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.  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 

 

In recent readings, the lectionary has taken us to chapter 12 of Mark's Gospel, in which Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem, having been questioned and tested by those of the religious leadership.   On Saturday, we read that after His answers rendered the leadership afraid to dare to ask Him anything else, Jesus responded with a question of His own.  While He taught in the temple, Jesus said, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:   'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." 

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Today, as the first week of Lent is beginning, the lectionary takes us to the Gospel of John.   (For the West, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday this week.  For the Oriental Orthodox such as Armenian Apostolic and Coptic Churches, Lent begins today.  For the Eastern Orthodox, this week is a time of preparation for Lent which begins a week from today.)   Today we are given for our lectionary reading a text which is commonly called the "Prologue" of John.  In the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we are given the story of the life of Jesus Christ.  In the stories of His birth as a human infant, we are given prophesies about the divine role He fulfills, but for the most part, Christ's divinity and its nature is revealed as we go through the Gospels and especially Jesus' earthly ministry, to His Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension.  But here in John's Gospel, the pattern differs.  In this Prologue, John begins with the fullness of Christ's divine identity, especially in this first verse.  In the beginning, my study Bible explains, recalls the creation story of Genesis, but it speaks even more clearly of the Creator.  Moreover, as Genesis spoke of the first creation, this Prologue of John (today's full reading) reveals for us the new creation in Christ.  Was the Word (in Greek, Λογος/Logos):  This phrase teaches us the identity of the Word; the Word is the eternal Son of God.  Just as we needed to understand the impact of the words of Scripture (especially "I am") when Jesus quoted from Exodus 3:6 in His response to the Sadducees in Thursday's reading last week, so we also need to take the word "was" from this sentence and understands its meanings and what it teaches us.  Since the Word is eternal, "was" in this sentence indicates existence without reference to a starting point.  That is, in the words of my study Bible, it emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  "Logos," my study Bible says, 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:  Again, we must look to the specific words and their meaning to understand what the text tells us.  The Word -- the Son of God -- is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  The Word, the Son, is God with the same divinity as the Father. 

He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  My study Bible comments 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 simply an instrument or servant used by the Father.  It notes that will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Therefore, the heavens and the earth are the works of the One who made them, while the Son was not made but 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.  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:  "Men" is translated from masculine Greek ἀνθρώπων/anthropon, meaning human beings, humankind.  My study Bible points out that here the text introduces humankind as receiver of the divine light.  As they participate in the life of the Son, believers 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; 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.  Darkness is an indication of both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light.  My study Bible comments that those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves, and strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).   The Greek word which is translated as comprehend means both "understand" and "overcome."  Therefore, my study Bible says, 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, whom the Gospel introduces here, is not the author of the Gospel, but rather John the Baptist.  

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 Hi have His light.   There is an Eastern Orthodox hymn which is sung at the end of Liturgy, after hearing the Gospel and receiving communion:  "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: . . .  Here the word translated as the right also means "authority."  It is an indication of a gift from God, not an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  By grace, my study Bible says, they inherit everything that Christ is by nature.  To believe in His name is to believe and trust in Christ 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 is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as it was in the Old Testament.  Neither are we children of God simply by natural birth (the will of the flesh), nor by our own choosing (the will of man).  But to become a child of God, my study Bible explains, is a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is accomplished and manifested, it says, in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (John 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.'"  Here we have yet another verse that is packed with a fullness of meaning as it introduces us to Christ Incarnate.  As my study Bible puts it, the Word became flesh clarifies the manner in which the Son and Word of God came to His people (verses 9-11, above), and points specifically to the Incarnation.   It says that 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 except sin.  As God and Human in one Person, Jesus Christ pours divinity into all of human nature, for anything not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  Jesus Christ is truly our Physician.  Dwelt among us:   In the Old Testament, my study Bible reminds us, God's presence dwelt ("tabernacled" -- Greek ἐσκήνωσεν/eskenosen, also "tented") 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 is a reference both to Christ's divine power and shown by His signs and wonders (John 2:11; 11:4, 40), and to His humble service to human beings, shown most perfectly on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  In both ways, He reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  My study Bible comments that the Son has no beginning, but has the Father as His source 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 which is called "procession"; see John 15:26).  Full of grace and truth:  This phrase, my study Bible explains, qualifies both "the Word" and "His glory."  "Grace" is Christ's uncreated energy which is given to us through His love and mercy.  "Truth" 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.  My study Bible conveys the understanding of this passage by noting that, in saying we have all receive of His fullness, the Scriptures confirm that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  In Christ, it says, God's children become gods by grace (John 10:34-35) without ceasing to be human beings.  A classic patristic image is that of a piece of metal thrust into fire:  it takes on the properties of fire, such as heat and light, without ceasing to be metal:  so human nature permeated by God takes on properties of the divine nature.  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 means that no one can see the nature, or essence, of God.  In the Old Testament, we read that to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  Only One who is also divine can see God, and therefore the Son is the only One who can declare God.  However, my study Bible explains, 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 Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41).  

John's Gospel begins by giving us a full picture of the divinity and mission of Jesus Christ.  It is, in some sense, a great blessing to begin reading through this Gospel as we start to go through Lent.  Because of the depth of its perspective, and the echoes of the great mystery of God and the mission of Jesus Christ which begin and will permeate this Gospel, it is perfect for the contemplative time that Lent is supposed to be for us.  Lent is the period that prepares us for Easter/Pascha, and the great and even unfathomable meanings of the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Christ, and what these great gifts -- and His sacrifice -- mean for us as those who call ourselves His followers.  Let us begin, then, with the great and essential import of the things we gather from today's reading, the Prologue of John, in which we're told of the true origins of Jesus, His relationship to the Father, His mission, and the extraordinary grace we've been given through Jesus Christ.  Because it remains true, as the Evangelist writes, that we receive grace for grace, even these centuries later, in inspiration for our lives, and in hope even when times are bleak.  We have this great gift of God, made for us, and it tells us so much, especially about God's love for us.  Let us then begin this Lenten journey in a prayerful mood to receive this Gospel.  In the Cherubic Hymn of the Orthodox, which precedes the Liturgy of the Eucharist, it is sung, "Let us now lay aside all earthly cares: that we may receive the King of all."   Lent is a time for laying aside these "earthly cares" as best we can, and focusing so that we may receive the King of all.  Let us keep this in mind as we go forward into the days of this special time.