The Gospel of John 1:1-18 did not give me a different understanding of Jesus Christ because of the way I was brought up. I was taught that Jesus Christ was the all powerful, and loving son of God. The passage in the Gospel of John writes about the people who excepted Jesus Christ as God's son. The Gospel goes further into stating Jesus was full of grace and truth. This also does not give me a different understanding of Jesus Christ because I think of him as the epitome of power, grace, love, and truth.
Elise
This excerpt shows that without God nothing existed. In this excerpt it says "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world". This makes me think of the sun shining down on us and that light from the sun is God. John has to tell people about God, the people who believe John will become the children of God. This is just like us, we believe in God and we are considered the believers of God. God existed before any of us and that is why none of us have seen him. Even though we have not seen him, he ranks above all of us and is the most powerful.
ReplyDelete-Lindsey Ritter
The Gospel of John didn't give me personally a different perspective on Jesus, because I've always believed Him to be the Son of God, but it presented a slightly different picture than the Gospel of Mark.
ReplyDeleteIn the Gospel of John, Jesus (although He isn't named explicitly in the prologue) is clearly depicted as the Messiah - and not 'only' the Messiah, but God Himself. The Gospel of Mark gets us to that point eventually, but in a much more roundabout way.
Chelsey Sterling
The gospel of John did not give me a different opinion about Jesus Christ because I personally have always believed that Jesus was the son of god. The gospel of mark is about how if people have faith in god then they will be children of god an live a life of peace and hope knowing that god is watching over them.
ReplyDeleteThe Prologue of John did not grant me a different understanding of Jesus Christ. However, I was fascinated with the opening words "in the beginning," (John 1:1) which are found at the beginning of the Old Testament, or Genesis. The parallelism between God creating the world 'in the beginning' of Genesis and Jesus "was in the beginning with God," (John 1:2) struck me as rendering Jesus to be all-powerful and divine.
ReplyDelete~Caitlin Gorecki
The excerpt from the Gospel of John does not really give me a different understanding of Jesus Christ. Through the Church and through teachings I have come to learn of Jesus as the Son of God and as someone who was revealed to us in order to save us. The excerpt from the Gospel of John also describes Jesus as the Son of God and the word of God turned into flesh. Since this is was I have learned to recognize Jesus Christ as, the description did not change my understanding of him.
ReplyDelete- Nicole Dillon
While much of what John proclaims about Jesus Christ mirrors what I already understand, John does pinpoint interesting truths I had yet to reflect on. He explains that "He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him" (John 1:10). John alludes to a Jesus Christ that exists outside of time. Though man received Him into the world at a specific time, we must understand him in terms of God. He is infinite. Jesus "came to what was his own" (John 1:11). In other words, He must be looked at as a Creator. This becomes especially intriguing to me, because I have never thought of Jesus in this role. Too often do I associate him as a being who existed within a particular space of time. Because of his words, John did give me an important new understanding of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteJohn 1:1-18 did not give me a different understanding of Jesus Christ because almost all of what John expresses is an integral part of my faith. One of the most interesting things about this excerpt is that it seems to be one of the first passages in the New Testament to touch on the oneness of God the Father and Jesus Christ His son. In the first verse John writes "and the Word was God," later he writes "And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." If one connects the dots one can that Father and Son are one.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to this, John's passage highlights God as Creator and the Incarnation. These ideas are not new and have been expressed before, however, they are definitely very different from the Gospel of Mark.
The understanding I gained of Jesus from beginning of the Gospel of John is different from, though compatible with, my understanding of Jesus based on the Gospel of Mark. In John’s Gospel, Jesus divinity is emphasized. John reminds his readers that Jesus, while human, has always existed as God.
ReplyDeleteIn Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ actions as a human being were emphasized, which is a way in which everyone can understand Jesus. However, as John mentions in his Gospel, we cannot see God, only He can reveal Himself to us. So, to understand the Jesus of John’s Gospel, we must exercise faith.
-Caleb Capozella
Reading this portion of John's Gospel did not give me a different understanding of Jesus Christ, the reason being I have heard him spoken about in these ways before. The beginning of John's Gospel reiterated what I already knew of Jesus- however, what was interesting was the difference in the way this gospel opens in comparison to Mark's. In John's opening, although it didn't bring me to a new understanding, I did notice that Jesus was talked about in a more formal way. Quotations such as "And the Word became flesh" (1:14), and "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (1:17) is taking away the more humanized vision of Jesus and speaking about him in a distinctly different way. Mark's Gospel was geared towards sharing Jesus's life through stories from the beginning, where this gospel takes the time to introduce the importance of Jesus in more grand/broad terms instead of personal stories from the start.
