the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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THE MESSAGE
John 1:5
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- BridgewayEncyclopedias:
- CondensedDevotionals:
- ChipParallel Translations
That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.
And the light shineth in darknesse, and the darknesse comprehended it not.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The light keeps shining in the dark, and darkness has never put it out.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not suppressed it.
And the light appears in darkness, and the darkness apprehended it not.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not defeated it.
And that light shineth in the darkenesse, and the darkenesse comprehended it not.
And the same light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.
And the light goes on shining in the dark; it is not overcome by the dark.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn't overcome it.
And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.understood it">[fn]John 3:19;">[xr]
and the Light himself in the darkness shineth, and the darkness perceived him not.
And this light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.
And the lyght shyneth in darkenesse: and the darknesse comprehended it not.
And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn't overcome it.
And the light shineth in darkness, but the darkness perceived it not.
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
and derknessis comprehendiden not it.
And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness did not apprehend it.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [fn] it.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
The Light shines in the darkness. The darkness has never been able to put out the Light.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
And, the light, in the darkness, shineth; and, the darkness, thereof, laid not hold.
And the light shineth in darkness: and the darkness did not comprehend it.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
and the lyght shyneth in the darcknes but the darcknes comprehended it not.
and the light in the darkness did shine, and the darkness did not perceive it.
and the light shyneth in the darknesse, and the darknesse comprehended it not.
and the Light shineth in darkness, but the darkness did not receive it.
This light that comes from the Word shines brightly in the darkness. No matter how dark it is, the light will prevail.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
John 1:10, John 3:19, John 3:20, John 12:36-40, Job 24:13-17, Proverbs 1:22, Proverbs 1:29, Proverbs 1:30, Romans 1:28, 1 Corinthians 2:14
Reciprocal: Genesis 1:3 - Let Exodus 40:24 - General Zechariah 14:6 - not John 3:3 - he cannot John 12:35 - Walk John 12:46 - am Ephesians 5:8 - but 1 John 2:8 - and the
Cross-References
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning— Day Six.
For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop."
class="poetry"> O my soul, bless God ! God , my God, how great you are! beautifully, gloriously robed, Dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent. You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings. You commandeered winds as messengers, appointed fire and flame as ambassadors. You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever. You blanketed earth with ocean, covered the mountains with deep waters; Then you roared and the water ran away— your thunder crash put it to flight. Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them. You set boundaries between earth and sea; never again will earth be flooded. You started the springs and rivers, sent them flowing among the hills. All the wild animals now drink their fill, wild donkeys quench their thirst. Along the riverbanks the birds build nests, ravens make their voices heard. You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns; earth is supplied with plenty of water. You make grass grow for the livestock, hay for the animals that plow the ground. Oh yes, God brings grain from the land, wine to make people happy, Their faces glowing with health, a people well-fed and hearty. God 's trees are well-watered— the Lebanon cedars he planted. Birds build their nests in those trees; look—the stork at home in the treetop. Mountain goats climb about the cliffs; badgers burrow among the rocks. The moon keeps track of the seasons, the sun is in charge of each day. When it's dark and night takes over, all the forest creatures come out. The young lions roar for their prey, clamoring to God for their supper. When the sun comes up, they vanish, lazily stretched out in their dens. Meanwhile, men and women go out to work, busy at their jobs until evening. What a wildly wonderful world, God ! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations. Oh, look—the deep, wide sea, brimming with fish past counting, sardines and sharks and salmon. Ships plow those waters, and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them. All the creatures look expectantly to you to give them their meals on time. You come, and they gather around; you open your hand and they eat from it. If you turned your back, they'd die in a minute— Take back your Spirit and they die, revert to original mud; Send out your Spirit and they spring to life— the whole countryside in bloom and blossom. The glory of God —let it last forever! Let God enjoy his creation! He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake, points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt. Oh, let me sing to God all my life long, sing hymns to my God as long as I live! Oh, let my song please him; I'm so pleased to be singing to God . But clear the ground of sinners— no more godless men and women! O my soul, bless God !
