Come and see

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

 

- John 1:43-51

 

Yesterday we read about the second and third day given in the Gospel of St. John.  On this day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.   And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  My study Bible comments here that no deceit means both having a pure heart and being straightforward with others.  

 

  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  It is not given to us what exactly happened under the fig tree (just as Christ's introduction to Philip is not detailed either).  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible reports, this was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and Jesus here is praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in is search for the Messiah.  (See also Psalm 32:2, for this phrase of praise.)  Christ's foreknowledge and His ability to see into Nathanael's heart stir him to this confession of faith.  

 

Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."   And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  My study Bible explains that the title Son of Man is a title of the Messiah that had a level of mystery in its meaning, indicating a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:13-14).  In an Old Testament prophecy, Jacob saw in a dream a ladder connecting earth to heaven, upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15).  Jesus is this "ladder" uniting earth and heaven, and is therefore this Son of Man.  In today's reading, we are given the fourth day of Christ's public ministry.  Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael, who see Christ as the true Light; the One who was revealed in the Old Testament, a lesser light.  According to my study Bible, this is a parallel to the fourth day of creation, in which was established the lesser and greater lights governing the night and the day respectively in Genesis 1:14-19.  

 

Jesus says of Nathanael, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  As we begun reading St. John's Gospel on Monday, from its beginning (the Prologue, or the first 18 verses; see Monday's reading and commentary) we have remarked upon the power of identity that is present as a theme in this Gospel.  Important, and essential, is not just Jesus' identity as Christ, both fully human and fully divine, but also the understanding necessary to our faith that Jesus has come Incarnate into the world in order to restore us to our true identity, our true humanity -- for, as St. Gregory Nazianzus teaches, what His divinity touches is healed, restored.  And this, in a nutshell, is the key to salvation.  It, in fact, is our salvation.  For even death, the last enemy, was trampled by Christ's death, crucified on the Cross for us so that we might be with Him (John 17:24).  Key to Christ's identity as Son of Man, and also to our identity -- which is only true found in Him and through Him -- is that He is the "knower of hearts" (John 2:23-25; Acts 1:24).  For, as Creator, who has made us in God's image and likeness, He has come to restore our true nature to us, lost through what is termed the "fallenness" of our world; that is, the effects of sin in our world and the struggles we therefore inherit and are born into.  But through the Incarnation, He brings His divinity to our humanity to restore us, to "save" us.  And this is what He sees in Nathanael.  When we hear Nathanael ask, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" it may sound like an off-hand insult to us, but in reality Nathanael knows that the Christ was not prophesied to come from Nazareth, or even the region of Galilee, and this is what his question is given in reference to.  But Nathanael is also one not to be pulled into something without discerning what it's all about first; he's what we might call a "straight shooter."  That is, one who's mouth speaks from the heart.  And this is a kind of purity that Jesus admires, calling Nathanael "an Israelite indeed."  Interestingly, Philip responds with just the words that will appeal to a straight shooter who needs to see for himself, "Come and see."  (Also intriguing is that these are Christ's words to Andrew, Simon, and the unnamed disciple from yesterday's reading, when He's asked by them where He's staying, "Come and see.")  Coincidentally, today is the Feast of the Transfiguration, in which Jesus plainly showed to His disciples who He truly is, His divine identity in all His glory.  In this perhaps we can all understand that every one of us is invited to "come and see," to find the life in Christ for ourselves, to be touched by His grace and healed, even as these disciples will grow into greater faith and dependence upon Christ throughout the rest of their lives.  For the Lord has come to dwell with us (and within us), so that we may learn to depend upon Him and grow into the grace that grows in us, weaning away what does not serve God's purposes and building in us that true image and likeness He has come to lead us into through participation in His life.  Let us also "come and see" for ourselves.

 

Behold! The Lamb of God

Baptism of Christ, 15th cent. Kythera, Greece.  Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens, Greece (author photo)

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.   And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

- John 1:29-42 

 

 In yesterday's reading, the Gospel told us the testimony of John the Baptist, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am  'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"   John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  My study Bible explains that John's declaring Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  Christ is the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, who offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make his declaration, and thereby stop anyone from thinking that Jesus needed baptism to wash away sins.  

