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 receive 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 our previous post (from before the Christmas/Nativity seasonal readings), Jesus taught the disciples, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer to Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?   Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." 

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Today the lectionary begins a new cycle of Gospel readings from the Gospel of John.  John's Gospel answers the questions about who exactly Jesus is.  Here, the phrase in the beginning hearkens us to the creation story of Genesis, but, my study Bible points out, it speaks more clearly of the Creator.  Moreover, while Genesis spoke of the first creation, the Prologue of John (today's entire reading) reveals the new creation in Christ.  Was the Word (Greek Λογος/Logos) speaks of the Word who is the eternal Son of God.  My study Bible suggests that was indicates existence without a reference to a starting point.  This emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  Logos, it adds, can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word," and these all are attributes of the Son of God.  The Word was With God:  "With" shows 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.  The Word was God:  The Word, who is the Son of God, is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, my study Bible teaches.   The Word is God with the same divinity as the Father.  Some twist and mistranslate this phrase to read "the Word was a god" but this merely states a heresy that the Son of God is a created being, and therefore not fully divine.  My study Bible calls this translation unsupportable, false, dishonest, and deceptive. 

 

 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.  It says that will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  So, 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 (Creed).

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  My study Bible states that only God has life in Himself.  So, therefore, the Word, being God, is the source of life, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  That the life was the light of men introduces humankind as receiver of the divine light.  As we may participate in the life of the Son, believers themselves become children of 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 of Israel saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21); Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision (Isaiah 6:1-5); and the light was revealed to the apostles at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5).  

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  Darkness, my study Bible comments, indicates both spiritual ignorance as well as satanic opposition to the light.  Those who hate truth, it says, prefer ignorance for themselves and also strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).  The word comprehend means both "understand" and "overcome" in the Greek as well as the English translation.  So, therefore, darkness can never overpower the light of Christ, and neither 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 is John the Baptist, not the author of our Gospel.  John the Baptist is also known as John the Forerunner, for his role that is described here.

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 here that Christ offers light to every person, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive Him.  So, therefore, they can neither know nor recognize Him.  It says that those who accept Him have His light.  An Orthodox hymn sung after hearing the Gospel and receiving communion declares, "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit."

 

 But as many as receive 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."  This is an indication of a gift from God, and not an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ may become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7) and by grace inherit everything Christ is by nature.  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 to be adopted as a child of God is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as in the Old Testament; nor are we children of God by natural birth (the will of the flesh), nor by one's 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, my study Bible 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.'"  My study Bible comments that the Word became flesh is a clarification of the way in which the Son and Word of God came to His people (verses 9-11), and points specifically to Christ's Incarnation.  It notes that the Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  Christ assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality; that is, everything that pertains to humanity except sin.  As God and Human Being in one person, Christ pours divinity into all of human nature -- for anything which was not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  He dwelt among us:  In the Old Testament God's presence dwelt (literally "tabernacled" here in the Greek) in the ark of the covenant and later in the temple.  Here, we are given the understanding that the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself.  His glory, my study Bible says, refers both to His divine power shown by His signs and wonders (John 2:11; 11:4, 40), and also to Christ's humble service to mankind, which was shown most fully and perfectly on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  In each of these ways, Christ reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:   My study Bible explains here that the Son has no beginning, but has the Father as His source from all eternity.  Christ is called "only" begotten because there is no other born from the Father.  (It explains also that the Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through a different mystery called "procession"; see John 15:26).  Full of grace and truth:  This phrase is a qualifier both to "the Word" and "His glory."  "Grace" is described as Christ's uncreated energy which is given to us through His love and mercy.  "Truth" includes Christ's faithfulness to His promises and covenants and also 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.   In saying that we have all received of His fullness, my study Bible declares, the Scriptures confirm that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  In Christ, therefore, God's children become gods by grace (John 10:34-35) without ceasing to be human.  A traditional metaphor used in patristic literature describes metal thrust into fire (such as in the making of a metal implement by a smith).  The metal takes on the properties of fire such as heat and light, but does not cease to be metal.  This is an image of how human nature can be permeated by God to take 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.  My study Bible explains 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 also divine can see God, and therefore the Son is the only One who can declare God.  This revelation of God's energies can be received by the faithful.  My study Bible illustrates with the example that Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23); and Isaiah saw God's glory (Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41).

John's Gospel begins with images of black and white, in the language of light and darkness, just as soon as we're introduced to the true identity of Jesus Christ, the Logos (or the Word) who comes among us as incarnate human being.  These dark and light images are important, for Christ is also the one who brings judgment.  He is the One who speaks in the Revelation, who says He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the One who is, and who was dead, and who is alive forevermore.  In Revelation 1:16, He is described this way:  "He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength."  That sharp two-edged sword is the effect of the words of the Word, so to speak.  It is the sword of truth, the sword of judgment.  His words are the measure of all things.  In a world of proliferating and competing messages, directions, and one that denies to a large extent that any such absolute truth exists, the Word who is the Light offers us a clear message about which direction we're going in life.  We're either headed in the direction of the darkness or for the light.  It's not so much what you want to call yourself as you exist now, in a steady state.  It's all about what direction you're headed.  Do we prefer darkness?  Or do we prefer light?  In this context, you are either going one way or the other -- headed toward one end goal or the other.  Do we wish to take on the characteristics of the light, of the truth of Christ?  Or do we prefer the darkness?  Either choice heads us in one direction or another.  This light and darkness has also been called the way of life and the way of death (in the Didache, and these "two ways" are also found in Jewish tradition prior to that teaching).  Again, these goal posts are the directions we're headed, toward one or the other.  Repentance, of course, is turning around and heading in the opposite direction when we've found ourselves heading into darkness.  Do we love spiritual truth, or is ignorance our preference?  Like the very important example of metal taking on heat, we are capable of absorbing and living the qualities of the light, by aligning ourselves with it, participating in it, heading in Christ's ultimate direction to more fully participate in that grace.  In our previous reading from Matthew, Christ gives us the parable of the last judgment, with Him clearly in charge of the separation of the "sheep" and the "goats."  The goats are those moving toward the cliffs of darkness, and theirs is a failure of active compassion toward those who bear the image of Christ.  The sheep are those who follow Christ and hear His voice, a theme which will be central to John's Gospel.  It's important to remember that we are created with the capacity to take on qualities of that Light, to reflect it into the world, and merge more deeply into participation with the light.  For Christ the Logos comes into the world as a human being, to teach us that the Light is not an impersonal quality or object, but quite the opposite.  The Light is a Person, as He is also the Person who is the truth, another facet of John's Gospel (John 14:6).  In this case, the truth, the object of our fullness and end goal toward which we move, is entirely personal, and meant for us to come into relationship to, even to a marriage -- with His Bride as the Church, the faithful.  For the Light is also love, as John will write (1 John 4:8), and it is the life of humankind, even the life of the world.