And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace

 

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

 

- John 1:1-18 

 

On Saturday, we read the final passage in Matthew's Gospel:   While the women at the tomb were leaving to tell the disciples what happened and the message of Christ to meet in Galilee, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.  When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.'  And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure."  So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.  Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.  

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Thus begins John's Gospel.  John the Evangelist and Apostle also holds the title of Theologian, and these first verses bear witness to the reason for that title, at once revealing the depth of this particular Gospel.  In the beginning is meant for us to recall the creation story of Genesis, but in this case John speaks more clearly of the Creator rather than the creation.  My study Bible explains that John's Prologue (the entirety of today's text, John 1:1-18) reveals the "new creation" in Christ.  Was the Word:  In Greek "Word" is Logos.  The Word is the eternal Son of God.  "Was" as used here indicates existence without reference to a starting point.  My study Bible explains that it emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  Logos can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word," all of which are attributes of the Son of God.  The Word was with God:  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.  My study Bible notes that the Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2) and not simply an instrument or servant "used" by the Father.  Will, operation, and power therefore are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Therefore, the heavens and the earth are the works are the One who made them.  The Son, in contrast, was not made but rather is eternally begotten of the Father.  

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  Only God has life in Himself; all of creation derives life from God.  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:  My study Bible comments that John now introduces humankind as the receiver of the divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, believers may themselves become children of the light (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Moses saw the divine light in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2); the whole nation saw it at the Red Sea (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.  As Christ is the light, so darkness is a word meant to indicate both spiritual ignorance and also satanic opposition to the light.  My study Bible explains that those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves, and they strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).  The word which is translated into English as comprehend means both to "understand" and to "overcome" -- just as the expression to "take in" can mean both.  Therefore, darkness cannot possibly 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.  This John mentioned here is John the Baptist, disciples of whom became Christ's first disciples, among whom is the author of this Gospel.  The Light is Christ; while John the Baptist was sent to bear witness to Christ (see John 1:29-37).

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  My study Bible says that Christ offers light to every person, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive  Him; therefore they can neither know nor recognize Him.  Those who accept Him has His light.  In many Orthodox traditions, the hymn sung after hearing the Gospel and receiving communion reflects the receipt of this light.  The Eastern Orthodox sing, "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit."  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the communion hymn includes, "Draw near to the Lord and take ye the light."

 

 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: . . .  My study Bible explains that right also means "authority" and indicates 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 inherit everything that Christ is by nature (St Peter writes that we may be "partakers of the divine nature"; see 2 Peter 1:3, 4).  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 descent (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 decision (the will of man).  To become a child of God is a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is accomplished and manifested in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (John 3:4-8; see Titus 3:4-7).  

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  My study Bible notes that the Word became flesh clarifies the manner in which the Son and Word of God came to God's people (verses 9-11), and points specifically to the Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  He assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality.  That is, everything that pertains to humanity except sin.  As God and human in one person, my study Bible emphasizes, Christ pours divinity into all of human nature, for anything not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  ("What has not been assumed has not been healed; it is what is united to his divinity that is saved. . ." Gregory of Nazianzus, Epistle 101.)  The Word . . . dwelt among us:  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt ("tabernacled"; literally "tented" 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 His divine power which was shown by His signs and wonders (John 2:11; 11:4, 40), and also His humble service to humankind, most perfectly shown on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  In both ways, Christ reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  As noted above, the Son has no beginning ("In the beginning was the Word"), but the Father is the source of the Son from eternity.  Christ is called only begotten because there is no other born from the Father.  (The Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through another mystery called "procession"; see John 15:26.)  Full of grace and truth:  This is a phrase which my study Bible says qualifies both "the Word" and "His glory."  Grace is what is called Christ's uncreated energy which is given to us through His love and mercy.    Truth, it says, includes Christ's faithfulness to His promises and covenants and to the reality of His words and gifts.  Again, John here is John the Baptist, who declared of Christ that He is preferred before me (John 1:15, 27, 30).