 

"This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  That the Spirit remained upon Him was a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity, my study Bible says.  Christ did not receive the Holy Spirit at His Baptism.  We are to understand that this vision seen by John revealed the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested upon Christ.  Here in this second day given in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist declares that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which is greater than the Baptist's own baptism of repentance, performed with only water on earth.  This parallels the separation of water above from the water below on the second day in Genesis 1:6-8.  

 

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.   And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  Christ's first disciples had been first followers of St. John the Baptist.  They were Andrew; Simon, also known as Peter or Cephas (both mentioned in today's reading); Philip; Nathanael (who was also known as Bartholomew), whom we shall find in tomorrow's reading; and also an unnamed disciple here.  The unnamed disciple is said by some patristic authors to be St. John who is the author of this Gospel.  It was a common literary device, my study Bible says, for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13-27, in which St. Luke mentions only the name of Cleopas of the two disciples).  These verses give us the third day of St. John's Gospel, in which John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ takes in to be His own, one of whom is declared to be the foundation of the Church (see Matthew 16:18).  My study Bible says that this parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  

 

 In today's reading, we see the unfolding beginnings of Christ's public ministry.  Everything begins with a kind of hand off from the Old Testament to the New, in which the disciples of St. John the Baptist are guided to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, and in this sense, given to Him to become His disciples.  It is an opening up, a new beginning, and also a kind of glorious fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah.  Appropriately, this happens through St. John the Baptist, the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.  At the same time, we compare the fulfillment of the Baptist's mission with the new birth of Christ's public ministry in the form of these fledgling disciples of Christ.  We get a taste of Jesus' divinity in that He gives Simon the name of Cephas, which translated into Greek is Πετρος/Petros, rendered "Peter" in English.  In some sense, the Church is being born right here, in this renaming of Simon by Christ.  We can take this understanding of the birth of something as a parallel to the ways in which Christ and our faith in Him will work in our own lives.  We may come to faith in a particular way, perhaps in our Baptism, but just like the Church that is seemingly "born" in this renaming of Simon, we also must grow into the fullness of faith throughout our lives, unfolding as a way, a journey, something which is being grown and renewed within us day by day as we grow in reliance upon God, and are transfigured through our faith.  This is a lifetime journey, even as the Church continues in its journey upon earth throughout this age.  So we meet these first disciples, and with proper gratitude to St. John the Baptist who has prepared them for and guided them to the Christ, even as we are all hopefully on the road to the wedding feast of our Bridegroom.  He is the one who comes to them as Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and is the Son of God.

 

 

 

 

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

 

Christ Pantocrator, Aghia Sophia Cathedral, Constantinople

 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 that 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 as 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 is 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 verses of St. Matthew's Gospel:  While the women were going from the empty tomb to tell the disciples the news of the Resurrection, 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.  In the beginning, my study Bible tells us, recalls the creation story of Genesis, although this introduction (or Prologue to St. John's Gospel, as our entire reading is known), speaks more clearly of the Creator Himself.  Also, while Genesis spoke of the first creation, the Prologue reveals the new creation in Christ.  Was the Word (in Greek, Λογος/Logos):  The Word is the eternal Son of God.  My study Bible explains that "was" indicates existence without reference to a starting point, and it emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  Logos can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word," and all of these are attributes of the Son of God.  It can also mean "principle."  The Word was with God:  "With" shows that the Word (that is, the Son of God) is a distinct Person from the Father, and that He is 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.  As my study Bible explains, He Himself is God with the same divinity as the Father.  There are those who twist and mistranslate this phrase "the word was a god" in order to promote the heresy that the Son of God is a created being, a creature not fully divine.  But this translation is false, unsupportable, dishonest, and deceptive.  

 

He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  This shows that the Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2).  He is not simply an instrument or servant who is used by the Father.  My study Bible 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 is not made but rather eternally begotten of the Father.  

 

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  Only God has life in Himself, my study Bible explains.  So, 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 St. John the Evangelist introduces humankind as the receiver of divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, believers themselves may 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 of Israel saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21); Isaiah saw it in his vision of heaven (Isaiah 6:1-5); and three apostles saw this at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5).  

