The Prologue of John's Gospel
Introduction
Who is Jesus? This is the important question that John (brother of James and Disciple of Jesus) aims to answer in his Gospel account. In his Gospel, the answer to such a question is clear – Jesus is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world![1] Yet, to get his point across and to establish meaningful faith, he would need to grab the attention of his readers, both Greek and Jew, and ensure their understanding of the whole Gospel.
In striking contrast to his counterparts (Matthew, Mark and Luke) chapter 1 begins with what is described by Don Carson as a ‘prologue’, missing much of the detail that the other Gospels include, replacing it with a theme setting discourse. This essay aims to explore the reason, purpose and need for such a beginning.
Structures of John
In any drama or story there is a beginning, middle and end. In some senses, this is true for the Gospel of John. He begins with the eternal nature of Jesus, spends the rest of the Gospel account giving testimony to the ministry of Jesus, concluding with the call to believe in the Son of God. However, Don Carson notes the following, more detailed, structure for the account of John:
“Prologue 1:1-18
Jesus's self-disclosure in word and deed 1:19-10:42
Transition - life and death, King and Suffering Servant 11:1-12:50
Jesus's self-disclosure in his Cross and exaltation 13:1-20:31
Epilogue 21:1-25”[2]
There are variations to this structure, most notably, Warren Wiersbe concludes the prologue at verse 14 in chapter 1,[3] deeming verse 15 onwards as the beginning of the earthly ministry account. F.F. Bruce gives an extended and detailed structure, which goes beyond the simple layout given by Carson. Yet, he affirms Carson’s structure in concluding the prologue at verse 18.[4] It is Stephen Smalley, however, who suggests that although the prologue (verses 1-18) acts as a unit, the introduction of John’s Gospel extends into the whole of chapter 1.[5] He likens the whole of chapter 1 to a summary of the entire Gospel account and as a broad explanation of what is to be detailed in the coming chapters. Having recognised these views, for the purpose of this essay, we will consider the prologue as set out by Carson and Bruce.
What is the purpose of a Prologue?
The dictionary definition of a Prologue states: “a part that comes at the beginning of a play, story, or long poem, often giving information about events that happened before the time when the play, story, or poem begins.”[6]
A prologue gives a foundation to the story that is told. It is unlikely to give a step by step, date by date detail of the story, rather it gives the major building blocks from which the story is launched. Many writers use a prologue to set the theme and to ensure readers approach the story with the same mindset (or at the very least, the same information). Milne, recognises this in the Gospel of John, stating that John “sets Jesus against the widest possible horizon.”[7] The big picture unfolds in the prologue of John 1:1-18, so that the detailed ministry of Jesus is enriched, leading to a deepening faith in the Son of God.
How does John differ from the other Gospels?
The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) commence their accounts with the earthly ministry of Jesus. At a quick glance, we see the following:
Matthew, the Jew, writes with his fellow Jews in mind. He goes further back in history than Mark and Luke do, yet stays within the earthly limits of ancestry. His purpose was to show that Jesus is the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy – the Messiah would be born of a woman,[8] and she would be a virgin.[9] The Messiah would come from the line of Abraham,[10] be a descendent of Jacob,[11] and he will be called Immanuel.[12] All of these prophecies are fulfilled in Matthew’s introduction to Jesus. They show that Jesus, was the long-awaited for Messiah (something that many Jews questioned). Once this was established, Matthew launches into the birth of Jesus and his early life.
Mark wrote a fast-paced Gospel for “the busy Romans.”[13] He leaves out the ancestry, birth of Jesus and the early life of Jesus entirely. Instead, he launches into John the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus. He seeks to concentrate on the servanthood of Jesus and his earthly ministry.
Luke spends a significant amount of his account (three chapters) recounting the birth and early years of both Jesus and John the Baptist. Wiersbe notes that this is likely to introduce the Greeks to Jesus, the man, from beginning (birth) to end (death/resurrection).[14]
John, in his account, does not include the genealogy of Jesus, the birth of Jesus or the early life of Jesus. Like Mark, John sets out the ministry of Jesus fairly early in his account. Unlike Mark, and where John majorly differs from the synoptic Gospels, John goes behind the narrative of Jesus’ earthly life and considers the eternal significance to the Messiah. Wiersbe continues to describe the introductions of the Gospels by stating “the first three Gospels major on describing events in the life of Christ, John emphasises the meaning of these events.”[15] It is this aim to bring depth and meaning to Jesus, that drives John to focus on the greater themes of life, light, glory and logos (the word) in the prologue of his account.[16] In other words, he looks at the big picture, so that the focused picture (the earthly ministry of Jesus) is enhanced.