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  In saying that we have all received of His fullness, my study Bible says, the Scriptures confirm that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it (again, refer to 2 Peter 1:3, 4; see also for example St. Paul's reference to fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23).  In Christ, my study Bible explains, God's children become gods by grace (John 10:34-35) without ceasing to be human.  A traditional image of this process is the example of metal thrust into fire:  it takes on the properties of fire (such as heat and light) but it does not cease to be metal; so human nature permeated by God takes on properties of the divine nature.  Thus is born holy people, saints, saintliness.  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.  That no one has seen God at any time indicates that no one can see the full nature, or essence, of God -- for to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  That is, only One who is equally divine can fully see or behold God (that is, another Person of the Trinity); therefore the Son is the only One who can declare God to us.  This revelation of God's energies, my study Bible explains, 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).  

Thus reads the Prologue to John's Gospel, and thus (as explained through the notes in my study Bible) the Church has historically understood and received these Scriptures in order to tell us about Christ, about the Incarnation, and the fullness of Jesus Christ.  Therefore we understand why a historical title, given to very few as formal title, for John the Apostle and Evangelist is also Theologian -- because this Scripture helps us to understand God, and in particular, God as revealed through the story of Jesus Christ and witnessed through His "beloved disciple" for us.  John speaks as witness when he writes that 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, and that of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  Together with John the Baptist, the rest of the disciples and those who knew Christ, and we believers who follow, John our Evangelist speaks the voice of witness for himself, his fellow disciples, and for all believers, in some sense.  For to the extent that we have experienced, through our own faith, this grace of Christ, and the light of life that vivifies us, makes possible transcendent acceptance and grace, surprises us with fruit of the Spirit such as unexpected joy or forbearance or forgiveness -- then we have all received, grace for grace.  This is the power of the metal thrust into the flame:  the experiential life of faith, the Light that has produced countless saints whom we can't number and whom we don't all know, our own moments when prayer helped us get through things we didn't think we'd survive with sanity intact, or a light of love that shone to guide us through a personal hell of any kind, even sometimes teaching us that sacrifice is neither impossible nor, in the end, diminishing -- but rather expanding to our sense of who we are.  Let us join with these witnesses, the witness of the Gospel, the voice that speaks for the faithful, in journeying through the gospel of the beloved disciple, and hopefully expanding our faith as we do so.

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 its new cycle with the beginning of the Gospel of John.  This "beginning" is known as the Prologue, and it begins by introducing us to God the Word, the only-begotten eternal Son.  The other three Gospels (called the Synoptic Gospels) speak chronologically of the life and ministry of Jesus, but John's Gospel gives us right from the beginning the theological orientation of the early Church.  That is, by the time this Gospel was written, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was understood in His divine identity, and not only in the human identity of Jesus.  Therefore, an understanding of both at once is necessary to the story of Christ.  In the beginning, my study bible says, reminds us of the story of creation in Genesis.  Genesis spoke of the first creation, but this Prologue given in today's reading (verses 1-18) reveals the new creation in Christ.  It tells us first off that in the beginning was the Word, which is Logos in the Greek.  The Word is the eternal Son of God.  The word was as written here indicates an existence without reference to a starting point -- that is, the Word exists eternally without beginning.  In the beginning, the Word already was.  Logos can take on many meanings from Greek history and literature:  it can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word."  Each of these meanings are attributes of the Son of God.  The Word was with God:  The Word, who is 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.  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.  My study bible notes here that the Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalms 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2), and not an instrument or servant used by the Father.  It says that will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Therefore the heavens and earth are the works of the One who made them, while the Son was not made but is, rather, eternally begotten of the Father.  Moreover, the text tells us, only God has life in Himself.  Therefore, the Word, who is God, is the source of life, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The life was the light of men:  My study bible points out to us that John now introduces humankind as receiver of divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, believers become children of the light (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 (John, the author of this Gospel, his brother James, and Peter) saw it at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5).  Darkness is an indication of both spiritual ignorance and also satanic opposition to the light, my study bible tells us.  Those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and they also strive to keep others ignorant (3:19); this is true both of worldly and spiritual forces of darkness.  The important contextual word that is translated as comprehend means in Greek (as it does in English) both to "understand" and to "overcome."  It is akin to the expression to "take in."  Therefore, darkness can never overpower the light of Christ, my study bible says, nor can it understand the way of love.  As we read the story of Jesus and even come to know our own journey of faith, these are important things to keep in mind.