 

 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  Here darkness indicates both spiritual ignorance and also satanic opposition to the light.  Those who hate truth, according to my study Bible, prefer ignorance for themselves and they strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).  This word that is translated as comprehend means both to "understand" and to "overcome."  So, 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 that Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  The man sent from God is St. John the Baptist.  The author of our Gospel is not the same man; he is known as St. John the Apostle, and also as St. John the Evangelist.  He is the writer of this Gospel, three Epistles that bear his name, and the Revelation.  

 

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world as 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 every person, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive Him.  So, therefore, they can neither know nor recognize Him.   Those who accept Him, it says, have His light.  There is an Orthodox hymn sung at the end of the Divine Liturgy, after the Gospel is heard and communion is received; it states, "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 tells us that right also means "authority" and 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) and by grace they inherit everything Christ is by nature.  My study Bible adds that 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 decent (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 decisions (the will of man).  To become a child of God is a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible tells us that 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 is glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  My study Bible indicates that the Word became flesh is a clarification of the manner in which the Son and Word of God came to His people, and points specifically to the Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  Christ assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion -- even mortality -- that is, everything that pertains to humanity except sin.  As God and Man in one Person, my study Bible says, Christ pours divinity into all of human nature, for, as stated by St. Gregory Nazianzus, anything not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  He dwelt among us:  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt (literally "tabernacled" or "tented") 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 both to Christ's divine power shown by His signs and wonders (John 2:11; 11:4, 40), and also to His humble service to humankind, which was shown most perfectly on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  He is the only begotten of the Father:  The Son has no beginning, but He has the Father as His source from eternity.  My study Bible says that He is called "only" begotten because there is no other born from the Father.  (The Holy Spirit exists also eternally from the Father through a difference mystery which is called "procession"; see John 15:26.)  He is full of grace and truth:  this phrase is a qualifier to both the Word and His glory.  "Grace" is Christ's uncreated energy given to us through His love and mercy.  "Truth," my study Bible explains, includes Christ's faithfulness to His promises and covenants and also to the reality of His words and gifts.  

 

 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.  In saying that we have all received of His fullness, the Scripture is confirming that grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it, my study Bible tells us.  In Christ, God's children become gods by grace (John 10:34-35), without ceasing to be human.  My study Bible cites a classic patristic example:  as metal thrust into fire takes on properties of fire (such as heat and light) without ceasing to be metal, so human nature permeated by God can take on properties of the divine nature.  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.  No one has seen God at any time:  It is understood 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, my study Bible says, and so therefore the Son is the only One who can declare Him.  This revelation of God's energies, it notes, 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).  

 

Embedded in this Prologue to St. John's Gospel, and indicated throughout my study Bible's notes here, is the concept famously declared by St. Athanasius and other Church Fathers, that God became man so that human beings can become "gods."  As explained by my study Bible, we see clearly within this Prologue which explains who is Jesus Christ exactly, we read of the Incarnation as that which makes possible the fullness of healing of human beings.  We should keep in mind that this healing (such as is found in the prophecy by Isaiah which is importantly repeated by Jesus in John 12:39-41 and elsewhere) is a healing of the fullness of our true nature.  ["He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them."]  That is, not according to the nature which is purely worldly or understood only through earthly standards.  That prophecy cited by Jesus was a direct appeal to faith, a perception of spiritual eyes and ears which in turn sparks the necessary repentance to come to Christ and find this healing, this salvation.  Just as St. John begins with "in the beginning" sparking our memory of Genesis and the creation story, so we must also understand that we, as creations, are made in the image and likeness of God, as is told in Genesis 1:26-27.  So our salvation, if we take these words seriously in this prologue written by St. John, the close friend "whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23), is found in regaining our true nature according to Christ; that is, according to the way in which we were created.  That is, in the image and likeness of God.  This is not about perfect physical health of a worldly kind, but a healing of our natures in accordance with the true nature in which we were created to live in this world.  It is, thereby, an undoing of sin, salvation through the divinity of Christ allied to humanity, which defeated even death for us.  This is our liberation, our salvation, and deliverance -- and it is for this reason that salvation came into the world through the Incarnation of Christ, who met the evil of this world in all ways and conquered it ultimately through the Cross.  Let us remember that all things are meant to be healed through the divinity of Christ, "for whatever was not assumed would not be healed."  We are meant to fulfill that true image, growing in that likeness, and that is what is meant by being a "child of God" through grace and truth.  So let us find our way through Him with this understanding in mind.  For it is the true light shining in the darkness.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

