The gift of salvation would be offered to all who choose to believe in the salvation God provided in the person of Jesus Christ.

As soon as John the Baptist is arrested, Jesus emerges from the wilderness to declare the arrival of God’s kingdom on earth. Faithlife Bible.

Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God. It was the subject of much OT prophecy, and the theme was familiar to Jesus’ listeners. Repent, and believe are both acts of faith. When a person accepts the only true and worthy object of faith, that person readily turns from inferior substitutes. NKJ Bible.

Mark 1:14-15

14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying,  “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Matthew 3:2 | and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Matthew 4:12 | Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.

Matthew 4:17 | From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 4:23 | And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

The Dead Sea Scrolls—a collection of biblical and other texts from around the first century—have shown that our Old Testament existed in several forms at the time of Jesus. There could have been as many as four Hebrew-language versions: one that lies behind the Hebrew text of the Bible that Christians and Jews use today the Masoretic Text; a second that lies behind the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which is called the Septuagint, or LXX (and is the Old Testament of the Orthodox churches today); a third distinctive Hebrew version of the Pentateuch (the first five books of our Old Testament) used by the Samaritans; and a fourth version scholars did not know existed until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls 50 years ago.

Luke 8:48-50

Value your faith and put it into practice. Your faith in Him pleases the Father and like any godly father…He will not let you fall!

In the measure that you believe, you can receive from the very hand of God!

Every good gift comes from God.

Your faith has saved you. Faithlife Bible.

This miracle highlights not only the authority of Jesus, but also the response of faith that God honors. NKJ Bible.

Luke 8:48-50

And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”

50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.”

Mark 5:34 | And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Mark 11:22 | So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.

Mark 11:23 | For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Mark 11:24 | Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Luke 11:37-52

The letter of the Law kills and prevents us from entering into His loving peace. 

Seek the knowledge of the Scriptures in the salvation offered to us in Christ Jesus. His peace He gives to us, not as society or culture defines it, but as God says it is. The truth without mercy achieves nothing. Mercy without truth is the same.

Jesus is the truth of the Godhead…let Him reign in our heart.

Judgment and the love of God—in Matthew 23:25, “judgment, mercy, and faith” is a reference to Micah 6:6–8, whose third element of all acceptable religion, “walking humbly with God,” comprehends both “love” and “faith.” The same tendency to merge greater duties in less besets us still, but it is the characteristic of hypocrites. 

Jesus contrasts external purity (proper behavior) with internal cleansing (transformation of the heart). Justice and love for God echoes the two greatest commandments, as well as the teaching of the prophets. Faithlife Bible.

A person can become like light, a living picture of what God’s Word teaches, by concentrating on the light of the truth. Jesus pointed out that the Pharisees concerned themselves with outward appearances and ritual cleanness, while what was inside, what really counts, was full of selfishness and evil. The Law spoke of tithing all produce, but what constituted food was debated. Some Pharisees took the strictest interpretation and counted almost anything, including spices. However, they neglected two basic things that the prophets also had warned about: love and justice.

Jesus applied His woes to lawyers as well as to the Pharisees. In everyday Greek, the term translated burdens refers to a ship’s cargo. The idea is that a heavy strain was being imposed on the people and yet, in the end, this burden did not bring them closer to God. Here Jesus rebuked the tradition that had grown up around the Law of Moses. Was Jesus accusing the scribes of hypocrisy in not practicing what they taught and in making distinctions that freed them from obligations, as they did with oath? Or was Jesus simply accusing the scribes of not offering aid and compassion to those who tried to follow their rules? The second interpretation is more likely, since the Pharisees were known for adhering to the Law.

They had received and would receive judgment for the way they treated God’s prophets. The judgment here refers specifically to the fall of Jerusalem in a.d. 70, and ultimately to the final judgment of God in the Tribulation.

Jesus charged the lawyers with doing the opposite of what they claimed their calling to be. Rather than bringing people nearer to God, they had removed the possibility of their entering into that knowledge, and had prevented others from understanding as well. NKJ Bible.

Jesus contrasts external purity (proper behavior) with internal cleansing (transformation of the heart).

Luke 11:37-52

37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.

39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. 40 Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.

42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

“Woes” on the Lawyers

45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.”

46 And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ 50 that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

Matthew 23:4 | For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Matthew 23:23 | “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

Matthew 23:25 | “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

John 8:9-11

In the manner that we forgive…we are forgiven. 