But for right now, friends, I'm completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You're acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast. Well, then, I'll nurse you since you don't seem capable of anything more. As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything's going your way? When one of you says, "I'm on Paul's side," and another says, "I'm for Apollos," aren't you being totally infantile? Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It's not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God's field in which we are working. Or, to put it another way, you are God's house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won't get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn't, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won't be torn out; you'll survive—but just barely. You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple. Don't fool yourself. Don't think that you can be wise merely by being up-to-date with the times. Be God's fool—that's the path to true wisdom. What the world calls smart, God calls stupid. It's written in Scripture, He exposes the chicanery of the chic. The Master sees through the smoke screens of the know-it-alls. I don't want to hear any of you bragging about yourself or anyone else. Everything is already yours as a gift—Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future—all of it is yours, and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And the light shineth in darkness,.... Which, through sin, came upon the minds of men; who are naturally in the dark about the nature and perfections of God; about sin, and the consequences of it; about Christ, and salvation by him; about the Spirit of God, and his work upon the soul; and about the Scriptures of truth, and the doctrines of the Gospel. Man was created a knowing creature, but, not content with his knowledge, sins, and is banished from the presence of God, the fountain of light; which brought a darkness on him, and his posterity, and which is increased in them by personal iniquity, and in which Satan, the god of this world, has an hand; and sometimes they are left to judicial blindness, and which issues in worse darkness, if grace prevents not: now amidst this darkness there were some remains of the light of nature: with respect to the being of God, which shines in the works of creation and providence and to the worship of God, though very dimly; and to the knowledge of moral good and evil:
and the darkness comprehended it not; or "perceived it not"; as the Syriac version renders it. By the light of nature, and the remains of it, men could not come to any clear and distinct knowledge of the above things; and much less to any knowledge of the true way of salvation: unless, rather by the light should be meant, the light of the Messiah, or of the Gospel shining in the figures, types, and shadows of the law, and in the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament: and yet, such was the darkness upon the minds of men, that they could not very distinctly apprehend it, and much less fully comprehend it, so that there was need of a fresh and fuller revelation; an account of which follows;
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The light shineth in darkness - Darkness, in the Bible, commonly denotes ignorance, guilt, or misery. See Isaiah 9:1-2; Matthew 4:16; Acts 26:18; Ephesians 5:8, Ephesians 5:11; Romans 13:12. It refers here to a wicked and ignorant people. When it is said that “the light shineth in darkness,” it is meant that the Lord Jesus came to teach an ignorant, benighted, and wicked world. This has always been the case. It was so when he sent his prophets; so during his own ministry; and so in every age since. His efforts to enlighten and save men have been like light struggling to penetrate a thick, dense cloud; and though a few rays may pierce the gloom, yet the great mass is still an impenetrable shade.
Comprehended it not - This word means “admitted” it not, or “received” it not. The word “comprehend,” with us, means to “understand.” This is not the meaning of the original. The darkness did not “receive” or “admit” the rays of light; the shades were so thick that the light could not penetrate them; or, to drop the figure, men were so ignorant, so guilty, so debased, that they did not appreciate the value of his instructions; they despised and rejected him. And so it is still. The great mass of men, sunk in sin, will not receive his teachings, and be enlightened and saved by him. Sin always blinds the mind to the beauty and excellency of the character of the Lord Jesus. It indisposes the mind to receive his instructions, just as “darkness” has no affinity for “light;” and if the one exists, the other must be displaced.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse John 1:5. And the light shineth in darkness — By darkness here may be understood:
1. The heathen world, Ephesians 5:8.
2. The Jewish people.
3. The fallen spirit of man.
Comprehended it not. — αυτο ου κατελαβεν, Prevented it not-hindered it not, says Mr. Wakefield, who adds the following judicious note:-"Even in the midst of that darkness of ignorance and idolatry which overspread the world, this light of Divine wisdom was not totally eclipsed: the Jewish nation was a lamp perpetually shining to the surrounding nations; and many bright luminaries, among the heathen, were never wanting in just and worthy notions of the attributes and providence of God's wisdom; which enabled them to shine in some degree, though but as lights in a dark place, 2 Peter 1:19. Compare Acts 14:17; Acts 17:28-29."