Possible reasons for John’s Prologue
The prologue of John 1:1-18 sets the scene for the entire Gospel. F.F. Bruce states that we must read the whole Gospel with the understanding of the prologue in our hearts and minds – that the coming of Jesus, the word of God, was uniquely and divinely disclosed.[17] There is an eternal aspect to the life and ministry of Jesus, one that begins before time was even established. It is with these lenses we consider John’s Gospel narrative. The prologue therefore “summarises and points to the rest of the material in chapters 2 to 21, namely the revelation of the Word to the world.”[18] John wants to leave no doubt in the reader’s mind that Jesus is the Son of God.
However, the striking difference between John and the synoptic Gospels can be explained by considering both the aim of John in writing, but also the audience that he is writing for. Consider the time that John was writing, although there is debate as to the date of writing (Milne stating AD.70,[19] and Barclay Ad.100),[20] what can be established is that the Gospel account came several decades after the earthly ministry of Jesus. The significance of this is when we consider the many thousands of converts to Christianity. They mainly came from two people groups – Jews and Greeks, and it was these two groups, this double readership, that John was addressing.
The Jews were well versed in the Old Testament Scripture, knowing the prophecies of the coming Messiah. Yet the Greeks, knew little of God and his promises. Their faith was based on what they had seen and heard. Barclay states the challenge that John faced in saying “how was Christianity to be presented to the Greek world?”[21] John had to establish more than what the Greeks already knew (the life of Jesus), he had to show that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, who came with eternal significance. It was given to John to present this timeless truth to both Jew and Greek.[22]
His introduction had to be more than simple ancestry or the fulfilment of Scripture, it needed to bridge the gap between the Jewish converts and the Greek converts. F.F. Bruce suggests that the bridge was in the use of the word Logos, which we take in the English as ‘word.’[23] In both the Greek and Jewish world, the idea of ‘word’ existed, it was therefore a way of introducing Greeks to the eternally significance Jesus.
The idea of this universal language (that all, whether Greek or Jew, could understand) is affirmed in another possible reason for the prologue – to give a “prevision of the whole Gospel.”[24] If we note that the prologue introduces the first part of the ministry of Jesus, one that is ‘behind the curtain’ (in creation, as part of the Triune God and as the prophesied Messiah) then we can see the rest of John’s account as the revealed Jesus, or revealed work. The prologue recognises that Jesus was active before he burst onto the scene in Bethlehem, and that the rest of the Gospel shows a continuation of the work. Hence, John gives a big picture view, or a whole Gospel view in which the reader is encouraged to see Jesus as the Son of God, throughout time and for eternity.
These views could be summarised by Richard Van Egmond, who writes that John uses his prologue for two purposes. Firstly, to show how the “eternal supra-temporal realm of God is linked with the historical realm that occurs for everyday man.”[25] In other words, how the eternal figure of the Son of God links with the historical figure of Jesus. Secondly, to set in motion the idea of ‘the Word’ who would be revealed as Jesus, who was, is and will always be the Son of God.[26]
Content and impact of the John’s Prologue?
In understanding how John differs from the other Gospels, and the possible reasons as to why, we can begin to look at the content of these first 18 verses. The prologue of John sits as a separate piece of writing, as Stephen Smalley states “it seems detachable from the rest of the Gospel.”[27] Yet, the contents of the prologue goes beyond a simple statement of foundational facts, it gives an overview of the Gospel and provides the tools with which to understand it.
Consider how John starts, “In the beginning.”[28] We of course have seen the same words at the beginning of time, in Genesis 1:1. F.F. Bruce, suggests that Genesis looks at the old creation, John looks at the new creation and the linking of these two verses is that the central character is the Word of God.[29] John is using the creation narrative to link Jesus to God, that before anything was created, he was with God. He further emphasises this in verse 3, stating that creation itself could not have occurred if Jesus was not present.[30] Where the synoptic Gospels highlight the humanity of Jesus, here John highlights his deity. This would have been an important revelation at the time, as Gnosticism was on the rise. The Gnostics believed that God use an already existent matter to create. John clearly states that this could not be, because Jesus existed before anything and creation was God acting, creating out of nothing.
