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 were given our final reading in the Gospel of Matthew:   While the women at the tomb were going to tell the disciples of the great news of Resurrection, 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. Today we begin reading the Gospel of John, and the passage selected for today is called its Prologue.  There are extensive notes in my study Bible on this important passage.  Here, in the beginning recalls us to the creation story in Genesis, but it speaks more specifically about the Creator.  Moreover, Genesis spoke of the first creation, but here John reveals the new creation in Christ.  Was the Word (in Greek, λογος/logos):  My study Bible points out that "was" indicates existence without reference to a starting point, and so emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  "Logos," it says, can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word," each of which are attributes of the Son of God.  The Word was with God:  "With" shows that the Word (that is, 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 shows that the Word -- the Son of God -- is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, my study Bible explains.  It notes that the Son Himself is God with the same divinity as the Father.  Some twist and mistranslate this phrase to read "the Word was a god" in support of a heresy that the Son is a created being, and not fully divine.  This my study Bible calls unsupportable, false, dishonest, and deceptive. 

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.   Here the Gospel tells us that the Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalms 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2), and is not simply an instrument or servant used by god the Father.  My study Bible comments that will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The heavens and the earth are the works of the One who made them; and 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.  So, 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:  Here John is introducing humankind as receiver of divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, believes themselves may become children of the light (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  My study Bible notes that 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 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.  My study Bible says that darkness includes both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light.  Those who hate truth, it notes, prefer ignorance for themselves and strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).  The word which is translated as comprehend indicates both to "understand" and to "overcome."  So, therefore, the Gospel declares that 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.  Here the text speaks of John the Baptist (not the author of this Gospel).  Appearing so early in the text, and so closely to the declaration of the Son and Word, we should be given to understand the central importance of the figure of 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 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 Christ have His light.  In the Orthodox Church, there is a hymn 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: . . .  My study Bible explains that right as used here also means "authority."   This is indicative not of an inalienable right, but of a gift from God.  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 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.  Adoption as a child of God is not a matter of ethnic descend (of blood) as it was in the Old Testament; nor do people become children of God by natural birth (the will of the flesh), nor by a person's own choice (the will of man).  Becoming 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 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.'"  That the Word became flesh clarifies the way in which the Son of God came to His people, and points specifically to His Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  Christ assumed complete human nature.  According to my study Bible, this means in body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality, and everything that pertains to humanity except sin.  As He is God and Human in one Person, Christ pours  divinity into all of human nature, for anything which was not assumed by Christ would not be healed.  That the Word dwelt among us is expressed literally using a word that means "tented" or "tabernacled" in the Greek (ἐσκήνωσεν/eskinosen).  This was so in the ark of the covenant and later in the temple.  But 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 (John 2:11; 11:4, 40) and also to Christ's humble service to mankind, which is shown most perfect on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  In both ways, my study Bible says, 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 called "procession"; see John 15:26.)  Full of grace and truth:  This is a phrase which qualifies both "the Word" and "His glory."  "Grace" is Christ's uncreated energy which is given to us through His love and mercy, my study Bible explains.  "Truth" includes Christ's faithfulness to His promises and covenant 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.  As the Scriptures say that we have all received of His fullness, it confirms that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it, my study Bible says.  In Christ, therefore, God's children become gods by grace (John 10:34-35) without ceasing to be human.  A classic example found in patristic commentary compares this to metal thrust into a fire:  it takes on properties of fire -- such as heat and light, but it does not cease to be metal.  So human nature permeated by God may 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. No one has seen God at any time:  My study Bible comments 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 Himself divine can see God, and thus the Son is the only One who can declare Him.  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 introducing us to what we might suppose would be the conclusion to the New Testament; that is, we're introduced to who Christ is in truth.  Many of the statements here can be recognized as part of the Creed.  So important are these foundational verses to the whole history of Christianity that they form the basis of all mainstream churches, and have done so since antiquity (codified at the First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD).  But clearly these beliefs were already widely known and accepted in the Church at the time of the writing of this Gospel by the end of the first century.  Many people today wish to assume that these understandings in today's passage of just who Christ was were things that developed much later in the timeline of Christian history, but the Prologue of John proves that this  is simply not the case at all.  The fact that this widely-ranging expression of just who Christ is came to be included in the Gospel proves that these ideas were already known and accepted at this very early time.  They thus form the bedrock of the faith, and rightly so.  These concepts constitute the understanding of the first disciples, and we may agree with the historic Church that John, this youngest of the disciples, was an old man when his Gospel was written.  In icons, he's often depicted as dictating to one of his spiritual children.  In terms of actual authorship, whether John literally wrote the Gospel, or whether his disciples collected and wrote his teachings matters very little.  This is the testimony of John.  John lived a long life, experiencing persecution and exile.  As such, and as the one who became guardian and "son" to Mary the Mother of God (John19:26), he is the survivor who testifies to us of the fullness of the early Church, through this Gospel, three Epistles, and the Revelation.  Let us pay attention as is due as we read through his Gospel.