 

- John 1:43–51 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the second day of Christ's earthly ministry in St. John's Gospel, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.   I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." Again, the next day [the third day given in the Gospel], John the Baptist stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

  The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  In yesterday's reading, we read about the calling of the first disciples, Simon (whom Jesus named Cephas, an Aramaic word meaning A Stone; Petros/Πετρος in the Greek, from which we derive the English name Peter); and then Andrew Simon Peter's brother.  There was another disciple led to Jesus by John the Baptist who was unnamed, and that is often surmised to be St. John, the author of this Gospel (as it was a custom for authors not to speak of themselves).  Here, Jesus calls Philip ("Follow Me") to become His disciple, and Philip found Nathanael.  Nathanael is also known to us as Bartholomew.  

 

  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  My study Bible comments that no deceit means both having a pure heart and also being straightforward with others.  

 

Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."   My study Bible points out that what exactly occurred under the fig tree is not stated.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, this was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and Jesus was praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in his seeking of the Messiah.  Christ's foreknowledge and His ability to see into Nathanael's heart stir this confession of faith.  This is the fourth day given in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael.  My study Bible comments that they now see Christ as the true Light; the One revealed in the Old Testament, a lesser light.  This parallels the establishment of the lesser and greater lights governing the night and the day respectively on the fourth day in Genesis 1:14-19.

 

And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  This title, Son of Man, is a title of the Messiah that, according to my study Bible, had a level of mystery in its meaning.  It indicated a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:13-14).  In an Old Testament prophecy, Jacob dreamed of a ladder which connected earth to heaven, and upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15).  Jesus is the "ladder" who unites earth to heaven, and therefore is this Son of Man.  

 

 In yesterday's reading and commentary we remarked on the building up of Christ's body of disciples, and of His Church.  This is not something that happens overnight, or in some seemingly miraculous or instantaneous way.  In keeping with the reality of Christ's Incarnation, Jesus builds His Church as human beings must build organizations and communities.  These first disciples, in fact, come one by one, and not as an entire group.  They are first called in a way that is distinctly personal.  That is, Christ's first disciples come by way of John the Baptist, and they were first disciples of the Baptist.  In yesterday's reading (see above), this is made clear as John twice refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God and testifies to his disciples about Him.  John the Baptist explicitly directs two of his disciples to Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God!" making it clear that He is the Christ.  These first two were Andrew and an unnamed disciple, often understood to be the Evangelist John himself.  From there Andrew found his brother Simon, whom we know as Peter after the name given him by Christ.  Following this (the next day) Jesus Himself found Philip, and called him, saying "Follow Me."  At this juncture, let us note the connections that happen one by one in this story.  There is John the Baptist, who teaches his own disciples about Jesus as the Lamb of God; one of these is Simon Peter.  Simon then finds his brother, Andrew.  From there Jesus finds Philip who has another kind of connection to this first set of brothers; he's from Bethsaida, the same city as Andrew and Simon.  Then Philip himself finds Nathanael and calls him to meet Jesus, saying, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  All of these so far are individual actions, pulling people together one by one.  They are personal in nature.  There are connections between these people besides their discipleship to John the Baptist:  two are brothers, another is from the same town as the brothers, and clearly Nathanael is a friend already known to Philip.  Then there is a kind of an interesting snag:  Nathanael is skeptical.  What good thing can come out of Nazareth?  Nazareth, the town in Galilee in which Jesus was brought up, was not known for any prophecies regarding holy people, or having a particularly special identity in terms of the spiritual history of Israel.  So Nathanael asks, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"   And Philip responds in an equally level-headed and down to earth way, "Come and see."  He's to find out for himself.  And, of course, Christ responds in a phenomenally positive way to all of this level-headed skepticism:  "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  All of this so far contains within it the most distinctively human elements we can find, of a sort of level-headed honesty we might even call "dull" in others, and a Messiah who praises that very quality for it possesses "no deceit."  There's no flight of fancy or fantasy for Nathanael.  We really cannot get less like the seeming mysterious or miraculous than such a story of gathering these particular people together.  This beginning of Jesus' ministry is as down to earth as it can get.  But then Nathanael immediately comprehends something about Jesus, that Jesus knows him, knows his heart.  Jesus tells him that He saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him, and Nathanael is convinced:  "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  But Jesus assures him, He will see much, much greater things than this.  He tells him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  This is a far more profound understanding of the Messiah than even the popular expectations of the Jewish people at the time, far greater than a King of Israel.  But Nathanael is rewarded for precisely his down to earth honesty, his complete lack of pretense.  It's a humbly human story, with disciples called one by one, not a mass of people convinced by something miraculous and stupendous in its effect, and a story that is built through a very personal faith which acts in the heart, a knowing of the soul, a recognition.  All of these very human elements in this story are a necessary part of the Incarnation, God's chosen way to make Himself know to His people.  And yet, hidden in plain sight, so to speak, is the very Ladder dreamt of by Joseph, upon whom the angels of God ascend and descend.  Jesus does not come into the world with great fanfare, with huge displays of power, with an overwhelming compulsion for people to follow Him or to do what He says.  He comes out of Nazareth relatively "unknown," but identified by the Holy Spirit to John the Baptist -- and from there, in this intimate personal way, his followers grow one by one, as called by Him, and led by the Baptist who prepared the way.  For this is our very human story, which contains the Creator, the Son of Man and Lord of all that is, Whom we also may carry with us in our human hearts (Revelation 3:20).