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.  John here is John the Baptist (not the attributed author of the Gospel).  My study bible notes for us 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.  The first "His own" indicates His own things or domain, and the second indicates His own people.  Those who accept Him, my study bible says, have His light.  In Orthodox liturgies, after receiving communion, a hymn proclaims, "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 explains here that right also means "authority" and that it indicates a gift from God, not an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ, it says, become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7) and by grace they inherit everything Christ is by nature.  (That is, we were endowed with the capacity to become more "like God"; see Genesis 1:26, and also the "fruit of the Spirit" given by St. Paul in Galatians 5:22-23, and 2 Peter 1:1-11.)  Adoption as a child of God, my study bible adds, is neither a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as in the Old Testament; and neither are we children of God by natural birth alone (the will of the flesh); nor does it come 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.  This clearly suggests its accomplishment and manifestation in the sacrament of Holy Baptism, but it also remains a lifelong process (see 3:5-8, and Titus 3:4-7).

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' "    My study bible says that the Word became flesh is a clarification of the way in which the Son and Word of God came to His people (as indicated in the verses above), and it points specifically to Christ's Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God, it notes here.  God the Son assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion, even mortality; that is, everything that pertains to humanity with the exception of sin.  As Christ is God and Man in one Person, He pours divinity into all human nature -- for anything which was not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  We are to understand that the entirety of this great central spiritual event of world history is for healing and salvation, a gift to us.  That He dwelt among us is a translation of a Greek word that literally means "tabernacled."  Similarly to the way in which God's presence dwelt in the ark of the covenant, and later in the temple, so Christ was in the world:  the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself.  My says also that His glory refers both to Christ's divine power that was shown in His signs and wonders (2:11; 11:4, 40), but also to His humble service to human beings, which was shown most perfectly on the Cross (12:23-32; 13:31).  In both ways, it is revealed by Christ that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  My study bible notes that the Son has no beginning, but rather has the Father as His source from eternity.  It says that He is called only begotten because there is no other born from the Father.  (In the understanding of the historical Church, the Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through another mystery which is called "procession" -- see 15:26).  To be full of grace and truth modifies both "the Word" and also "His glory."  Grace, my study bible explains, we are to understand as Christ's uncreated energy, which is given to us through His love and mercy.  Truth includes both His faithfulness to His promises and covenants, as well as to the reality of His words and gifts. 

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  My study bible notes that in saying we have all received of His fullness, the Scriptures are confirming that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  That is, in Christ, God's children become like gods by grace, without ceasing to be human (see Jesus' statement in 10:34-35, which references Psalm 82:6).  In patristic tradition, this process is likened to a piece of metal thrust into fire, which takes on the properties of the fire -- such as heat and light -- but without ceasing to be metal.  So human nature permeated by God, my study bible explains, 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.  This statement emphasizes that no one can see the nature, or essence, of God, my study bible explains, for to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  This means that only One who is also divine can see God, and therefore the Son is the only One who can declare God to the world.  My study bible says that this revelation of the energies of God can be received by the faithful.  This is simply the nature of grace and mercy.  Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23); Isaiah saw His glory (see Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41).

