Lack of knowing in this case entails a wilful refusal to accept or believe. The Word was not a welcome guest among those who should have received him with open arms.1 This rejection of the Word is the mysterious resistance of the creature against its creator, of humankind against its own redemption, and of the people if Israel against its God.2
The appearance of the light does not automatically bring about acknowledgement and acceptance. The light that shines on every man forces a distinction between those who respond in faith and those who do not.3 Those who reject the light do so because they love darkness and are unwilling to leave it (John 3:19–20).
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.