In the beginning was the Word

Photo copyright Anni Jones Photography

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 was made through Him, 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 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 ever 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

Dear readers,

Today we begin readings from the gospel of John. I have taken a short break during the Christmas season. Appropriately, we begin again with "In the beginning."

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 the beginning" is a phrase that takes us to the start of creation. The Word is "Logos" -- in the Greek, meaning both wisdom and reason, as well as word. There is nothing without Him, through Whom all was made that was made. It is Christ who was with God before all creation.

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. Here we have the next quality of this Creator, the Logos. In Him is life, and that life is the light of men. My study bible points out that we participate in this light by participating in the life of Christ: "By seeing and participating in Christ's life believers become light and the children of light. Moses saw this light 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 (Matt. 17:2)." Therefore we can consider that this very life that is the light of man is enlightening to us by participation in it and with it. That which has spoken all things into existence, together with the Father from the beginning, is also with us. But the darkness neither understands nor overcomes or takes in that light ("comprehend" in all its senses is a very good translation for the original Greek). The darkness is that which opposes the light. My study bible says, "the Word freely offers light to all . . . 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. John the Baptist is the man referred to here. His importance in the Scriptures and for the early Church and the apostles of Christ cannot be denied. He was the greatest of the prophets, sent to bear witness of the Light. Appropriately, Jesus' baptism was celebrated in many churches on Sunday, and today we start with "In the beginning" -- both of Christ's identity as Logos, and His public ministry as Jesus Christ.

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, 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. Here we have a mystical reality and the promise and actualization of union on many levels. The true light was incarnate in His creation, as human being. He was in the world, His creation, but His own didn't know Him. He came to give us light, that we may be led by His light which is life itself. But to each who receives Him is given the right to become children of God, children of that light, who may be born through it, through God. In this paragraph, we have several distinct notions of being and meaning and manifestation on mystical terms: the true Light which gave life to the world became a part of this created world, but the world did not know Him. Neither did His own, prepared through the Law and the Prophets, receive Him. But through grace, whoever receives Him is God's by adoption, which is offered to all. This mystical rebirth becomes the keystone of faith.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory 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 is the great statement of the witness, the author of this gospel, Jesus' disciple John, who has also by Tradition given us several other books of the New Testament, each consistent in this message of witness to power and truth, and love. John the Evangelist says, "And we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." He refers to John the Baptist again by name, and to the Baptist's own testimony as witness.

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 ever seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. John the Evangelist testifies for all witnesses when he says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." This is the revelation of Christ, incarnate as human being, the grace and truth that He offered to the world and offers to us every day. The great prophet Moses, revealer of God's law to ancient Israel, is the other prophet mentioned, but Christ Himself was born as man in order to reveal grace and truth, that which comes from the Father and is of God, a mystical reality possible only for He who is God. This beginning reading ends also where it began, in a mystical reality, that the Son is in the bosom of the Father.

John's gospel teaches us, right from the beginning, of the mystical reality of our faith. This is not merely a story about a man who lived in the world, who was good, who taught us things we needed to learn and to think about for ourselves. This mystery is about participation in the life and the light of God, that which was from the beginning with God. The Son, who is light and life, and who will declare Himself so in John's gospel, is here in the flesh not only for those who will bear witness, but for those who come later -- to offer that light and life to all of us, to each of us, that through faith and participation in His life and light, we may also become sons of God by adoption. This powerful mystical reality sets us in a place of relatedness that goes deeper than any relationship of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but is of God. God, who was before the beginning, in the beginning, and ever will be, our Creator and creator of all things, comes into manifestation of spiritual and mystical truth more deeply than anything we know, as deeply as anything we are or hope to be. Can we live this mystical reality? Can we "receive" it, as we receive Him? This is the promise. John is the witness, and he writes for us all, calling us toward that light. Can we receive life and light?