Thus begins the theological introduction (or more formally called the Prologue) to John's Gospel.  Right from the beginning, we can hear and witness that John's statement comes from his experience of the Christ and also the perspective of the early Church, having witnessed and understood the work of the Spirit in the world and also the meaning of Christ's teachings.  John's Gospel is generally understood to be the last written of the Gospels, and John -- who became a disciple as  young man -- was quite old when it was written, having survived persecution and exile as a member of the early Church.  Whether this Gospel is actually personally written by John Zebedee, or by a disciple, it matters little.  The testimony of John's witness is the same.   In the Gospel of John, we are given to understand John's earlier discipleship to John the Baptist, his close relationship to Christ as "beloved disciple," and even that he becomes a surrogate son to Mary, the Mother of God, by Christ's designation at the Cross.  Often, I find small hints or glimmers of ideas that link John and Mary, special passages that show her character, or perhaps information that she alone would have had.  This includes her human personality, passed on through birth to form a part of Christ's humanity, a great designation indeed.  As we begin to read this Gospel, keep in mind its uniqueness, and that it was significant enough to our earliest Christian ancestors to pass on their perspective on just who Jesus Christ was, that it is written with this Prologue, in the beginning, and teaching us who He really was as Son.  It is useful to keep in mind that in the early Church, Christ's Nativity was not celebrated separately from His Baptism by John the Baptist.  The perspective shaped through the union of these two events designates that Christ's birth into the world, as well as the birth of His ministry -- and the revelation of the Trinity and the Son's place in it -- are of equal importance and reflected meanings back and forth toward each of these events.  We have just passed through the Christmas season, and also Epiphany, which in the East has always designated the Baptism and revelation of the Trinity, which may also be called Theophany (a revelation or manifestation of God).  Whatever we are to understand from John the Evangelist, Christ's human life is inseparable from its meanings on theological terms, and His identity as Savior and Son of God.  Let us keep this in mind, that the two are not ever separate, nor is one understood -- in the traditional perspective of the Church -- without the other.  So, just the same, we are given to understand that our faith is a living spiritual reality, and our wholeness as human beings incorporating the body, the soul, and the spirit.  This is a mystical reality that gives us a clue to who we really are -- and the fullness or completeness of the identity of Jesus Christ also teaches us about ourselves, who we are, and our faith that invites us into living participation in His life.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

- John 1:1-18

On Saturday, we read the final passage in the Gospel of Matthew.  It told us that while the women witnesses to Christ's Resurrection were going to tell the disciples Jesus' message, 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.  He was in the beginning with God.   Today's reading is called the Prologue to John's Gospel.  John's Gospel is the "spiritual" Gospel, if you will.  That is, it is the Gospel that gives us the theology and understanding of our faith.  These first two verses tells us so much about Christ.  In the beginning is an echo of the creation story of Genesis (Genesis 1:1), but it rather speaks more clearly about the Creator Himself.  Moreover, while Genesis spoke of the first creation, this Prologue reveals the new creation in Christ.  Was the Word (Greek Logos):  The Word is the eternal Son of God.  "In the beginning was" gives us existence without reference to a starting point.  That is, it emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  My study bible defines Logos as possibly meaning "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word."  All of these are attributes of the Son of God.  That the Word was with God teaches us that the Word -- the Son of God -- is a distinct Person from the Father and also that He is in eternal communion with the Father.  That the Word was God teaches us that 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 32:6,9; Hebrews 1:2).  He is not simply an instrument or servant used by the Father.  My study bible says that will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Therefore, the heavens and the earth -- all of the cosmos -- are the works of the One who made them, while the Son is not made but is eternally begotten of the Father.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.   One of the distinctions of God is that only God has life in Himself.  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 introduces human beings as the receivers of the divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, we as believers become children of the light (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 the 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.   According to my study bible, darkness indicates both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light.  Those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and strive to keep others ignorant as well (3:19).  The Greek word that is translated comprehend means, like the English, both "understand" and "overcome" or "take in."  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 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.  The Gospel speaks here about John the Baptist (the Evangelist John was likely first a disciples of John the Baptist).  My study bible comments 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.  Right here also means "authority" and indicates that this is a gift from God, rather than an inalienable right.   Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7) and by grace inherit everything Christ is by nature.  To believe in His name, my study bible says, means 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 is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as in the Old Testament.  Neither are we children of God simply by natural birth (that is, the will of the flesh), nor by our own choice (the will of man).  Rather, becoming a child of God is, according to my study bible, a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This 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.'"   My study bible tells us that the word became flesh clarifies the manner in which the Son and Word of God came to His people, pointing specifically to the Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  Christ assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality -- everything that pertains to humanity but sin.  He is God and Man in one Person, and thereby pours divinity into all of human nature.  Anything not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt ("tabernacled" or "tented") in the ark of the covenant, and later in the temple.  Here, Christ the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself.  His glory refers both to His divine power shown by His signs and wonders (2:11; 11:4, 40), and also to His humble service to humanity, shown most perfectly on the Cross (12:23-32; 13:31).  In both ways, Jesus reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  My study bible says that the Son has no beginning, but has the Father as His source from eternity.  He is called "only" begotten because there is no other born from the Father.  (The Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through a different unique mystery called "procession"; see 15:26).  Full of grace and truth:  This phrase qualifies both the Word and His glory.  Grace is Christ's uncreated energy that is given to us through His love and mercy.  Truth, my study bible adds, 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.  To say that we have all received of His fullness confirms that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  In Christ, my study bible writes, God's children become gods by grace (10:34-35) but without ceasing to be human.  A classic patristic analogy is of metal thrust into fire.   The metal takes on properties of fire such as heat and light, but it does not cease to be metal.  Therefore human nature is likewise permeated by God and can take on properties of the divine nature, without being divine in essence.  Grace for grace is a Semitic expression which signifies an overabundance of grace.

