The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-01-06
(By NJ. J. McLean)

by NJ. J. McLean)
The Sunday School lesson for the
first six months of this year are TAX
en- from the Gospel Of John. The les
son for this Sunday is the pro-
logue Of the book. It introduces to
us the great theme which the writer
desired. to set forth to his readers.
This theme is the character and
person Of Jesus Christ.
st. Johns Gospel is q work Of
literary art. There is one style in it
from the beginning to end and every
one speaks in it. There is only one
mode Of thought represented in It
and everyone shares it. There is only
one person holding the writer's IN
broken attention, and every other is
made subservient to him. Tie Jesus
who speaks in its pages il not only
the same Jesus who taught in the
synagogues and fields Of Galilee, in
the temple court and the streets >of
jerusalem, but he is also the exalt-
ed Lord. The place he holds in the
faith Of St. John, he would have
him hold in faith Of every one who
reads the testimony Of him.
In this prelude to his Gospel, he
names . Being whom he speaks Of
~ the Word. He explains the con-
nection Of this Being with God and
with created things. "In the begin
ming was the Word and the word
was with God, and the Word was
God. The same was the beginning
with God. All things were made by
Him; and without Him was not any
thing made that hath been made.
In Him was life; and the life was the
light Of men,"
i, He uses other terms to describe
the same Person: "The only begot-
ten from the Father" Jesus Christ, -
The only begotten Son." With per-
petually recurring pronouns he re-
fers to this Person as the object Of
his faith. This Person is the one inn
measurable reality which fills and
holds his mind as the perfect Inter-
prefer Of God.
It is noteworthy that he uses in
the first place, 1.-THE Word" a term
familiar to both Jewish Greeks
thinkers of the writer's time. The
Word" Of Logos idea Of life was
developed by Philo Judaeus, an
Alexandrian Jew, by combining the
ideals and languages Of philoso-
phical system with the scriptural
doctrine Of the Divine Word. The
same term is used in the Stole and
Platonic system Of philosophy. St.
John borrows this term, the "Word,"
expressing the Logos doctrine of
life, without borrowing anything |
rom is, and borrows it without a |
auance to this apology, to invest
Iesus, the Person, with all the
greatness which belongs to this
philosophical conception. A reason
or the application Of this term to
christ is, If the world is Christian
world, we cannot understand it I'M
Il everything in the world is, the
World has been set into relation with
;hrist. To set everything in relation
Q Christ, under this profound sense
( his universal significance, is the
purpose of the opening verses of this
Gospel.
'The light shineth in dark
ess; and the darkness, apprehended
nos." In various ways, men had
tfiven to alleviate the difficulty Of
aentally apprehending the invisible,
,comprehensible. eternal, God. Job !
- not alone in this search, for
had continually cried with |,
ims Behold, ! 60 forward but He ,
= not there; and backward, but IIt
lnnot perceive Him: "a the left /
md, where NE doth work, but q
lanot behold Him: He hideth Him.
Il on the righthand, that / connot Il
y Him. = Aith6ughf 1he - Visible h
III of God wsrs IN unbroken Ii
an6eatation Of Hi being. THAR /
~ es6o1neB confused Tie minds b