For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man

 

 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

 

- John 5:19–29 

 

Yesterday we read that there was a feast of the Jews (the Feast of Weeks, or the Jewish Pentecost, commemorating the giving of the Law), and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool  when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."   Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

 

 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  In yesterday's reading (see above), in the verses just prior to this section, Jesus declared God to be "My Father."  The religious leaders have clearly understood that this implies absolute equality.  That the Son can do nothing of Himself, my study Bible says, proves that His every act and word is in complete unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  It notes that this discourse reveals that the Father and the Son are completely united in nature, will, and action.  So, therefore, the Son fully shares the divine prerogatives of both giving life and executing judgment.  Christ's judgment is based on both faith and works, as the following verses reveal.

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."  Christ says, "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God."   According to my study Bible "the dead" refers both to the spiritually dead, who will find life in Christ, and to the physically dead, who will rise in the general resurrection.  This statement is confirmed when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44) before He goes to His own death.  John 5:24-30 is read at the Orthodox funeral service, which my study Bible says confirms the same reward for those who fall asleep in faith. 

 

 In today's reading, Jesus expands upon the relationship between the Father and the Son, expressing the things they share completely, and even the prerogatives of the Father which have been given to the Son (such as judgment).  In theological language, the state of relations between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is described as "perichoresis."  This is a Greek word which describes how each divine Person can exist within and among one another, sharing all attributes, while maintaining distinct and separate identities as Father, Son, and Spirit.  This word was originally suggested by the great Theologian and early Church Father St. Gregory Nazianzus, who used it to describe the particular union of human and divine natures in Jesus Christ.  Jesus says, "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man."  This utterly remarkable statement seems to combine both of these applications of periochoresis.  That is, Jesus not only states the life of the Father as granted to the Son, but also that the authority to execute judgment comes because He is the Son of Man.  That is, He is the divine Son who has come into this world as Incarnate human being.  But perhaps the most important thing we take away from this understanding is the sense of love that underpins all that is, and the workings of the Holy Trinity as well as the inner life of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man.  This kind of mutual sharing without diminishing the distinction between the Divine Persons nor between Christ's divine and human natures teaches us, in fact, about the love that undergirds the structure of reality as created by God.  And, of course, Christ's own hypostatic union of God and man in Himself lends itself to our own journey of faith and the possibility of grace permeating and transforming us as well, as we might also take on characteristics of the divine, the things St. Paul alluded to when he defined the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  Christ's Incarnation has in turn made it possible for us also to share in union with Him; indeed, with God.  Indeed, this applies even to the Church as community, for she is the Bride of Christ the Bridegroom.  It gives us pause even to understand the holiness of matrimony, and what it means that "two become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).  All of this is about love, the "founding principle" we might say, of all that is, of God's very existence as well as God's creation.  St. John gives us these statements by Christ teaching us about this essential reality of God.  In his First Epistle, he is the one who writes for us that "God is love" (1 John 4:8).  This is the truth behind the words Christ speaks, His revelation to all of us of Father and Son and the relation therein.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.   Today the lectionary begins the Gospel of John.  John's is often called the most "spiritual" of the Gospels, as it is suffused with the theological underpinnings of our understanding of Christ, and also of the Trinity.  Its prologue, which comprises today's entire reading, begins with the beginning, so to speak, teaching us about the Word that became Incarnate.  It begins with the answer to all the questions about Christ.  In the beginning takes us back to Genesis, but this creation story speaks of the Creator Himself.  But Genesis spoke of the first creation, my study bible says, while this Prologue of John reveals the new creation in Christ.  It's also the beginning before the beginning, for the Word already was; the Word is the eternal Son of God.  The "was" placed here indicates that which already existed before the beginning, without beginning.  There is no reference here to a starting point.  Logos/Word may mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word."  All of these are attributes of the Son of God.  That the word was with God tells us that the Word, the Son of God, is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  He Himself is God with the same divinity as the Father.