 

 

 

Behold the Lamb of God!

 

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.   I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

- John 1:(29–34) 35–42 

 

Yesterday we read the beginning of Christ's public ministry, which begins with the testimony of John the Baptist.  Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

 

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."   My study Bible comments that John's declaring Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  Christ is the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, and He offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  According to my study Bible, St. John Chrysostom teaches that Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make this declaration, and thereby stop anyone from thinking that Jesus needed baptism to wash away sins. 

 

 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.   I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  That the Spirit remained upon Him, my study Bible says, was a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity.  Christ did not receive the Holy Spirit at His Baptism; this vision which John saw was a revelation of the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested on Christ.  This completes the second day given in St. John's Gospel; as John the Baptist declares that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which is greater than John's own baptism of repentance, which was performed with water on earth.  This is a parallel to the separation of water above from water below on the second day of creation in Genesis 1:6-8.

 

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  Here we are given the third day in St. John's Gospel, in which John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ gathers to be His own, one of whom Jesus declares to be the foundation of the Church (see Matthew 16:18).  This parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  These first disciples now called by Christ had been followers of John.  They are Andrew and Simon (also known as Peter, or Cephas).  On the following day (in our next reading), there will be two more disciples called by Jesus.  There is yet another disciple who is unnamed here; according to some patristic commentary he is John the Evangelist himself, author of this Gospel.  My study Bible explains that it was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13).  

 

St. John the Evangelist begins his Gospel with the words "In the beginning," paralleling Genesis and the creation story. What follows his Prologue, so far in this first chapter of his Gospel, is a day by day account of Christ's public ministry.  In so doing, St. John gives us a glimpse into the building of this ministry, and what we notice, just as the Gospel builds this story by approaching it day by day, is that nothing happens simply by fiat.  That is, Christ starts small, and goes step by step.  He doesn't immediately declare the establishment of His Church, although one would consider that Christ, as Second Person of the Trinity and Son, can do anything He wants to.  Instead, just as the story of the Incarnation is essential to our understanding of Christ, Jesus' building of His Church and His public ministry is part of the Incarnation, and, we can extrapolate, the "work" of the Incarnation.  In understanding the purpose of Christ, as God, becoming a human being, the theology of the Church teaches us (notably according to St. Athanasius of Alexandria) that Christ was meant to assume all aspects of humanity in order to bring healing to all aspects of our lives.  This would include the things by which all human endeavors are bound, such as time and space, the communication necessary between people, and perhaps most notably the interpersonal connections shaped in the reality of Creator to creature as manifested through the Incarnation.  Christ, as the Good Shepherd (as He will call Himself) calls to His sheep, and knows them all by name, as they know Him.  See John 10:1-6.  Ironically, when Jesus makes this statement about Himself in chapter 10 of this Gospel, the religious leadership has no idea what He is talking about, but their expectations of the Messiah are all to be confounded in those who lack faith.  But we, through the benefit of the understanding in the mind of the Church, can appreciate that Christ's work in this world is, in particular, the specific work of the Incarnation, meant to take on all aspects of humanity even as Christ remains fully divine, in order to heal the world and fulfill all righteousness.  So, as we readers seek our own understanding of our faith, let us take heart that for our Creator, all aspects of the human experience and the building of His Church are crucially important to assume, and so this teaches us as well that our perfectly human endeavors also may shine with the light of Christ, even as we build what is good in our lives, bit by bit, person by person, drop by drop (so to speak).  Let us hastily admit here that it remains to be seen throughout the reading of this Gospel just how imperfect even these chosen disciples can be in their understanding and reception of His teachings.  When we question our own capacities to build up something in our lives, let us not be impatient with ourselves and with the reality of the nature of life in this world, for even our Lord has done the same, started small, and through His grace and presence enshrined and made holy even the smallest of endeavors.  Let us continue in all ways in our lives to seek to embody the things which Christ teaches us, acting and calling upon His name, His light, to guide us and help us.  Let us remain in His peace, and grow in patience and strength, as we are able (see also Galatians 5:22-23).  May the grace of our Lord inform all our endeavors, even those which don't always work the ways we wanted them to (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