No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  That no one has seen God at any time indicates 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 divine can see God, and therefore the Son is the only One who can declare God.   My study bible says that this revelation of God's energies can 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).

John's Gospel was the last to be written, most likely within the final decade of the first century after Christ.  My study bible gives the approximate likely date of AD 96.  From its distinctive orientation, right in its beginning, we can see the understanding of the early Church that had been developed by that time, and know that the theology upon which we stand was already firmly in place.  By the time he died, the Evangelist John was a very old man.  Tradition tells us that he was assisted by St. Prochorus in writing his gospel, and he was the leading figure in the Ephesus Christian community.  It is both interesting and important that the very "spiritual" or mystical orientation of John is clear and well-established.  It tells us that already by this time the Church had fully come to know the working of the Holy Spirit in its faith and mission, and the very presence of Christ with them.  This Gospel is not just a story about a Teacher and what He taught.  It is fully formed as the message of the Word who has come in the flesh in order that we might become like Him, and become children by adoption of "the true Light that gives light to every man coming into the world."  Whatever we are to understand from John's Gospel, it includes the full understanding that in this faith, in becoming Christ's disciples, we do not simply understand a concept or a set of reasons and codes.  We rather become part of a Light that has come into the world, and that light is the light not only of the world but of all existence.  It is the only Light that can give and share with us life itself.  Tradition also tells us that John the Evangelist (also called Theologian in the Eastern Church, one of only three to bear this title) gave us the Epistles of John and the Revelation.  Some scholars suggest that all were not written by John himself, but by disciples.  At any rate, it matters not what the actual mechanics were by which these books were produced:  their message and language are consistent in their powerful orientation both of a mystical understanding of Christ, and the message of love it bears.  John is called "the beloved disciple" (21:20).  It is he also who was assigned the tremendous honor and responsibility at the Cross for becoming the son to Mary, Mother of Christ (19:25-26).  What is born in love and discipleship is also a discipleship offered to us in love:  the sonship or adoption offered to all of us is one of full participation and communion, possible only through the divine working of the Logos who became a human being for us.  Right in the Prologue, we also understand there is a sadness to this love in its depths and the story of Christ:  "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him."  As we read through John, let us consider the full offer of love that is made through the Gospel and its orientation of mystical union, shared in the Holy Trinity and extended to all through faith, full of grace and truth.

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.

