John 1:3-5

"All things were made through Him..."

The creation story. Here, John is clearly looking at Christ as the beginning of everything that we see and know. Not only was He in the beginning, His is also the beginning of all things. Consider this again. What we know about reality. Planets, creatures, animals, plants, the environment, molecules, atoms, physics, color, smells, sounds, movement, change, reason, logic, chaos even. Christ was the author of all these. Which means He must be incredibly smart. He is the one in whom resides perfect knowledge as those in the sciences envy. He is the one in whom resides perfect expression as those in the arts envy. He is the one in whom resides perfect thought as those in philosophy and religion seek after. Everything is found in Him because everything that exists owes itself to Him, even time.

And the culmination of this creative force is life. In Him was life. Even now, we find it hard to define what life really is. Reproduction? Awareness? Growth? Automation? These are but facets for we can always find exceptions to the rules we might devise. But here is the source of all life. If we were to take this point, then John could be telling us, here is what life is. He is. And we who live, do so because He does. And if so, there are implications that follow, such as emulation of His perfect life. Seeking after His life force.

How can we choose otherwise? Because that would be to deny life. And in the end, that would mean we are extinguishing ourselves. To not flow with His life is contradiction, and the most meaningless thing of all.

"...the light of men...in the darkness..."

Now we cross the line. From just the idea of perfect existence, life, we cross into the physical, light. This juxtaposing of life and light vs darkness. John was probably thinking about the world as we know it as darkness. The ignorance, the denial, the rebellion. And this is likened to not having light. Darkness. Not being able to see. Not having light. Not having life. So then, apart from Christ, we are in fact not alive. Recall that God said in Genesis "Let there be light", again. He started creation with light. There is therefore significance here that John speaks of Christ's life as the light of men. For in His life, in His ultimate work, He created light in us, while we were in darkness, uncreated, unformed.

"...the darkness did not comprehend it."

The ultimate failing of the human race. We did not recognize Him. Even though we belong to Him, and He made us. We have fallen so far that we cannot see the truth as it is presented in our very faces. Consider this. How have we, how has the world, not comprehended its Maker?