¹What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life …

The opening to this letter we call “1 John” carries all the indicators of a personal, eyewitness testimony. Theologians in their ivory towers may debate the teachings of Christ; liberal scholars may even question the reliability of the New Testament writings. But here we have a piece of historical literature where the author claims firsthand experience of what he claims. And he is passionate about what he has to say.

That he writes about Jesus Christ is evident. He was with the Lord for His entire ministry, “from the beginning,” which we take as referring to the start of Jesus’ ministry from His baptism by John the Baptist onward. This was one of the credentials required of apostles, the official witnesses (see Acts 1:8, 21-22).

John’s passion is evident; we can easily imagine his excitement even after all the years that had elapsed since the Lord ascended into heaven after His resurrection. Focusing on three of the five senses, John asserts he heard the teachings of Jesus firsthand. He saw the Lord in all His actions. One can imagine him saying to skeptics, “You can say what you want, but I know what I saw!” And further, he physically touched the Lord, literally rubbing shoulders with Him. Though he didn’t include the other two senses, he could have offered that he ate with the Lord, tasted the same water spray in the Galilean storms, and felt the dust of the roads and fields they walked along. The body smells of the ancient world, which would have been commonplace to them, would be remembered by John, much as today loved ones remember the departed through the smell of a favorite sweater. Yes, John is writing out the experience of one who was there with Jesus and knew Him well.

Neither the John’s gospel account nor these three letters we call 1, 2, and 3 John are self-identified (as are the letters of Paul). However, the early church concluded their authorship to be that of the apostle John. The wording and writing style are very similar. Clearly, the letter we are beginning to meditate on today was written by one of Jesus’ close intimates! Most scholars agree that the apostle John is the one referred to in the gospel account as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). The Holy Spirit invites us, through the writings of this apostle, into the very inner circle enjoyed by those who knew Jesus best, at a very personal level.

Prayer: Lord, I am looking forward to knowing You better, in a growing and more personal way.