Those of is who have been forgiven much can get a glimpse into understanding this kind of agape love. We love because He first loved us and He wants no one, no one, to die in sin. He offers complete redemption in Christ Jesus. The grace of God  will require change.

Go and sin no more!

Jesus forgave her. He did not condemn her, but neither did He condone her sin. NKJ Bible.

The legal problems intended to entrap Jesus always result in embarrassment for the accusers or questioners, as Jesus’ response is always unexpected and cuts directly to the heart of the problem. Jesus makes the case that no one is without sin other than God, and thus no one is permitted to pass judgment by any authority other than what God has given them. Only God has a pure motive. Fathlife Bible.

John 8:9-11

 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Mark 14:19 | And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, “Is it I?” And another said, “Is it I?”

Luke 9:56 | For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.

Luke 12:14 | But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”

John 3:17 | For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 5:14 | Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

Isaiah 14:18-22

God is always in control and all power lies in His hands.

Pray for His protection on you, your family and all that belong to Him in Christ.

Pray for the salvation of the world that He created…He wants no one to perish but all to come to Him through the saving blood of Jesus. Share the gospel!

In the end, the king is just a man whose time passes like all earthly rulers. No matter how powerful a king is during his reign, he will eventually die. The king will not receive a royal burial or a proper burial at all. Instead, his body will be left on the field of battle and trampled. Faithlife Bible.

Proverbs 10:7 | The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot.

The ancients believed that a proper burial was exceedingly important. The king’s memory would be trampled by the people whom he abused in life. Contrast this abominable branch with the Beautiful Branch, the Messiah. This is an “anti-Messiah” figure. This evil king’s posterity will not be remembered. The Lord Himself is behind the destruction of this arrogant king. NKJ Bible.

Isaiah 14:18-22

18 “All the kings of the nations,

All of them, sleep in glory,

Everyone in his own house;

19 But you are cast out of your grave

Like an abominable branch,

Like the garment of those who are slain,

Thrust through with a sword,

Who go down to the stones of the pit,

Like a corpse trodden underfoot.

20 You will not be joined with them in burial,

Because you have destroyed your land

And slain your people.

The brood of evildoers shall never be named.

21 Prepare slaughter for his children

Because of the iniquity of their fathers,

Lest they rise up and possess the land,

And fill the face of the world with cities.”

22 “For I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts,

“And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant,

And offspring and posterity,” says the Lord.

Exodus 20:5 | you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Leviticus 26:39 | And those of you who are left shall waste away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; also in their fathers’ iniquities, which are with them, they shall waste away.

Job 18:19 | He has neither son nor posterity among his people,Nor any remaining in his dwellings.

Psalm 21:10 | Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of men.

Psalm 109:13 | Let his posterity be cut off, And in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

Proverbs 10:7 | The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot.

Jeremiah 4:1-4

Our only hope is in Jesus. 

He alone is the truth, he alone is the light to mankind and he is the only one righteous! Believers are hidden in Him. Remain humble…it is everything to do with the righteousness of Jesus and nothing to do with ours.

Jesus alone saves.

The unhumbled heart is like ground which may be improved, being let out to us for that purpose, but which is as yet fallow, overgrown with weeds, its natural product. NKJ Study Bible. 

If the people of Israel would repent, they could return to Yahweh. The implication is that their confession in Jeremiah 3:25 has been heard, but verbal acknowledgment of their past sins is not enough to prove full repentance. They must change their behavior as well.

Circumcision was the sign of Israel’s covenant devotion to Yahweh, the outward symbol that identified them as a people set apart. Physical circumcision was intended to be an external sign of a changed heart. The concept of circumcision of the heart highlights both the intent of the external circumcision and Israel’s failure to actually give Yahweh the devotion represented by the act. Faithlife Bible.

The  phrase “The Lord Lives”was regularly used in oaths. When spoken by those faithful to the covenant it should have been a sign of truth, judgment, and righteousness. These three terms summarize the ultimate and ideal demands of the covenant. They are the standards by which all men, from kings to slaves, were and will be judged. 

The results of Israel’s justice and righteousness would have international consequences other nations would be blessed through them. Israel needed a new field in which to sow its seed of faithfulness, a radical departure from its ways of sin and idolatry. 

Circumcision was a sign of the covenant relationship between Israel and God. The intent of God was always that the outward symbol should be a sign of an inward reality of total devotion to Him. Jeremiah’s stern warning of judgment is given with the picture of an unquenchable fire. If the people did not repent of evil, destruction would come. NKJ Bible.