 

 

 

 

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Make straight the way of the LORD"

 

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 

 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Make straight the way of the LORD," '

as the prophet Isaiah said."

 

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 

- John 1:19–28 

 

Yesterday we read what is known as the Prologue of the Gospel according to St. John:   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 into 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. 

 

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  Here the theological Prologue to John's Gospel has finished with the previous verse (see above), and now the focus of the Gospel turns to the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry.  This begins with the witness of St. John the Baptist (John 1:19-34).  We will in turn read of the calling of the first apostles, the first "sign" (of seven) at Cana, and Christ's rest at Capaernaum (John 1:35-51; 2:1-11; 2:12).  Just as the Gospel began by echoing the words of Genesis, with "In the beginning," so we are given seven days in the beginning of Christ's public ministry.  Today's reading includes the events of the "first day," John the Baptist bears witness to the Light -- that is, the Christ -- in the presence of the Jews.  This parallels the creation of light on the first day, my study Bible says, in Genesis 1:3-5.  

 

And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am  'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' as the prophet Isaiah said."  John is a prophet (indeed, he is considered in the Church to be the last and greatest of Old Testament style prophets).  But he is not the Prophet, the Messiah, whose coming was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  Describing himself in response to the questioning of the priests and Levites from Jerusalem, John quotes from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3).

 

 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.  John baptizes for repentance (a traditional call of the prophets), but he does so in preparation for the "One among you whom you do not know."  He points to the Christ, in preparation for Him, but moreover in distinguishing himself from Christ, "whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  While John baptizes for repentance, Christ's baptism will grant remission of sins; John is preparing the people for this future Christian baptism (see Romans 6:3-11).  My study Bible says that John is a figure of the Law in that, like the Law, he denounced sin but could not remit ("put away") sin.  Both John and the Law point to the One who can remit sin.

 