ReplyDelete-Tori McAllister
Although this excerpt from the Gospel of John doesn't change anything for how I view Jesus Christ, it gave me a better understanding of John the Baptist. Both John and Jesus Christ proclaimed about God and how God is the reason for all existence, and they were both persecuted; however, this chapter really emphasizes the difference between them... That John was not the light but only testifying, and Jesus is the true light and the Son of God. The last part of this chapter mentions Jesus, the only son of God, revealing God, which makes this chapter all the more powerful because like we discussed in class, John used "Son of God" in his Gospel, which refers more to the spiritual/not human aspect of Jesus Christ.
ReplyDelete-Katie Lamb
This passage, as others have said, did not change my idea of Jesus Christ mainly because it did not seem to be about Jesus but John the Baptist. It is important though because John the Baptist had a very strong role in the life of Jesus Christ. John was the fall-guy for Jesus it seems because John did indeed preach the word of God but he would never be the son of God because that was Jesus's role. It still establishes the importance of Jesus Christ as the one true son of our great Lord.
ReplyDelete-Tara Costello
My idea of Jesus was not radically changed but this passage did remind me of some of the deeper theology that the Gospels present. We often think of the Gospels as only telling a narrative like a storybook or something, but in John's Gospel we see some very transcendent and deep truths declared about Jesus' nature, mission and meaning to the world. However it is not a complicated theology, rather, John uses concise assertions that require the reader to pause and decide whether they believe that before they move on. This prologue sets the stage in a sense, for the whole Gospel, because it lays out what must be accepted before one proceeds.
ReplyDeleteIn John, Chapter 1, verses 1-18 we are offered a different understanding of Jesus Christ. The words John used to express his message were more symbolic and immediately offered a deeper insight into which Jesus is. Jesus is referred to as The Light, The Word; it is made clear that he is the Son of God. John presents Jesus as the only Son who has been sent to reveal God to us. John presents Jesus' ministry in more of a philosophical way.
ReplyDelete-Carolyn Spero
John's Gospel emphasizes the symbolic, and it is less concerned with chronological order and history. Mark's Gospel, on the other hand, is more concerned with telling a narrative that indicates that Jesus is the Messiah. Both Mark's and John's, as well as Matthew's and Luke's Gospels, however, come together to form many of my understandings of Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteThis passage did not alter who Jesus was to me, rather I felt that it did change the perspective I used to approach his purpose. Jesus in John's Gospel is not so much a flesh and blood healer or one among the people; he has come to represent here a number of other larger meanings...the Light of the World, The Word, etc. I found myself having to think more, even though this was definitely a shorter passage. I found that I needed to really contemplate just what John the Baptist was asserting about Christ and his spiritual role in salvation history. It was definitely more challenging a passage than merely reflecting on the various occurrences of healing that Jesus promulgated during his ministry...
ReplyDelete-Sophia Pileggi
After reading the first verses of the Gospel of John, my understanding of Jesus has not been altered very greatly. I have believed all of my life the things that are said about Jesus in this passage. Jesus is shown to be God, and also the Messiah.
ReplyDeleteThe passage was, however, different from how the Gospel of Mark depicted Jesus. Jesus is shown as much more divine in nature by John's Gospel, than in Mark's.
Tom May
John's introduction to his gospel proposes another way of looking at Christ. His beautiful poetic interpretation reminds the reader that although Christ was born into this world as a human being, he existed at the begining with God the Father (and Holy Spirit) because the three persons ARE one God. John introduces Jesus as the savior of the world who came into his own creation out of love in order to redeem it. John's approach is my favorite way of looking at Christ in both his gospel and books because he proclaims very verbally, in such a profound way, the extent of Christ's love for us.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading the passages, my perspectives on Jesus have not changed. I do not doubt the existence of Jesus as the son of God. Although John's description of Jesus differs from Mark's, my own personal views and beliefs of Jesus Christ have not altered in any way. With two different depictions of Jesus, although told through different means, one can draw from many stories and perspectives, creating a more detailed opinion of their understanding of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Smedley
This reading does not give me a different opinion of Jesus Christ. However, the way John introduces his gospel is unique, in that he focuses on himself and his teachings more than Jesus. He explains how John is here to preach the Word, and that Jesus is the Light coming to fulfill John's teachings. All of this is accepted in the Catholic church, however, I believe that John is putting too much emphasis on himself, which is in retrospect not emphasizing Christ as He should be.
ReplyDelete-Elisabeth O'Toole
The Gospel of John did not change my personal view of Jesus Christ, but He is portrayed somewhat differently than how He was in the Gospel of John. The Gospel of Mark protrayed Jesus as a Phophet who was said to be the Messiah only by his followers. Jesus never once called Himself "the Messiah" or "Son of God." However, in the Gospel of John, Jesus is frequently refered to as the Son of God. He open states this to others while He is teaching. In chapter 4, while speaking of the Messiah's coming to a woman, He states "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." To me, John's Gospel is much more direct in proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God than the other Gospels, and it is much more cleat that He is our Savior.
