John 1: 6-13, The True Light

After introducing Jesus as the creative and eternal Logos, the gospel writer moves on to a particular moment in time.

John 1: 6-8, John the Baptist
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 
8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

This verse is a parenthetical statement; there are two in the prologue, in which the author, John, digresses. Here we digress to introduce a certain human being, often called John the Baptizer or John the Baptist. (That there are two different people with the name John can be confusing to one reading the New Testament for the first time!  However, the author of this gospel never refers to himself by name, so any use of the name John refers to the baptizer.)

This John the Baptist, just introduced, has a prophetical status. He is a witness to the coming Messiah ("the light"); he is not the Messiah, but a prophet pointing to Him.

Why does the Messiah need a witness? The gospel writer stresses that this is so that "all might believe".  The concept of individual belief runs throughout this gospel.

John 1: 9-13, The Light enters the world
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

A theme is developed in the second paragraph of this passage -- that Jesus created a spiritual lineage, the possibility of a spiritual "birth", parallel to, but quite different from a natural birth.  This concept will reappear.

This Logos, Word, created the world (universe) yet when he entered his creation, the (people of the) universe did not recognize him.  That Jesus appeared to "his own" (verse 11) probably refers to the Jewish nation. But those who do recognize the Creator and submit to Him, become a special race, a special people, the children of God.