Jeremiah 4:1-4

1 “If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord,

“Return to Me;

And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,

Then you shall not be moved.

2 And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’

In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness;

The nations shall bless themselves in Him,

And in Him they shall glory.”

3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:

“Break up your fallow ground,

And do not sow among thorns.

4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,

And take away the foreskins of your hearts,

You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,

Lest My fury come forth like fire,

And burn so that no one can quench it,

Because of the evil of your doings.”

Hosea 10:12 | Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD,Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

Zechariah 8:8 | I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God,I n truth and righteousness.’

John 8:1-11

No sin, no person, is above God’s mercy and forgiveness. 

Jesus ushered in the New Covenant.  A new and everlasting covenant between God and the believers in Jesus Christ. The letter of the law…killed. Jesus came to give life in abundance and eternal. The new parameters give mercy and grace to those who trust in God to do what they cannot. I think what Jesus was writing was “LOVE”.

Be fair in judgement, forgive all who ask, know that we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy…always be humble!

Micah 6:8 

He has shown you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justly,

To love mercy,

And to walk humbly with your God?

Jesus signals that His life represents God’s reign being established in a new way.

The biblical law prescribed death for both partners involved in an adulterous relationship. The religious authorities’ condemnation is unjustly selective since her partner has apparently been let off. What Jesus writes is unknown. It appears to prompt the leaders’ later conviction of conscience perhaps by reminding them of their own sinfulness or of the law’s higher considerations (mercy and compassion. Jesus makes the case that no one is without sin other than God, and thus no one is permitted to pass judgment by any authority other than what God has given them. Only God has a pure motive. Faithllife Bible.

Because the Feast of Tabernacles had concluded the day before, many visitors were still in Jerusalem. Attracted by the appearance of a noted rabbi, a crowd rapidly gathered. Teachers in ancient Israel sat when they taught. Jesus assumed the position of an authoritative teacher.

Abruptly bringing the adulterous woman into the midst of the proceedings was a rude disruption. The Pharisees were bent on confounding Jesus.

Stoning was specified in certain cases of adultery though not all. (It is not clear why the authorities intended to punish the woman but not the man.) The religious leaders were trying to trap Jesus into saying something that was contrary to the Law. Sin no more implies that Jesus forgave her. He did not condemn her, but neither did He condone her sin. NKJ Bible.

John 8:1-11

8 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Leviticus 20:10 | ‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.

Deuteronomy 17:7 | The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil from among you.

Deuteronomy 22:22 | “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.

Deuteronomy 22:23 | “If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her,

Deuteronomy 22:24 | then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor’s wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you.

Luke 22:21-23

It hurts the most when the one who betrays you is the one who proclaims he loves you.

We must be as wise as a serpent but as gentle as a dove. 

We must forgive those who betrays us simply because we have been forgiven so much. In doing so the Holy Spirit can use those lessons for both of our good.

Jesus states that His imminent death enacts the new covenant centered on forgiveness. Jesus acknowledges that Judas’ betrayal will be used by God to accomplish His purpose of Jesus dying on behalf of humanity. Judas remains responsible for his actions. Faithlife Bible.

Jesus would suffer as God’s plan unfolded, and the one who betrayed Him would face woe. NKJ Bible.

Luke 22:21-23

21 But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. 22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

23 Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

Psalm 41:10 | Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,Who ate my bread,Has lifted up his heel against me.

Matthew 26:21 | Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

Introduction to Jesus Christ

Jesus all Man, all God and His mission to offer salvation to all mankind.