It's very important that John distinguishes himself from the Christ, for this teaches us both about the roles of saints in the whole of the salvation plan of God, and the singular importance of Christ Himself and His own mission and ministry in the world.  John speaks of himself in relation to the Christ, not simply about himself alone, for in all ways we also are to understand ourselves in relation to Christ.  John is called the Forerunner in the traditions of the various Orthodox Churches, because he plays this distinct and important role in preparing people for the Christ.  Indeed, in the theology of the Eastern Church, John the Baptist is understood to have preceded Christ into Hades, preparing the souls there for Christ as well.  John thus knows both who he is (and the role he is to play), and who Christ is, and clarifies this for all the people.  In his own time, John the Baptist was widely revered and recognized by the people as a holy man, yet he will point his disciples to the Christ, as we will read.  As He says of Christ, His "sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  For all who will come to believe in Christ, including us of the present day, John significantly teaches humility before Christ, our proper relationship to Christ as servants.  In this way John has served perpetually as a model for monastics, inspiring the earliest forms of monastic life to those of the present time.  He teaches all believers that our identity, our own place in the salvation history of the world, comes in relation to our place in serving Christ, the particular role we might fulfill in this respect in our own lives, in living our faith and thus finding ultimate purpose through Him.  John the Baptist serves as a model for us in this sense as well, in that this is how we both know who we are, and who the Christ is.  There is also a very distinguishing sense of continuity in the story and role of John the Baptist, in that he is the one figure who fulfills the "handover" from the Old Testament to the New, the one who prepares the people for Christ, the Messiah.  John quotes from Isaiah, in a prophesy regarding himself and his role, and reminds us also that for all the Old Testament prophets, the mission was to prepare the people for the Christ, to turn them back to God.  So we today must also be aware of this continuity, for they all have labored for us to know Christ, and to find ourselves in Him as well.  Let us, in our own hearts and lives, "Make straight the way of the LORD," even if at times we may feel ours is also the voice of one crying in the wilderness.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 into 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 December 20, 2025, we read Christ's parable of Judgment, the last reading given to us before the lectionary readings for the Christmas season began.  Jesus taught, "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 a 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 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.  He was in the beginning with God.  This beginning of the Gospel of John, also understood as its Prologue, begins with a parallel to the creation story of Genesis.  In the beginning, however, is meant to convey here the reality of the Creator.   My study Bible comments that Genesis spoke of the first creation, but in today's reading the new creation in Christ is revealed.  Was the Word (in Greek, Λογος/Logos):  The Word is the eternal Son of God, also understood to be the Second Person of the Trinity.  My study Bible tells us that "Was" indicates existence without reference to a starting point.  It's an emphasis on the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  Logos, moreover, can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action as well as "word," which are all attributes of the Son of God.  The Word was With God:  "With" expresses that the Word, the Son of God, is a distinct Person.  He is also in eternal communion with the Father.  The Word was God:  The Word, the Son of God, is, in the words of my study Bible, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  He is Himself God with the same divinity as the Father.  

 

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  Here my study Bible comments 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 God the Father.  Will, operation, and power are one, it notes, in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  So, the heavens and the earth are the works of the One who made them, while the Son was not made (He is not a creature) but is eternally begotten of the Father.  

 

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  Only God has life in Himself, notes my study Bible. 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 the divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, my study Bible comments, so believers themselves become children of the light (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Some examples given by my study Bible:  Moses saw the divine light in the burning bush; the whole nation saw it at the Red Sea; Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision; and three apostles saw it at the Transfiguration (Exodus 3:2; Exodus 13:21; Isaiah 6:1-5; Matthew 17:1-5).   

 

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. My study Bible comments that darkness indicates both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light.  It notes that those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).  The word which is translated as comprehend means both to "understand" and to "overcome."  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.  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 into His own, and His own did not receive Him.   Here the Gospel refers to John the Baptist (not the author of the Gospel).  As indicated by the previous verses, the true Light is Christ.  Christ offers light to every person, my study Bible says, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive Him; so they can neither know nor recognize Him.  Those who accept Him have His light, my study Bible comments.  In the Liturgy of the Orthodox Church, after hearing the Gospel and receiving communion, a hymn declares, "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:  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 comments that right also means "authority," and that this indicates a gift from God, not an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7), it notes, 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.  To be adopted as a child of God, my study Bible explains, is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood); nor are we children of God by natural birth (the will of the flesh), nor by our own decision (the will of man).  To become a child of God occurs through 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.  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 God's people (verses 9-11), and it points specifically to Christ's Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  Christ assumed complete human nature, my study Bible says:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality -- everything that pertains to humanity except sin.  As God and Man in one Person, Christ pours divinity into all of human nature, for anything not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  Dwelt among us:  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt ("tabernacled" or "tented" literally 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 Christ's divine power shown by the signs and wonders of His ministry (John 2:11; 11:4, 40), and to Christ's humble service to human beings, shown most perfectly on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  In each way, Christ reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  My study Bible explains that the Son has no beginning, but has the Father as His source from eternity.  Christ is called "only" begotten because there is none other born fro 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:  My study Bible indicates that this phrase qualifies both "the Word" and "His glory."  Grace, it says, is Christ's uncreated energy given to us through His love and mercy.  Truth includes Christ's faithfulness to His promises and covenants and to the reality of His words and gifts.  

