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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'" And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
- John 1:1-18
Today the lectionary begins the Gospel of John. For most in the Western Christian world, we prepare for Lent which begins this week, on Ash Wednesday. For most in the Eastern Christian world, Lent and Easter will be many weeks later than in the West. The Armenian Apostolic Church begins Lent today. Today's entire passage is known as the "Prologue" to John's Gospel. It tells us about who Jesus is, especially in relation in the Holy Trinity, to us human beings, to the entire cosmos and to our world, and sets out the theology proclaimed in the Creed. There are many notes in my study bible on today's passage.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. My study bible tells us that in the beginning recalls the creation but speaks of the Creator Himself; it echoes but reveals more than the creation story in Genesis. "Was," it says, "indicates existence without reference to a starting point. In the beginning was the Word (Gr. Logos) emphasizes (1) the Word's eternal existence in the Father without beginning, and (2) His oneness with Him in essence. Logos signifies wisdom and reason as well as word: the Creator. ('Creation' is Gr. logikos, participating in the Divine Word.) With the Incarnation, the Logos fully participates in human nature." The Word is distinct from the Father, but is in communion, with the Father. My study bible adds that this phrase, "was God" tells us that the Word is not only from the Father but is also coequal and coeternal with God the Father: one in divinity. John will quote Jesus as saying, "I and My Father are one" (10:30).
He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. "The Word," says my study bible, "is co-Creator of all things with the Father . . . Will, operation, and power are seen to be one in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." The Word's generation from the Father is different from creation: "begotten, not made." "Thus," my study bible continues, "the heavens and the earth are the works of the One who made them, while the Son alone is born from the Father. Even when He comes in human flesh, the Word forever remains God, the Creator."
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. My study bible says, "As the Divine Word incarnate, Christ is also the source of life and enlightenment. Because the Word is God, He is life: only God has life in Himself. . . . By seeing and participating in Christ's life believers become light and children of light." Light will figure very greatly in John's gospel. This light, points out my study bible, is the light Moses saw in the burning bush (Ex. 3:2), Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision (Is. 6:1-5), and Peter, James and John saw it on the Mount of Transfiguration (see this past Friday's reading). The darkness, says my study bible, is "the satanic wickedness which actively opposes the light. Though the world has embraced darkness (3:19), the Word freely offers light to all. The word for comprehend in the Greek has a double meaning as it does in English: it can mean both to understand and to "take in" or in this case, overcome. My study bible continues, "Darkness will oppose the light, yet cannot defeat the light."
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. So important a figure was John the Baptist that John the Evangelist introduces him here, into the narrative of Jesus, Son of God. John the Baptist is a witness to the Light, declaring His presence and preparing all for it. He is sent from God for this purpose. In the viewpoint of Christian faith, the Baptist is both the greatest prophet, and the last of the Old Testament prophets.
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world did not know Him. My study bible tells us: "The true Light, Jesus Christ, enlightens every person, but the world refuses to receive and live in this light, and does not know Him."
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. My study bible points out that "He came into His own" indicates His own things, the created world. "His own" that did not receive Him are His own people, the Jews. While John the Baptist, and all of Jesus' early followers and Apostles are Jewish (including the author of this Gospel), John's Gospel will frequently refer to the religious leadership as "the Jews." The contrast in these verses between those who did not receive Him and those who did points out for us the nature of faith and sonship by adoption. The "right" to become children of God, says my study bible, "is a gift, not an inalienable right. Those who receive Christ are given His power, His grace, to become children of God -- no longer servants, but friends of Christ (15:15). The Jews were children of God by descent from Abraham, the father of the people of God. But now divine sonship is a gift of grace through faith in Jesus. Whether we are a privileged race or not, we are born into the family of God and saved not by 'the faith of our fathers,' but by our own faith in Christ. His name: His identity, the Word, the Son of God, the Messiah and Savior, who in His humanity is called Jesus. To believe means to trust oneself completely to Him: who He is, what He does, what He teaches." It adds, "spiritual birth from God is a mystery of the Holy Spirit, which is closely integrated with Holy Baptism." In John's gospel, one of the leadership, Nicodemus the Pharisee, will be the one to whom this is revealed, to teach us all.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'" And here, finally, John speaks of his own experience of "the Word become flesh" -- that is, God Incarnate, Jesus. My study bible says that the Incarnate Christ "accomplishes a redemption that fully heals and saves fallen humanity." It notes that, "We are the disciples, the people of God, pilgrims in this transient world. In the Old Testament, God's glory, dwelt ('tabernacled' [or 'tented']) in the temple. Here, the eternal Word in His divine glory comes to dwell in the midst of humanity through the Incarnation." John testifies to the grace and truth he has witnessed as a disciple, and I find this statement to be full of love. My study bible says that "this phrase qualifies not only 'the Word' but also 'the glory.' Grace is Jesus' uncreated energy manifested to us through His lovingkindness and redeeming love. Truth includes His faithfulness to His promises and covenants, and the abiding reality of His gifts. By His grace and truth we enjoy a life in union and communion with God through Christ."
And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. My study bible notes, "In union with Christ's deified humanity, we participate in the fullness of grace. Through Christ, God's children become gods by grace (10:34, 35), without ceasing to be human by nature. As metal thrust into fire takes on the heat of the fire without ceasing to be itself, so human nature immersed in God's uncreated grace and truth becomes godlike without ceasing to be human." Grace for grace is a Semitic expression signifying and abundance of grace.
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. My study bible tells us, "Since to see God in His essence is to be God, the Son who is in the bosom of the Father can declare God. He is one with the Father, and He (together with the Holy Spirit) sees the Father in His essence. As 'Light of Light,' Jesus reveals the Father: when we see Jesus Christ we see the Father (14:9)."
Today's passage has many notes to it, which are significant because it is the "hallmark" of our understanding of who Christ is, who Jesus is. It is also John's testimony to what he knows and what he has experienced; it is his witness. Whatever we know of Christ and of Jesus, we must remember that John is the Apostle of love, and perhaps the greatest teacher of love that we have in Scripture. It is John who will also tell us, in one of his Epistles, that "he who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" 1 John 4:8-10. My study says, "We too, bear witness to Jesus Christ. For since God became man, and we are united with Him in baptism, we experience His Incarnation in our lives. The miracle of Christology for us is that, as the Son of God became man, we in turn may partake of God." God's energy or grace infuses our lives and is shared with us, not just a little, but as John says, "of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." It is in love that Jesus has "declared" God to us.
