In Him was life, and the life was the light of men

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 our final reading in Matthew's Gospel.   While the women were going from the tomb to tell the disciples the news of the risen Christ, 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.  In the beginning is a deliberate recollection of the creation story of Genesis, but here it speaks more clearly of the Creator rather than the creation.  Moreover, Genesis spoke of the first creation, but today's passage in John (called the Prologue, verses 1-18) is a revelation of the new creation in Christ.  My study bible says the Word (in Greek, logos/λογος) is the eternal Son of God.  The use of "was" (in "in the beginning was the Word") indicates existence without a reference to a starting point.  It emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  Logos, it says, can mean "wisdom, reason," and "action" as well as "word."  Each of these things are attributes of the Son of God.  The Word was with God:  "With" distinguishes the Word (the Son of God) as a separate person from the Father, but also in eternal communion with the Father.  The Word was God:  The Word -- the Son of God -- is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  But the Son or Word is God, with the same divinity as the Father. 

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  My study bible says here that the Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2) and not merely an instrument or servant used by the Father.  Will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The heavens and the earth are therefore the works of the One who made them, however the Son was not made and is eternally begotten of the Father. 

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  My study bible comments that only God has life in Himself.  That is, the power of life itself.  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:  Here John introduces humankind as receiver of divine light.  As human beings may participate in the life of the Son, believers also 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 saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21); Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision (Isaiah 6:1-5); and three apostles saw this light at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5).

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  My study bible explains that darkness indicates both spiritual ignorance and also satanic opposition to the light.  Those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves, and they also strive to keep others ignorant (3:19).   The Greek word that is translated as comprehend means both to "understand" and to "overcome."  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.   This John referred to is John the Baptist (and not the author of the Gospel). 

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.  My study bible comments that Christ offers light to all people, 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.  In a hymn sung at the end of the Orthodox liturgy, after hearing the Gospel and receiving communion, the people sing, "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit."

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: . . .  My study bible explains that right also means "authority," and that it indicates a gift from God -- rather than an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7), by grace inheriting all Christ is by nature.  To believe in His name means to believe and to trust in Him who in His humanity took the name Jesus as Word, Son, Messiah, and Savior. 

. . . who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  To be adopted as a child of God isn't a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as in the Old Testament.  Neither are we children of God through natural birth (the will of the flesh), or even our own decisions (the will of man).   To become a child of God is spiritual birth "by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit" to quote my study bible.  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.'"  That the Word became flesh gives us a picture of how the Son and Word of God came to God's people (vv. 9-11, above).  It specifically tells us of the Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God, my study bible explains.  Christ assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality -- all the things that are part of humanity with the exception of sin.  As both God and Man in one Person, Christ pours divinity into the whole of human nature.  Anything that was not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  He dwelt among us:  In the Greek, the word for dwelt means literally "tented" or "tabernacled."  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt in the ark of the covenant and later in the temple.  Here, the eternal Word has come to dwell in and among humanity itself.  His glory is a reference to both Christ's divine power shown by signs and wonders of His ministry (2:11; 11:4, 40) and also to His humble service to human beings, which was shown to us most perfectly on the Cross (12:23-32; 13:31).  In each way, Christ reveals that He is the One who is sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  Christ the Son has no beginning, although the Father is His source from eternity.  Christ is called only begotten because there is no other who is born from the Father.  The Holy Spirit exists eternally from the father through a different mystery which is called "procession" (see 15:26).  Full of grace and truth:  This is a qualifier for both "the Word" and "His glory."  Grace is the uncreated energy of Christ, my study bible explains, given to us through God's love and mercy.  Truth includes both Christ's 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.  My study bible indicates that in saying that we have all received of His fullness, the Scriptures are confirming that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  In Christ, God's children become gods by grace (10:34-35) without ceasing to be human.  In patristic tradition, an image of metal thrust into fire is used as metaphor:  the metal takes on the properties of fire (such as heat and light), but it doesn't cease to be metal.  In the same way, human nature permeated by God takes on properties of the divine nature (such as the fruits of the Spirit explicitly named by St. Paul in Galatians 5:22-23).  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.  No one has seen God at any time:  This indicates that no one can see the nature, or essence, of God, for to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  That is, to see God in God's ontological state, as God sees God, the fullness of which we are not capable of perceiving.  Only One who is divine can see God, my study bible explains, and so only the Son can declare God.   This revelation of God's energies can be received by the faithful.  Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23); Isaiah saw God's glory (see Isiah 6:1; John 12:41). 

John's Gospel prepares us for the glory that is Christ.  That is, the glory which Christ's disciples beheld, and which John wants to share with us and to make known.  There is no place that makes this glory of Christ more clear than this Prologue of John, today's reading.  For in it John reveals what he has known and understood as disciple, and the mystical reality grasped through the early Church, of the divinity of God as beheld and incarnated as Jesus Christ.  This is our preparation:  that Christ was before all ages as Son, and that He has come into the world and shared grace for grace with those who follow Him.  This is the way we are treated to the beginnings of John's Gospel, revealing what is divine and absolute so that we may truly understand His ministry into the world and the grace and blessings that we have received, even this blessed way of life given and more fully revealed in Christ (Psalm 1:1-2).  John's Gospel is distinguished from the others through its very mystical orientation, and the understandings present here that were developed by this time in the early Church.  Let us pay great attention!  This is the foundation of our faith and in particular the theological underpinnings that would guide the Church through its bedrock underpinnings, especially in its early Councils.  The Gospel opens up with a direct and clear statement about Christ as the true Light, true God of true God, and source of life.  These are all the things we keep in mind as we read through the Gospel and experience the human life which is the expression of all of these realities, and His invitation to us for faith and participation in the life He offers us.