ReplyDeleteJohn 1:1-18 did not change my view of Jesus being a part of the trinity. It did, however, give me a further understanding of why Jesus was sent from heaven to Earth. John says,"From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:16-17). From this passage, I saw Jesus as one that was sent to give Israel a better understanding of God by building upon Moses's laws to show truth and grace that can be received from God. Therefore, he was sent to transition the Old Testament view of God into a updated version in the New Testament.
ReplyDeleteJay Garrick
The prologue to John's gospel does not change my understanding of Jesus Christ because it states beliefs and ideas that I have always agreed with. For example, that John the Baptist is not the Messiah but Jesus is and "the people did not accept him" are some things that I always have been taught to believe in. The only difference this gospel brings about to my understanding is the way I understand Jesus. John's approach in telling of Jesus is very different than what the other gospel writers in that he writes in a more philosophical tone than the others. Instead of spitting out facts John looks into the deeper meaning behind these facts. John gives me a different way to look at Jesus which requires more contemplation and thought than just memorizing what he did during his three year ministry.
ReplyDeleteEmma Leary
John's Gospel does not give me a different view of Jesus Christ because the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are a large part of the basis of my faith. "He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light," was a passage I had already agreed with. I was taught that Jesus is and was the messiah and John the Baptist was mistaken as the messiah. That said, I think the passage gives Jesus Christ a divinity that is unlike other passages I've read.
ReplyDeleteThis did not alter my view of Jesus in any way. Mark, John, and others will have their own views and opinions of how they saw Jesus. It helps us better understand who Jesus is through these many different perspectives.
ReplyDelete-Kate Shannon
This excerpt from the gospel of John does not change my understanding of Jesus Christ. I was taught about Jesus Christ at a very young age and was raised in a strong Catholic family. The things that I think of when I hear Jesus Christ are the same things that I have been taught a long time ago and will think for a long time to come. This excerpt puts a twist on most everyones understanding of Jesus but I still am going to believe that he is the same Jesus that I have come to know a long long time ago.
ReplyDelete--Nicholas Darin
John 1: 1-18 does not change the way I think about Jesus. I have been taught since an early age about everything that John explains in these verses about the Son of God. Jesus was sent to us as the only Son of God to save us. In simple terms, John is the first person that proclaimed all of these attributes that go along with Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteJohn has a different perspective of Jesus, and depicts Jesus in a different way. In Mark, Jesus is a prophet, and does not refer to himself as the Messiah or the Son of God. He speaks as if the Son of God is coming after him, and he is just here to prepare the world.
ReplyDeleteIn John, Jesus makes it more clear that he is in fact the Son of God. This is different, and gives a different interpretation of Jesus' actions. If he had just been a prophet, then had his life happen to mirror the life that the Messiah was supposed to lead, it would be one thing. Jesus openly acknowledging that he is the Son and preparing the people for his death is completely different. I feel like this interpretation goes along with the way Jesus is depicted in Christian understanding.
That being said, because I had been raised with the understanding that Jesus is the Messiah, I have always been inclined to believe that the Son of God Jesus was referring to in Mark was Jesus himself. Looking at it objectively, however, the differences in the Gospels show different kinds of Jesus' - the prophet turned Messiah, and the Messiah proclaiming his own coming.
I will always personally believe John's interpretation, but I find Mark's very interesting.
This reading from John does not change my interpretation of Jesus Christ. John introduces Jesus to the readers in a different way, but still as the messiah and one who saves us. In the end, each individual will have a different perspective of Jesus and what he did on Earth and how it is revealed will also be altered. John tells people about God and being the factor of sending the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the same that I have known my whole life.
ReplyDelete-Katelyn Bockin
i feel that John didnt alter my my views of Jesus really at all. where he does bring a whole new perspective to the the story of Jesus then those like Mark, its all the same in away. in John i learned nothing that i hadnt heard before, it brings up all the stories and knowledge which i had previous learned CCD
ReplyDeleteJohn delves deeper into who Christ really is--He is the Word, the Word of God. This revelation is much more significant that its first appearance. The Word of God made the world, said that it was good, cast Adam and Eve out of Eden, brought the laws of Moses. This proclaimation establishes Jesus as one with God. Which is interesting because it is also in the Book of John that we find the beautiful passage: "That they may be one as We are One."
ReplyDeleteJohn did not change my mind about the views of Jesus. i was raised to believe that Jesus was the son of God and to this day, that is what i believe.
ReplyDeletemary vogt