And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace

 

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was 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 Matthew's Gospel:   While the women at the tomb were leaving to tell the disciples what happened and the message of Christ to meet in Galilee, behold, 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.  Thus begins John's Gospel.  John the Evangelist and Apostle also holds the title of Theologian, and these first verses bear witness to the reason for that title, at once revealing the depth of this particular Gospel.  In the beginning is meant for us to recall the creation story of Genesis, but in this case John speaks more clearly of the Creator rather than the creation.  My study Bible explains that John's Prologue (the entirety of today's text, John 1:1-18) reveals the "new creation" in Christ.  Was the Word:  In Greek "Word" is Logos.  The Word is the eternal Son of God.  "Was" as used here indicates existence without reference to a starting point.  My study Bible explains that it emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  Logos can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word," all of which are attributes of the Son of God.  The Word was with God:  The Word, 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.  My study Bible notes 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 simply an instrument or servant "used" by the Father.  Will, operation, and power therefore are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Therefore, the heavens and the earth are the works are the One who made them.  The Son, in contrast, was not made but rather is eternally begotten of the Father.  

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  Only God has life in Himself; all of creation derives life from God.  Therefore, the Word, being God, is the source of life, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The life was the light of men:  My study Bible comments that John now introduces humankind as the receiver of the divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, believers may themselves become children of the light (John 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 it at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5).  

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  As Christ is the light, so darkness is a word meant to indicate both spiritual ignorance and also satanic opposition to the light.  My study Bible explains that those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves, and they strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).  The word which is translated into English as comprehend means both to "understand" and to "overcome" -- just as the expression to "take in" can mean both.  Therefore, darkness cannot possibly overpower the light of Christ, nor is it capable of understanding 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 mentioned here is John the Baptist, disciples of whom became Christ's first disciples, among whom is the author of this Gospel.  The Light is Christ; while John the Baptist was sent to bear witness to Christ (see John 1:29-37).

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 says 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 has His light.  In many Orthodox traditions, the hymn sung after hearing the Gospel and receiving communion reflects the receipt of this light.  The Eastern Orthodox sing, "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit."  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the communion hymn includes, "Draw near to the Lord and take ye the light."

 

 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 indicates a gift from God, not an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7) and by grace inherit everything that Christ is by nature (St Peter writes that we may be "partakers of the divine nature"; see 2 Peter 1:3, 4).  To believe in His name means to believe and 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.  My study Bible explains that adoption as a child of God is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as it was in the Old Testament, nor are we children of God simply by natural birth (the will of the flesh), nor by our own decision (the will of man).  To become a child of God is a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is accomplished and manifested in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (John 3:4-8; 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 notes that the Word became flesh clarifies the manner in which the Son and Word of God came to God's people (verses 9-11), and points specifically to the Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  He assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality.  That is, everything that pertains to humanity except sin.  As God and human in one person, my study Bible emphasizes, Christ pours divinity into all of human nature, for anything not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  ("What has not been assumed has not been healed; it is what is united to his divinity that is saved. . ." Gregory of Nazianzus, Epistle 101.)  The Word . . . dwelt among us:  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt ("tabernacled"; literally "tented" in the Greek) in the ark of the covenant and later in the temple.  Here, the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself.  His glory refers both to His divine power which was shown by His signs and wonders (John 2:11; 11:4, 40), and also His humble service to humankind, most perfectly shown on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  In both ways, Christ reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  As noted above, the Son has no beginning ("In the beginning was the Word"), but the Father is the source of the Son from eternity.  Christ is called only begotten because there is no other born from the Father.  (The Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through another mystery called "procession"; see John 15:26.)  Full of grace and truth:  This is a phrase which my study Bible says qualifies both "the Word" and "His glory."  Grace is what is called Christ's uncreated energy which is given to us through His love and mercy.    Truth, it says, includes Christ's faithfulness to His promises and covenants and to the reality of His words and gifts.  Again, John here is John the Baptist, who declared of Christ that He is preferred before me (John 1:15, 27, 30).

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  In saying that we have all received of His fullness, my study Bible says, the Scriptures confirm that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it (again, refer to 2 Peter 1:3, 4; see also for example St. Paul's reference to fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23).  In Christ, my study Bible explains, God's children become gods by grace (John 10:34-35) without ceasing to be human.  A traditional image of this process is the example of metal thrust into fire:  it takes on the properties of fire (such as heat and light) but it does not cease to be metal; so human nature permeated by God takes on properties of the divine nature.  Thus is born holy people, saints, saintliness.  Grace for grace is a semitic expression which signifies an overabundance 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.  That no one has seen God at any time indicates that no one can see the full nature, or essence, of God -- for to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  That is, only One who is equally divine can fully see or behold God (that is, another Person of the Trinity); therefore the Son is the only One who can declare God to us.  This revelation of God's energies, my study Bible explains, can be received by the faithful.  Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23); Isaiah saw God's glory (see Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41).  

Thus reads the Prologue to John's Gospel, and thus (as explained through the notes in my study Bible) the Church has historically understood and received these Scriptures in order to tell us about Christ, about the Incarnation, and the fullness of Jesus Christ.  Therefore we understand why a historical title, given to very few as formal title, for John the Apostle and Evangelist is also Theologian -- because this Scripture helps us to understand God, and in particular, God as revealed through the story of Jesus Christ and witnessed through His "beloved disciple" for us.  John speaks as witness when he writes that 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, and that of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  Together with John the Baptist, the rest of the disciples and those who knew Christ, and we believers who follow, John our Evangelist speaks the voice of witness for himself, his fellow disciples, and for all believers, in some sense.  For to the extent that we have experienced, through our own faith, this grace of Christ, and the light of life that vivifies us, makes possible transcendent acceptance and grace, surprises us with fruit of the Spirit such as unexpected joy or forbearance or forgiveness -- then we have all received, grace for grace.  This is the power of the metal thrust into the flame:  the experiential life of faith, the Light that has produced countless saints whom we can't number and whom we don't all know, our own moments when prayer helped us get through things we didn't think we'd survive with sanity intact, or a light of love that shone to guide us through a personal hell of any kind, even sometimes teaching us that sacrifice is neither impossible nor, in the end, diminishing -- but rather expanding to our sense of who we are.  Let us join with these witnesses, the witness of the Gospel, the voice that speaks for the faithful, in journeying through the gospel of the beloved disciple, and hopefully expanding our faith as we do so.