Having established the deity of Jesus, John then shows how all of life flows through Jesus. Just as the light cast out darkness in creation, so Jesus would cast out darkness and bring life. It is this theme that occurs throughout both the Gospel of John and his letters, most notably that Jesus is the light and we are called to walk in it/Him.[31] It is this life in the light that John closes his Gospel account with. It is his aim to establish life in Jesus (prologue), explain it (main account) and then encourage believers in the life-giving Son of God (closing statement).[32]
In verse 9 to 13, John gives a summary of the Gospel. That Jesus was given to this world, to bring light and life. Yet the world would deny him and reject his love. However, there would be some who place their faith in him, in so doing, would secure eternity in the presence of God. It is interesting to note that John once again elevates the mind out of the earthly, to consider the eternal. It is an eternal gift that is given, and it is an eternal new birth that occurs. The opening statements here by John echoes that of Colossians 1:2 – “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
It is then in verses 14 to 18 that John introduces the earthly ministry of Jesus. The Son of God, the one who was before all time, the Word who created, the Messiah that was prophesied and the one that was promised had now come as both man and God to testify of the Father’s glory. Even though John gives a strong emphasis to the deity of Jesus, he uses the term ‘flesh’ to show that Jesus came fully as man, not just in Spirit.
It should be noted, that verses 6-8 and verse 15, act as insertions, potentially at a later date, yet firmly set in the prologue. F.F. Bruce suggests that these verses were included to remind not just of the timeless truths of Jesus, but how they were fulfilled in life i.e. Jesus was the light, not John.[33] It may also be the case that John (the author) was ensuring that any past allegiances (followers of John the Baptist) would be swiftly given to Jesus, the life giving light.
Conclusion
John 1:1-18 is a prologue with significance, it is more than information, it is a setting of foundational truths. John unites both Jew and Greek around the eternal Jesus and ensures an understanding of God’s sovereignty. John is effective in showing that Jesus is more than a historical figure, clearly revealing him as the Son of God and the “revealed Word to the world!”[34] By this way of introduction, the audience approaches the Gospel account with the eternal Glory of God firm in their minds.
[1] John 1:34.
[2] D.A. Carson., The Gospel According to John (Downers Grove: IVP, 1991).
[3] Warren Wiersbe Be Alive: Come to better know the Living Saviour, John 1-12 (Colorado: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1986), pp. 9-10.
[4] F.F. Bruce, The Gospel & Epistles of John (Michigan: Pickering & Inglis Ltd, 2004), pp.24-26.
[5] Stephen Smalley, John: Evangelist & Interpreter (Cape Town: The Paternoster Press Ltd, 1978), pp.92-94.
[6] Cambridge Dictionary, Prologue, (Cambridge University Press) https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/prologue (Accessed 29th December 2019).
[7] Bruce Milne, The Message of John (Nottingham: IVP 1993), p.29.
[8] Genesis 3:15.
[9] Isaiah 7:14.
[10] Genesis 12:3.
[11] Numbers 24:17.
[12] Isaiah 7:14.
[13] Warren Wiersbe (1986), p.9.
[14] Warren Wiersbe (1986), p.9.
[15] Warren Wiersbe (1986), p.10.
[16] F.F. Bruce (2004), p.28.
[17] F.F. Bruce (2004), p.28.
[18] Stephen Smalley (1978), p.95.
[19] Bruce Milne (1993), p.25.
[20] William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of John, Volume 1, Chapters 1-7 (Edinburgh: St. Andrews Press, 1999), p.25.
[21] William Barclay (1999), p.26.
[22] Warren Wiersbe (1986), p.9.
[23] F.F. Bruce (2004), p.29.
[24] Bruce Milne (1993), p.29.
[25] Richard Van Egmond, An Exegetical Study of The Prologue of John, https://www.mcmaster.ca/mjtm/4-7.htm(Accessed 29th December 2019)
[26] Richard Van Egmond, (Accessed 29th December 2019)
[27] Stephen Smalley (1978), p.92.
[28] John 1:1.
[29] F.F Bruce (2004), p.29.
[30] John 1:3.
[31] 1 John 1:7.
[32] John 20:31.
[33] F.F. Bruce (2004), p.34.
[34] Stephen Smalley (1978), p.95.
Bibliography
Bibles
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, (China: Crossway 2011)
Books
Ashton, John, Studying John: Approaches to the Fourth Gospel (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998)
Barclay, William, The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of John, Volume 1, Chapters 1-7 (Edinburgh: St. Andrews Press, 1999)
Bruce, Frederick, The Gospel & Epistles of John (Michigan: Pickering & Inglis Ltd, 2004)
Carson, D.A., The Gospel According to John (Downers Grove: IVP, 1991)
Milne, Bruce, The Message of John (Nottingham: IVP 1993)
Smalley, Stephen, John: Evangelist & Interpreter (Cape Town: The Paternoster Press Ltd, 1978)
Wiersbe, Warren, Be Alive: Come to better know the Living Saviour, John 1-12 (Colorado: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1986)
Websites
Cambridge Dictionary, Prologue, (Cambridge University Press) https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/prologue (Accessed 29th December 2019)
Van Egmond, Richard, An Exegetical Study of The Prologue of John, https://www.mcmaster.ca/mjtm/4-7.htm(Accessed 29th December 2019)