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.   The Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1;  Psalm 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2) and is not merely an instrument or servant used by the Father.  Will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, my study bible explains.  Therefore, the heavens and the earth are the works of the One who made them; while the Son was not made but is eternally begotten of the Father.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  My study bible tells us that only God has life in Himself.  Therefore, the Word, being God, is the source of life, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  John writes that the life was the light of men (of human beings, as the word in Greek, anthropos, literally means), introducing humankind as receiver of the divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, believers themselves become children of the light (12:36, Ephesians 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  My study bible tells us that Moses saw the divine light in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2), the whole nation saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21), Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision (Isaiah 6:1-5), and three apostles saw it at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5).

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.   Darkness is an indication of both spiritual ignorance and also satanic opposition to the light.  My study bible explains that those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and strive to keep others ignorant as well (3:19).  It's important that we understand that the word which is well-translated as comprehend similarly means in the original Greek to both "understand" and to "overcome" or "take in."  Therefore, darkness can never overpower the light of Christ, nor is it capable of understanding the way of love.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.   This John is John the Baptist, also called Forerunner, who bore witness to the Light, who is Christ.

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.   My study bible says that Christ offers light to every person, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive Him.  Therefore, they can neither know nor recognize Him.  Those who accept Him have His light.  In many Eastern Churches, the hymn after the Gospel reading and communion is sung:   "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit."  The right to become children of God:  the word for right means also "authority."  But it indicates a gift from God, and not an inalienable right such as may be thought of in a legal document such as those of a Constitution of a state.  Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7) and by grace inherit what Christ is by nature (see 2 Peter 1:1-11).  To believe in His name is to believe and trust in Him who in His humanity took the name Jesus as Word, Son, Messiah, and Savior.  Adoption as a child of God, my study bible tells us, is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as it was in the Old Testament, nor are we children of God only by natural birth (the will of the flesh), nor by our own decision (the will of man).  To become a child of God is a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  It is accomplished and manifested in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (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 manner in which the Son and Word of God came to His people (as told in verses 9-11, above), and points specifically to the Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God, my study bible says.  He assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality.  That is, all that pertains to humanity without sin.  As God and Man in one Person, Christ "pours His divinity into all of human nature, for anything not assumed by Christ would not have been healed," my study bible tells us, paraphrasing St. Gregory of Nazianzus.  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt (or "tabernacled" or "tented") in the ark of the covenant and later in the temple.  But now, the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself.  Christ's glory refers to both His divine power shown by signs and wonders (2:11; 11:4, 40) and also to His humble service to human beings, which was shown most fully and perfectly on the Cross (12:23-32; 13:31).  In each way, Christ reveals that He is the One who is sent from the Father.  That He is the only begotten of the Father tells us that although He has no beginning in time as we experience it, He has the Father as His source from eternity.  He is called "only begotten" because there is no other who is born from the Father.  (The Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through another mystery which is called "procession" -- see 15:26.)   Full of grace and truth qualifies both the Word and His glory.  Grace, my study bible explains, is Christ's uncreated energy which is given to us through His love and mercy.  Truth includes His faithfulness to His promises and covenants and to the reality of His words and gifts.

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  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 notes that in saying we have all received of His fullness, the Scriptures confirm that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  The Greek theological term for this is "Theosis."   In Christ, God's children become gods by grace (10:34-35), without ceasing to be human.  A traditional metaphor to this process is metal that is thrust into fire:  it takes on the properties of fire, such as heat and light, without ceasing to be metal.  Just the same, 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.  That no one has seen God at any time tells us that no one can see the nature or essence of God (to see God is to die - Exodus 33:20).  Only One such as Christ, who is divine Himself, can see God; therefore the Son is the only One who can declare Him.  This revelation of God's energies may be received by the faithful; Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23), Isaiah saw His glory (see Isaiah 6:1, John 12:41). 

The Prologue to John's Gospel gives us the theology of the Church, the foundation upon which it stands, with Christ not only as its center, but also at the center of the history of humanity and all of Creation.  It is this foundation upon which all else is built.  Let us give consideration to how these words shape and define the lives we live today, the lens through which we see our own strengths and struggles, light and darkness, and that which we seek for ourselves, and our communities, even for our world.  He was, in the beginning, and so the Scriptures testify, He is the one who has been with us from the beginning.   Let us remember that John's Gospel is also the Gospel of Love, as it is John who repeatedly gives us Jesus' new commandment for all of us:  "Love one another."  This, too, is part of the light that is the life of men, and that those who live in darkness cannot see nor comprehend.