In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

 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 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

On Saturday, we read the final passage in the Gospel of Matthew.  It told us that while the women witnesses to Christ's Resurrection were going to tell the disciples Jesus' message, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.  When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.'  And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure."  So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.  Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.   Today's reading is called the Prologue to John's Gospel.  John's Gospel is the "spiritual" Gospel, if you will.  That is, it is the Gospel that gives us the theology and understanding of our faith.  These first two verses tells us so much about Christ.  In the beginning is an echo of the creation story of Genesis (Genesis 1:1), but it rather speaks more clearly about the Creator Himself.  Moreover, while Genesis spoke of the first creation, this Prologue reveals the new creation in Christ.  Was the Word (Greek Logos):  The Word is the eternal Son of God.  "In the beginning was" gives us existence without reference to a starting point.  That is, it emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  My study bible defines Logos as possibly meaning "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word."  All of these are attributes of the Son of God.  That the Word was with God teaches us that the Word -- the Son of God -- is a distinct Person from the Father and also that He is in eternal communion with the Father.  That the Word was God teaches us that the Son of God is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  He Himself is God with the same divinity as the Father.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  The Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalm 32:6,9; Hebrews 1:2).  He is not simply an instrument or servant used by the Father.  My study bible says that will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Therefore, the heavens and the earth -- all of the cosmos -- are the works of the One who made them, while the Son is not made but is eternally begotten of the Father.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.   One of the distinctions of God is that only God has life in Himself.  Therefore, the Word, as God, is the source of life, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The life was the light of men introduces human beings as the receivers of the divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, we as believers become children of the light (12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Moses saw the divine light in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2); the whole nation of Israel saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21); Isaiah saw it in the heavenly vision (Isaiah 6:1-5); and three apostles saw it at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5). 

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.   According to my study bible, darkness indicates both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light.  Those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and strive to keep others ignorant as well (3:19).  The Greek word that is translated comprehend means, like the English, both "understand" and "overcome" or "take in."  Therefore, darkness can never overpower the light of Christ, nor can it understand 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.  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.  The Gospel speaks here about John the Baptist (the Evangelist John was likely first a disciples of John the Baptist).  My study bible comments that Christ offers light to every person, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive Him.  Therefore they can neither know nor recognize Him.  Those who accept Him have His light.  Right here also means "authority" and indicates that this is a gift from God, rather than an inalienable right.   Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7) and by grace inherit everything Christ is by nature.  To believe in His name, my study bible says, means to believe and trust in Him who in His humanity took the name Jesus as Word, Son, Messiah, and Savior.  Adoption as a child of God is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as in the Old Testament.  Neither are we children of God simply by natural birth (that is, the will of the flesh), nor by our own choice (the will of man).  Rather, becoming a child of God is, according to my study bible, a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is accomplished and manifested in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (3:5-8); see Titus 3:4-7).

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.'"   My study bible tells us that the word became flesh clarifies the manner in which the Son and Word of God came to His people, pointing specifically to the Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  Christ assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality -- everything that pertains to humanity but sin.  He is God and Man in one Person, and thereby pours divinity into all of human nature.  Anything not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt ("tabernacled" or "tented") in the ark of the covenant, and later in the temple.  Here, Christ the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself.  His glory refers both to His divine power shown by His signs and wonders (2:11; 11:4, 40), and also to His humble service to humanity, shown most perfectly on the Cross (12:23-32; 13:31).  In both ways, Jesus reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  My study bible says that the Son has no beginning, but has the Father as His source from eternity.  He is called "only" begotten because there is no other born from the Father.  (The Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through a different unique mystery called "procession"; see 15:26).  Full of grace and truth:  This phrase qualifies both the Word and His glory.  Grace is Christ's uncreated energy that is given to us through His love and mercy.  Truth, my study bible adds, includes His faithfulness to His promises and covenants and to the reality of His words and gifts.

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.  To say that we have all received of His fullness confirms that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  In Christ, my study bible writes, God's children become gods by grace (10:34-35) but without ceasing to be human.  A classic patristic analogy is of metal thrust into fire.   The metal takes on properties of fire such as heat and light, but it does not cease to be metal.  Therefore human nature is likewise permeated by God and can take on properties of the divine nature, without being divine in essence.  Grace for grace is a Semitic expression which signifies an overabundance of grace.

No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  That no one has seen God at any time indicates that no one can see the nature, or essence, of God, for to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  Only One who is divine can see God, and therefore the Son is the only One who can declare God.   My study bible says that this revelation of God's energies can be received by the faithful.  Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23); Isaiah saw His glory (see Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41).

John's Gospel was the last to be written, most likely within the final decade of the first century after Christ.  My study bible gives the approximate likely date of AD 96.  From its distinctive orientation, right in its beginning, we can see the understanding of the early Church that had been developed by that time, and know that the theology upon which we stand was already firmly in place.  By the time he died, the Evangelist John was a very old man.  Tradition tells us that he was assisted by St. Prochorus in writing his gospel, and he was the leading figure in the Ephesus Christian community.  It is both interesting and important that the very "spiritual" or mystical orientation of John is clear and well-established.  It tells us that already by this time the Church had fully come to know the working of the Holy Spirit in its faith and mission, and the very presence of Christ with them.  This Gospel is not just a story about a Teacher and what He taught.  It is fully formed as the message of the Word who has come in the flesh in order that we might become like Him, and become children by adoption of "the true Light that gives light to every man coming into the world."  Whatever we are to understand from John's Gospel, it includes the full understanding that in this faith, in becoming Christ's disciples, we do not simply understand a concept or a set of reasons and codes.  We rather become part of a Light that has come into the world, and that light is the light not only of the world but of all existence.  It is the only Light that can give and share with us life itself.  Tradition also tells us that John the Evangelist (also called Theologian in the Eastern Church, one of only three to bear this title) gave us the Epistles of John and the Revelation.  Some scholars suggest that all were not written by John himself, but by disciples.  At any rate, it matters not what the actual mechanics were by which these books were produced:  their message and language are consistent in their powerful orientation both of a mystical understanding of Christ, and the message of love it bears.  John is called "the beloved disciple" (21:20).  It is he also who was assigned the tremendous honor and responsibility at the Cross for becoming the son to Mary, Mother of Christ (19:25-26).  What is born in love and discipleship is also a discipleship offered to us in love:  the sonship or adoption offered to all of us is one of full participation and communion, possible only through the divine working of the Logos who became a human being for us.  Right in the Prologue, we also understand there is a sadness to this love in its depths and the story of Christ:  "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him."  As we read through John, let us consider the full offer of love that is made through the Gospel and its orientation of mystical union, shared in the Holy Trinity and extended to all through faith, full of grace and truth.