In today’s YouTube video, Rudy Ross reads from the first verses of John’s Gospel. The passage begins, “In the beginning was the Word” (or Logos in Greek).
Scholars have identified the Word/Logos with Wisdom in Proverbs, especially in their respective creative powers.
A comparison of John with Proverbs reveals a profound insight into the importance of Wisdom.
Speaking about Jesus, John wrote: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
“He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” (John 1.1-3).
There are parallels between what is said about the Word/Logos and Wisdom.
Both the Word/Logos and Wisdom existed before the creation of the Universe.
Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
When he had not yet made earth and fields
or the world’s first bits of soil.
When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep. (Proverbs 8.23-27)
While Jesus who is the Word/Logos was the agent of creation, Wisdom was present at creation.
Then I was beside him, like a master worker,
and I was daily his delight,
playing before him always,
Playing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race. (Proverbs 8.30-31)
The Significance
There are at least two important lessons we can learn from the discussion of the Word/Logos and Wisdom.
(1) John loved God and people. His passion was to build bridges of thought to Greek-speaking Hebrews and Gentiles. Both groups identified with Logos.
The Greeks viewed Logos as an intermediary between the transcendent One (the highest reality) and the material world.
Philo of Alexandria was a highly respected Jewish philosopher. For Philo, Logos was a divine, rational, and creative force responsible for the creation and sustenance of the universe.
When John used Word/Logos to describe Jesus, he interpreted a familiar term for his day to explain the person and work of Jesus.
His purpose in writing was clear: “But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (John 20.31).
We can draw inspiration from John’s example. We do well to ask ourselves, “How can I actively build bridges to individuals outside the Christian faith, enabling them to see Jesus in the best possible light?”
Instead of creating obstacles that individuals need to surmount to encounter Jesus, we can construct pathways of understanding and connection.
(2) During our study of Proverbs, Rudy Ross and I frequently equated Jesus to wisdom within the text. We adopt this approach due to John’s interpretation of the term “Logos” in his Gospel.
I’ve written previously that it’s helpful to see wisdom not as an entity in itself, but rather as a natural outcome of maintaining an active, humble, and obedient connection with Jesus.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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