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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 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 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
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. We begin lectionary readings today in John. John's Gospel sets out the identity of Christ, beginning with "in the beginning," echoing the words of the Old Testament story of Genesis, but teaching us about the Eternal Son, the One who came to us in the flesh, whose birth into the world as human being we have so recently celebrated at Christmas. He is the Word, Logos in the Greek. My study bible tells us that Logos can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action," as well as word -- all of which tells us about the Son, and gives us attributes of the Son. In this particular beginning, there is no real "beginning," so to speak. He was with God in an eternal time, before the beginning. Separate from the Father, but in eternal communion, but also God. In theological language, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, with the same divinity as the Father.
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. The Word is co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit. My study bible tells us that only God has life in Himself; so the Word, being God, is the source of life, together with the Father and Holy Spirit. And here we have the love of God in our introduction: this life is for human beings; we are the receivers of this divine light. My study bible says, "By participating in the life of the Son, believers themselves become children of the light." This divine light was seen by Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2), all Israel saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21), Isaiah spoke of it in his heavenly vision (Isaiah 6:1-5), and three apostles saw it at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5). Darkness gives us a clue: it is both ignorance and satanic opposition to the light. In our world, there is a spiritual battle taking place, and language of battle permeates the entire New Testament, with Christ as liberator, deliverer, redeemer. My study bible says, "Those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19)." The Greek word translated as comprehend means, as it does in English, both to understand and to overcome or take in. The darkness cannot overpower the light of Christ, nor does it comprehend the way of love.
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. The Evangelist John introduces John the Baptist into the narrative, giving us a hint of the worldly manifestation of the life of the Incarnate Son. This is John also called Forerunner, highly revered in his own time as the greatest of the prophets, and who bears witness to the Light of Christ. Many of Jesus' early disciples, as we will read, were first disciples of John the Baptist. As a true prophet, John's work was to lead others to the Light, to Christ: the true Light which gives light to every human being coming into the world. In the Greek, we get the sense that there may be seemingly all kinds of light or lights, but this is the one that is true.
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 of man, but of God. Although the light of the Word is offered to all, and the world is made through Him, the world did not know Him; many of His own refuse to receive Him or His light. This is the battle: that they can neither know nor recognize Him. Those who accept have His light. The "right" to be children of God is a kind of authority (not an inalienable right, but rather a gracious gift of God). Receiving the light makes us children by adoption; by grace we thereby inherit what Christ is by nature. We may become more "like Him." To believe in His name, says my study bible, "means to believe and trust in Him who in His humanity took the name Jesus as Word, Son, Messiah, and Savior." This kind of adoption, becoming a child of God, "is a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit." It is manifest in Baptism, and through the nurturing of our Baptism in a life of faith.
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. The Evangelist speaks as witness, and as part of a group of witnesses: the "we" are Christ's disciples, as one body united in love. God's grace permeates each one ("we have all received of His fullness"). Grace for grace speaks of the ongoing action of the Light and the grace active in becoming children of God. These are the fruits of faith manifesting in the lives of His disciples; the fullness of Christ shared via His light. How do human beings become "like God" without being God? A historical illustration has been that of a sword thrust into fire: the metal takes on the properties of the fire such as heat and light, but doesn't stop being metal. So human beings may take on grace for grace, the properties of divine nature (named in one example by St. Paul as "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" - Galatians 5:22-23). Grace for grace, says my study bible, is a Semitic expression signifying an "overabundance of grace." This is a witness testimony by the Evangelist.
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. To truly "see God" is to understand or experience the essence or nature of God in God's fullness; only One who is Himself divine can do this. This is how the Son can declare God to us, and reveal God's energies which we the faithful can thereby receive. My study bible notes that Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23), while Isaiah saw His glory (Isaiah 6:1, John 12:41).
John's Gospel begins with an introduction to its subject: Christ, the true Light. He puts Jesus' incarnate life into context: John the Baptist testified and prophesied to this Light coming into the world. The Son is introduced as Logos, with God already from before the beginning, and given to human beings so that we may receive of His light and become children of God by adoption. This is the Gospel of love, written by the Evangelist whose letters speak of love (see 1 John 4:8). It is the story of God's love for us, Christ's mission into the world as liberator for each of us, all of us, the story of grace upon grace. John's Gospel, in this introduction (these verses in today's reading are called the Prologue), gives us the theological foundations of the Church, from which would be taken our Creed, and upon which our understanding of Christ rests. So, are we up for this challenge? Are we ready for the Light? Can we, too, be "enlightened," given grace upon grace?
