There was no competition between John the Baptist and Jesus. (John 1)

1:4

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men." What does this mean? In him was two things:

1. Life. Without Christ, we are spiritually and, eventually physically, dead. We may be born and live 10 or 80 years, but the result is the same. Without him, we all end up in the grave. In a real way, we don't live without Christ. With Christ, we can grow and progress throughout eternity - a beautiful life.

2. Light of men. With Christ, we can see and understand our relation to God and our potential as sons and daughters of God. We can see the big picture of what we are supposed to do on this earth while we are here temporarily. Christ taught us for millennia in the premortal world. His influence is still in us no matter where or when we are born. His words is what gives each of us a conscience. He gives us hope and something to have faith in. As I mentioned, it doesn't end well for any of us without Christ - our existence is a tragedy. But seeing Christ and our potential gives us peace and direction about our lives - not matter what our condition is.

1:5

"And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." In the JST, "darkness" is changed to "the world." I like both words. I love the idea that darkness isn't aware of light. Darkness has no influence on light. Light can chase away darkness but darkness cannot affect light. Darkness always gives way to light.

I also like thinking about how light interacts with the world. The Light of Christ exists and shines brightly in the world. The world will not, in this dispensation, push out the Light of Christ.

It's been my experience that worldly minds cannot comprehend spiritual topics. A fervent testimony of the gospel does not come from study alone. If you've ever attempted to bear testimony to someone who has no spiritual base, it usually isn't received very well. Worldly minds simply cannot comprehend spiritual experiences. Spirituality is always views as derangement of mind by those who can only see the worldly value of things.

1:8-9, 27

"He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." John understood clearly that he wasn't the Light that others should look to. He was not the hero.

It might have been tempting for a lesser man to feel pride at the sight of thousands of followers who were hanging on his every word. He was strange but talented. It could have gone to his head.

But, it is clear that he did not want anyone looking to him for salvation. He always deferred to Christ. Of Christ he said, "He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose." We can all learn from this as we teach others. We like feeling smart and well-read. We enjoy coming up with unique perspectives that illustrate our wisdom. But, we cannot take the focus off of Jesus Christ and his gospel.

In every lesson and discussion, Christ should be the center. I sometimes forget this as I teach lessons. I am excited for this year as it will be about the New Testament. There will be more direct and obvious connections than last year in the Old Testament. A principle taught without a direct tie to the Savior is a wasted opportunity to build someone's testimony and appreciation for the one being who made all of our futures bright.

1:10-11

"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not." It is truly ironic that he was not received by the world. You would think that the Light of Christ, given to all men, would draw all men to him.

It demonstrates how we can dull our conscience. We can ignore the inner compass that we were all born with. Our spiritual sense can be dulled over time. The world can successfully blind us to the truth.

Our pride is the common culprit. Everyone who was threatened by Jesus - from Herod to a Pharisee - allowed pride to blind them. They cared more about their lofty position than the truth. The things of this world are in our face and constantly pressuring us to give them attention and honor. To look past that to imagine invisible rewards and glorious destinies is hard. Many of us spend a lifetime attempting to subdue our pride and focus on what is important.

1:12-13

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." The power to become the sons of God was GIVEN to us by Jesus Christ. This power didn't originate with us. It doesn't permanently reside in us. Day after day, we are given power to be more like Jesus Christ. We don't earn it - it's a gift. It's important that we remember that.

This scripture could also say that Christ gave us the CHOICE to become the sons of God. We do have the power to act - not simply be acted upon. That power to choose is what makes us able to progress. Having bad options available and resisting those is what makes us stronger. I believe that this world's purpose is to give us those good and bad options. I don't think there were many bad choices available in the premortal world. We had to come here to actually have choice. Being able to choose and choosing well is what refines and strengthens us.

The key is in our RECEIVING this power given by Jesus Christ. The power is there for all of us. But many will not receive it.

The will of the flesh wants us to have pleasure and leisure. The will of man is about doing those things that feel good. The worldly path is filled with selfishness - where we are putting our will over the needs of others. "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." If we can put God's will over our own, we can become the sons and daughters of God.

It's hard. We are naturally selfish creatures who like to do what we like to do. For most of us, we spend most of our entires lives attempting to achieve this level of submissiveness and selfishness. I'm not there yet.

1:17

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." At this time, Israel worshipped the law of Moses. The law of Moses served a purpose and was necessary to help the Israelites progress. It was all about each person performing the acts and rituals and living by the restrictions outlined. It was about obedience.

But, it wasn't the whole picture. The truth about the plan of salvation and our potential came by Jesus Christ. It's not about looking backward at our obedience. Rather, it's about looking forward towards our potential. Our potential as sons and daughter of God that will inherit all that God has - that's truth. That's the purpose of life. That's the big picture. That's what God's work and glory is about.

Keeping our potential in mind and knowing that it is only possible through the grace of Jesus Christ is what will keep our feet on the covenant path. It's about seeing the big picture of our existence and being grateful that Christ made this possible.

1:22-23

The Pharisees sent priests and Levites to question John and find out who he was. They asked if he was Elias or some prophet. I love John's response, he doesn't elevate himself in any way. He doesn't even refer to himself as a man. "Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias."

He describes himself as a voice sent to prepare the way of the Lord. The focus is on Jesus Christ. John is describing himself as a simple messenger. Rarely do we see such greatness and such humility as John.

1:29-30

As soon as John sees Jesus, he submits to him as greater than he. "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me." There was no prideful competition. There was no ego. There was no popularity contest.

We should all be this way with our fellow men and women - building others up.

1:37-39

This is an interesting conversation to me. "And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour."

I love that Christ asks the question, "what seek ye?" Of course, Christ already knew that they were seeking. If so, why was there value in the question? I think it benefitted them to answer the question. They had to think about what exactly they were looking for.

Their answer is strange to me. It wasn't "we want to learn from you." Or, "we know you're the Messiah." Instead, their answer was a question, "where dwellest thou?" Why did they want to know that? I don't think it was a matter of curiosity about Christ's address. I think it suggests that they were interested in following him. They wanted to be around him. They wanted a relationship that was more than being in the audience on any given day. They wanted to work to be his followers. They wanted a relationship To do that, they needed to know where they could find him.

His answer was perfect of course, "come and see." I don't think that Jesus was merely suggesting that they come see his house. In fact, we know that Jesus didn't own a home. Jesus was inviting them to come and see what he did and what he taught. He was inviting them to be a disciple and see how their lives would change. That invitation also is given to each of us. If we want a relationship with Christ, we actually know exactly where to find him. It is always up to us to come and see.

1:45-51

The meeting of Jesus and Nathanael is interesting. "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

At first, Nathanael is suspcious about what good could come out of Nazareth. That comment suggests that he simply spoke his mind. I actually love this quality. Marci is very similar. She doesn't have guile. She says what she thinks and lets things play out. She doesn't try to manipulate those around her by choosing her words carefully. She would not fit in with politicians. I think it's refreshing. I'm sure I would like Nathanael.

His faith is also impressive. From Jesus saying that he saw him under a fig tree, he believed that Jesus was the Son of God. Christ is also impressed. Jesus voices that with a promise that Nathanael would see greater things. Which he did.

I think Nathanael could feel the integrity of Christ. He could feel that Christ already knew him. Christ knowing Nathanael's authenticity and lack of guile is certainly part of what built Nathanael's faith initially.

If we can learn enough about Christ to 'feel' his character, our faith will grow. We aren't going to be introduced to him - but we can still know him. We can still come and see how our lives change as we follow his teachings. We won't need to meet him firsthand or see angels ascending and descending to believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of us all.