 

 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.  In saying that we have all received of His fullness, my study Bible explains, the Scriptures confirm that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  In Christ, God's children become gods by grace (see John 10:34-35) without ceasing to be human.  There is an ancient patristic commentary, describing an image of this process as akin to shaping metal in fire.  Metal thrust into fire takes on the properties of fire (such as heat and light), but it does not cease to be metal.  In the same way, 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.  My study Bible says that no one has seen God at any time means 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 so therefore, the Son is the only One who can declare God to us.  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).  

 

Today's reading, and the notes from my study Bible, make it clear to us that our faith often depends upon a particular way of seeing Scripture.  I write "seeing" Scripture in the sense that words act like icons, particularly in Scripture.  The importance of each word emphasizes what we are told about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Second Person of the Holy Trinity.  We are told, for example, that Jesus is the Word, the Logos (Λογος in Greek).   But this word (meaning Word), Logos, has several meanings in Greek.  The thing that may be hard for us to take in (for we in the West are used to thinking in ways that ask for precise or limited meaning), is that Logos can mean all of these things at once, and that they are all true of Christ (as my study Bible noted).  This is true of several words simply in today's Prologue to John's Gospel, such as the word translated as "comprehend" (in the darkness did not comprehend it).  The word in the Greek text can mean both to understand and to take in, or overcome.  Both are true, and fortunately in this case, the English word "comprehend" substitutes nicely, as it also can indicate both.  What we may need to get used to, if we are to think in terms of symbol or icon as applied to words in Scripture, is that all meanings may be true at once, and without contradiction.  Simply taking the first verse, or first sentence, of John's Gospel, teaches us about reading words as symbols or icons, full of meanings.   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God asks us to consider many things, including what "the beginning" can mean when it applies to God and precedes time, which was itself created by God.  We also need to consider what it means that "in the beginning" the Word was with God, as my study Bible also explained in its notes mentioned above.  Before time, before all ages,  before creation, the Son was with God, equally divine, of the same essence.  And, finally, the Word was God.  Father, Son, and Spirit are God the Holy Trinity, three Divine Persons, indivisible -- for where One is, there are the Others also.  These things imply a depth hard to understand, and beyond our own capacity to know in the depth that God knows who God is.  But the words -- used as icons in Scripture -- imply this depth for us, give us a sense of who God is, and of course, who Christ is (which is the purpose of this Prologue to the Gospel).  Words as symbol or icon convey much more in the mind of the Church, and the understanding of Scripture, than the word "symbol" as commonly used means to us today.  In the Greek historic understanding of "symbol" is contained much more than simply a label or image without substance in an d of itself.  Like the icons of saints we might encounter in an Orthodox Church, or a symbol such as a flag or an official badge indicating rank or office (like a police officer's badge), these symbols or icons open a door to more meaning, to a substance we perceive and may behold, and within which we act in accordance to that meaning and relationship to the object we behold.  For example, a flag of a country might mean certain things in one context, but to observe someone burning that flag might mean we experience a visceral sense of destructive intent to our country.  The flag, as symbol, is much more than simply a label.  The Word is so much more than simply a name for Christ, but an indicator of the One who co-created with God the Father, speaking all things into existence (as in the commands of God which created all the cosmos which we find in Genesis 1, such as "Let there be light" in Genesis 1:3).  The Word itself conveys the idea that it is Christ who gives all things meaning, that He is the substance behind all things, and come into the world to assume human life in order to heal all things, to set right, and to open the door to us to dwell in His Kingdom in righteousness, even as Christ is also the Judge.  All of these things combine in this divine Name, the Word, the Logos, to teach us who Christ is whom we revere and worship, who shows us the way, and who loves us and teaches us what love is and how to live it.  Christ the Word is also more than our Creator, but also our Savior, giving us meaning and life, and ultimate purpose for our own lives.  This Prologue to John's Gospel gives us a perspective that orients us to the deeply spiritual understanding that pervades this particular Gospel (and other writings ascribed to St. John), and what is called a Johannine perspective, essential to Orthodox theology.  As we read through the Gospel according to St. John, we will have more occasion to view the story of Jesus Christ through this particular lens.