Introductions to Jesus Christ

Luke 1:1-4

1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

John 20:31 | but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Genesis 1:1 starts with the moment of creation and moves forward to the creation of humanity. John 1:1 starts with creation and contemplates eternity past. The fact that the Word was with God suggests a face-to-face relationship. In the ancient world, it was important that persons of equal station be on the same level, or face-to-face, when sitting across from one another. Thus the word with indicates a personal relationship, but also implies equal status. The Word, Jesus Christ Himself, is an active Person in communication with the Father. Moreover, the Word was God. The word order in Greek shows that the Word was “God,” not “a god.” This is a straightforward declaration of Christ’s deity, since John uses Word to refer to Jesus. The Word was of the very quality of God, while still retaining His personal distinction from the Father. Neither the Person of Christ, nor His Sonship, came into being at a point in time. Rather, the Father and the Son have always been in loving fellowship with one another. All things were made through Him: God the Father created the world through God the Son. All creation was made through Him. Thus He is the Creator God. Note that life is not said to have been created; life existed in Christ. Humans are dependent on God for life. Our existence, spiritually and physically, depends on God’s sustaining power. In contrast, the Son has life in Himself from all eternity. The life, Jesus Christ, is also the light of men. This image conveys the concept of revelation. As the light, Jesus Christ reveals both sin and God to humans. Later in this Gospel, Christ declares Himself to be both the life and the light. Death and darkness flee when the life and light enter. The dead are raised and the blind receive their sight, both physically and spiritually. Humans did not appropriate or understand the light, nor did they overtake or overpower it. Although Satan and his forces resist the light, they cannot thwart its power. In short, Jesus is life and light; those who accept Him are “sons of light”.  As the creation of light was the beginning of the original creation, so when believers receive the light, they become part of the new creation. 

Jesus became man in order to reveal the truth to all people. 

Jesus is the Word, the life, and the Light—that is, He is the Christ, the Son of God. To them He gave the right refers to the legitimate entitlement to the position of children of God. By believing, undeserving sinners can become full members of God’s family. Each person must individually trust Jesus Christ for eternal life. It is a gift to be received, not a reward achieved through any human effort. This is the doctrine of the incarnation: God became human. Nothing of the essential nature of deity was lost in this event; we might rephrase became as “took to Himself.” As God manifested His glory in the tabernacle, so Jesus displayed His divine presence before the apostles. All who trust Christ are born of God. In the Gospel of John, these “born ones” are called children of God, but Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God. He is the only Son who is fully God. He is also full of grace and truth. When God revealed Himself to Moses, He proclaimed Himself to be “abounding in goodness and truth”. Jesus Christ is the author of perfect redemption and perfect revelation. NKJ Bible.

John begins by quoting the opening words of Genesis in Greek. He uses Genesis 1:1–5 to establish the “Word” as a preexistent agent of creation present with Yahweh from the beginning. John uses the term “Word” as a title for Jesus throughout this prologue. The Greek term used here, logos,  had a rich network of associations in the Hellenistic Judaism of the first century ad due to its ability to evoke both biblical and philosophical concepts. 

The Word was with God

This phrasing testifies to the distinction between God the Father and Jesus while emphasizing the intimate relationship between the Father and the Son.

The Word was God

The Word shares the same character, quality, and essence of God. John’s phrasing preserves the distinction between God the Father and God the Son while emphasizing their unity in all other regards.

The concept of creation through the divine Word reflects Yahweh’s act of speaking the universe into existence in Genesis 1:3–26. Jesus’ preexistence and role as Creator and sustainer of all things. The Word is the source of life, both physical through the creation of all things and spiritual. For John, Jesus’ ability to grant life to those who walked in “darkness” or “death” is the key issue at stake. Jesus has the ability and authority to do so because He was there in the beginning when God’s creative works took place. The contrast between light and darkness is a prominent theme in John’s Gospel. This antithesis draws on Genesis 1:1–5 as well as ot traditions of the advent of the Messiah as a light dawning over a world of physical and spiritual darkness. He introduces John the Baptist  as the messenger sent by God to announce the coming of His salvation into the world through Jesus. John was the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah. The preaching of John the Baptist was intended to inspire faith in God by pointing people to Jesus as His supreme act of providence. God doesn’t send a messenger; He sends His very Son, the means of creation itself. Not only did the entire world not recognize its Creator, but God’s chosen people rejected their Messiah. Unlike the people who rejected Him, those who accepted Jesus as Messiah are the true “children of God”. Through His Son, God is taking up a post among His people just as He had done for ancient Israel. † The glory of Jesus, the Word, is the same as the glory of God the Father. Jesus embodies the ultimate expression of God’s covenant loyalty and unmerited favor toward the world that rejected Him. John contrasts Moses with Jesus, emphasizing the superiority of the gospel of Christ to the law of Moses. Throughout his Gospel, John presents Jesus as the fulfillment of ot expectations. The world will fully see God only as revealed through Jesus. Faithlife Bible.

John 1:1-18

1 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 nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

Isaiah 49:6 | Indeed He says,‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob,And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

Malachi 3:1 | “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant,In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,”Says the LORD of hosts.

Colossians 1:17 | And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.