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 who 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

As a good preparation for Lent, the lectionary has just taken us through a great deal of the Sermon on the Mount (see the readings from February 20 to February 25).  In Saturday's reading (February 25) Jesus taught:  "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore, do you not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.  For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with  sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.   From the very personal message about prayer in Saturday's reading from the Sermon on the Mount, the lectionary takes us to the Prologue of John's Gospel.  Here we learn exactly who Jesus is.  To do that properly, the Gospel begins with in the beginning, bringing us to the creation story in Genesis.  But here, the Gospel speaks of the Creator Himself.  And while Genesis speaks of the first creation, John's Prologue (today's entire reading, verses 1-18) reveals the new creation in Christ.  In Greek, Word is "Logos."   The Word, through which all things were spoken into existence, is the eternal Son of God.  My study bible points out to us that was indicates existence without reference to a starting point.  It emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  Logos has overlapping meanings in Greek.  It can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as word.  Each of these are attributes of the Son of God.  That the Word was with God tells us about the Persons of the Trinity; while the Son is a distinct Person from the Father He is also in eternal communion with the Father.  That the Word was God teaches us of the co-equal and co-eternal nature of God the Son and God the Father; the Son is of the same divinity as the Father.  This was in the beginning; from a time before there was time; there wasn't a "time" when the Son was not with the Father.

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

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  My study bible says 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.  In saying that the life was the light of men, John introduces human beings or mankind as receiver of the divine light.  By participating in the life of the Son, says my study bible, believers become children of the light (12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Moses saw the divine light in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2); the whole nation of Israel saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21); Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision (Isaiah 6:1-5); and 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 has to be understood as a theological term, of particular importance to the earliest Church.  It indicates both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light.  Those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and strive to keep others ignorant as well, says my study bible (see 3:19).  Like the word in English, the Greek word translated as comprehend means both to "understand" and to "overcome" (or to "take in").  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 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.   The man sent from God, whose name was John refers to John the Baptist (not the author of this Gospel).  My study bible tells us that Christ offers light to every person, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive Him; thus, they can neither know nor recognize Him. 

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 who 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.  The right to become children of God:  Here, right means "authority."  It indicates 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 that Christ is by nature.  My study bible says that to believe in His name is to believe in Him who in His humanity took the name Jesus as Word, Son, Messiah, and Savior.  To be adopted as a child of God is no matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as in the Old Testament, nor are we children of God by natural birth (the will of the flesh), nor by a human being's own decision (the will of man).  To become a child of God is a spiritual birth by grace, says my study bible; that is, 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, and points specifically to the Incarnation.  Christ the Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  As Jesus He assumed complete human nature, says my study bible:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality.  That is everything that pertains to humanity except sin.  Christ is God and man in one Person; as such, He pours divinity into all of human nature.  Anything not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  When the text says that He dwelt among us, this is translated from specific words once again alluding to God's work among His people in the Old Testament.  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt in the ark of the covenant and later on in the temple.  This word used for dwelt in the Greek means literally "tented" or "tabernacled."  Here the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself.  (We are reminded of St. Paul's words that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit - 1 Corinthians 6:19.)  His glory refers both to His divine power shown by the signs in the Gospel and also wonders (2:11; 11:4, 40), and to His service in humility to mankind, perfected on the Cross (12:23-32; 13:31).  In all these ways, He reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  That He is the only begotten of the Father states that He has no beginning, but has the Father as His source from eternity.  Only begotten tells us that there is no other born from the Father (the Holy Spirit also exists eternally but through another mystery named "procession;" see 15:26).  My study bible says that the phrase full of grace and truth qualifies both the Word and His glory.  Grace is the uncreated energy of Christ that is given to us through His love and mercy.  Truth includes His faithfulness to His promises and covenants and to the reality of His words and gifts. 

