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| Water into wine! |
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
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I fell into the quagmire of Koine Greek, the first day of college. All of us men were expected to learn Greek as a requirement for becoming a pastor. We were almost delighted at how easy the lessons were, simple words often repeated, yet filled with meaning, 60 years ago.
I had my Paine New Testament text and soon took on the kidding from every corner - family, friends, freshmen. I was not expected to start Greek as a freshman, but that encouraged me even more. I met Christina and she spotted the meaning of that red Greek textbook - seminary!
English, Greek, or any language. The Gospel of John is the simplest and most profound of all the Biblical works, no matter what language is used. As I have said before, Roland Bainton (Here I Stand) used his Greek New Testament to learn new languages for Yale historical books.
The opening paragraph of John's Gospel draws us into the infinity of Jesus speaking to us from the origin of Time. The opening is the ultimate, the three-fold expression of the Word. When we read or hear that Word, in any language, we are directly in connection with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Most of all, we are constantly in touch with the Spirit at work in the Word as we spend out time on. We even have the most humble Biblical events, whether pouring wine or drawing water, filled so impossible that the great modern scholars spend their time ignoring, mocking, and repudiating the text. John's Gospel is timeless because the Johannine books are unequaled, from the Fourth Gospel to Revelation.
