The Eternal Word: Encountering Jesus in John's Gospel

When you open the Gospel of John, you're not simply reading another biography of Jesus. You're stepping into something far more profound—you're entering eternity itself.
The opening words echo across the ages: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." These aren't just poetic phrases; they're an invitation to encounter the divine reality that existed before time began.
Before the Beginning
Most stories have a starting point. Your life began. This universe had a moment of creation. Everything we know has an origin story. But John introduces us to Someone who simply was. Before the first star ignited, before the first atom formed, before time itself ticked its first second—Christ already existed.
This is difficult for our finite minds to grasp. We think in terms of beginnings and endings, of causes and effects. But the Word transcends all of that. He didn't come into being; He has always been. When the beginning began, Christ already was.
This isn't just theological trivia. This truth transforms everything. The One we worship didn't start existing at Bethlehem's manger. The carpenter from Nazareth is older than His own mother. The man who walked dusty roads in first-century Palestine is the same One who spoke those roads into existence.
Why "The Word"?
John could have used many titles for Jesus. He could have written "In the beginning was the Truth" or "In the beginning was the Life." Both would be accurate. But he chose "the Word"—and this choice carries profound significance.
Words make the invisible visible. You cannot know someone's thoughts until they speak. Words reveal, clarify, and communicate what is hidden. The Word, then, is God's self-expression. Jesus isn't merely someone who brings a message from God; He is the message of God.
For centuries, God spoke through prophets, through creation, through His law. But as Hebrews tells us, "in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son." Jesus is the final, perfect, living revelation of who God is. When you see Jesus, you see God. When you hear Jesus, you hear God's heart.
The Relationship Before Creation
John continues: "And the Word was with God." This simple phrase opens a window into the eternal nature of the Trinity. The Word wasn't alone. He existed in perfect relationship with the Father, face-to-face, in intimate communion.
Before anything was created, there was already love. Before the universe needed saving, there was already perfect relationship. The Father loved the Son. The Son loved the Father. And this love, shared in the joy of the Holy Spirit, is the fountain from which everything else flows.
This matters more than we might initially realize. Your redemption didn't originate from God's loneliness or need. It flowed from the overflow of perfect love that already existed within the Trinity. God didn't create because He was incomplete; He created from the abundance of His relational nature.
Fully God
Then comes the declaration that changes everything: "And the Word was God." Not like God. Not a god. Not as God. But fully, completely, eternally God.
The Word is distinct from the Father, yet shares every divine attribute, every quality, every ounce of deity. This isn't a lesser god or a created being who earned divinity. This is God Himself, the second person of the Trinity, possessing all the fullness of the Godhead.
Why does this matter? Because it means that God Himself stepped into human flesh. The miracles Jesus performed weren't the acts of a prophet trying to prove his divinity—they were the acts of God revealing His heart. When Jesus wept, God wept. When Jesus healed, God healed. When Jesus died, God Himself paid the price for sin.
The Creator of All Things
John continues: "All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." Every mountain range, every galaxy, every molecule, every heartbeat—all of it bears the fingerprints of Christ.
The precision of this language is remarkable. Nothing exists that didn't pass through His hands. There is no corner of the universe over which He is not sovereign. Colossians echoes this truth: "All things were created through Him and for Him. And in him all things hold together."
Jesus isn't just the Maker of all things; He's the reason for all things. He's not only the source but also the sustainer. Right now, at this very moment, Christ is holding the universe together. The atoms in your body, the rhythm of your heart, the breath in your lungs—all sustained by His power.
What This Means for Us
Perhaps you're wondering what all this theology means for your daily life. The answer is: everything.
It means the One you pray to in your weakness is not limited. The One you worship on Sundays is not small. When you bow before Jesus, you're encountering the eternal Word who spoke light into being and can still speak light into your darkness.
It means that when you read the Gospels, you're not just learning about a good teacher or moral example. You're encountering God Himself walking among His creation, revealing His heart, demonstrating His love.
It means that the invitation to salvation is an invitation from eternity. Before you were conceived, before anyone knew your name, God knew you and loved you. Christ came and died to purchase your redemption, to bring you into relationship with the eternal God.
The Journey Ahead
John wrote his Gospel with one clear purpose: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." This isn't just about intellectual assent to facts. It's about encountering a Person—knowing Him, trusting Him, worshiping Him, loving Him.
The word "believe" appears nearly a hundred times in John's Gospel. Every miracle, every teaching, every moment is designed to move us from curiosity to conviction, from seeing Jesus as merely a teacher to worshiping Him as God.
When we truly understand who Jesus is—eternal, divine, Creator—the only appropriate response is the one Thomas gave when he encountered the risen Christ: "My God and my Lord."
This is where correct theology leads us: to our knees in worship, to transformation of our hearts, to life in His name. The journey through John's Gospel is not just a study of a book; it's an encounter with the living Word who stepped into what He made, not as a stranger, but as Lord.
And the wonder of it all? This eternal, divine Creator has drawn near to us. He humbled Himself, took on human flesh, and dwelt among us. We can know Him. We can have relationship with Him. We can see His glory—glory full of grace and truth.
That's the invitation that began in eternity past and extends to you today.