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.   For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  My study bible tells us 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 deifying it.  This is holiness shared with human beings, what it truly means to be adopted in spirit.  We become God's children by grace (10:34-35) without ceasing to be human beings.  An ancient example in the Church likens it to a metal object thrust into fire.  It takes on the properties of fire (such as heat and light) without ceasing to be metal.  In this sense human nature is permeated by God and takes on properties of the divine nature.  (These qualities are linked to the blessings of the Kingdom Jesus proclaims in the Beatitudes.)  Grace for grace is a Semitic expression which signifies an overabundance of grace.  

No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  No one can see the nature, or essence, of God, for to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20), my study bible reminds us.  So only One who is Himself divine can see God; the Son is therefore only One who can declare Him.  This revelation of God's energies can be received by the faithful.  Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23); Isaiah saw His glory (see Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41).

God comes and dwells among us.  But this isn't just "God," it is Logos, the Word, the Son of God.  The intimacy of the relationship that the Son has with the Father will be shared with us.  We will be eligible for such intimacy by adoption, through grace.  We can't know God as God knows God, "face to face," as the Scriptures put it.  But we can know God in a different way, as children to a Father.  It is the Incarnation of Christ that makes this all possible for us.  It is this great, extraordinary, superlative gift that Christ brings us, and John's Gospel introduces to us.  This is a work of love.  John is the evangelist of love.  It is in one of His letters that we are told that God is love (1 John 4:7-8).  Therefore John begins from the true beginning, before time, to tell us just Who has come to us as human being, and what He is here to give us, what He shared with His disciples, of which they have all received, and grace for grace.  John the Evangelist ties in Old Testament and New when he tells us that there was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This is John the Baptist, the last in the line and greatest of the Old Testament prophets, of whom several of Christ's first disciples (including the Evangelist himself) were first disciples and sent to Christ.  Everything comes together here.  But what we truly need to remember is that so great and mighty a God loves us with the intimacy of our Father -- Who, as we read in the Sermon on the Mount (in Saturday's reading) Jesus teaches is in the secret place and who sees in secret.  Christ comes to bring the heights of unthinkable divinity to us as individuals, to our hearts, to the secret place where we meet God in prayer.  This is the whole of the Incarnation, revealed in love and given to us as a gift that surpasses all possible gifts and will never stop giving to us.  Let us pay attention.

In the beginning was the Word

Photo copyright Anni Jones Photography

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 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 ever 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

Dear readers,

Today we begin readings from the gospel of John. I have taken a short break during the Christmas season. Appropriately, we begin again with "In the beginning."

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 the beginning" is a phrase that takes us to the start of creation. The Word is "Logos" -- in the Greek, meaning both wisdom and reason, as well as word. There is nothing without Him, through Whom all was made that was made. It is Christ who was with God before all creation.

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. Here we have the next quality of this Creator, the Logos. In Him is life, and that life is the light of men. My study bible points out that we participate in this light by participating in the life of Christ: "By seeing and participating in Christ's life believers become light and the children of light. Moses saw this light in the burning bush (Ex. 3:2), Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision (Is. 6:1-5), and Peter, James and John saw it on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:2)." Therefore we can consider that this very life that is the light of man is enlightening to us by participation in it and with it. That which has spoken all things into existence, together with the Father from the beginning, is also with us. But the darkness neither understands nor overcomes or takes in that light ("comprehend" in all its senses is a very good translation for the original Greek). The darkness is that which opposes the light. My study bible says, "the Word freely offers light to all . . . Darkness will oppose the light, yet cannot defeat the light."

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. John the Baptist is the man referred to here. His importance in the Scriptures and for the early Church and the apostles of Christ cannot be denied. He was the greatest of the prophets, sent to bear witness of the Light. Appropriately, Jesus' baptism was celebrated in many churches on Sunday, and today we start with "In the beginning" -- both of Christ's identity as Logos, and His public ministry as Jesus Christ.

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. Here we have a mystical reality and the promise and actualization of union on many levels. The true light was incarnate in His creation, as human being. He was in the world, His creation, but His own didn't know Him. He came to give us light, that we may be led by His light which is life itself. But to each who receives Him is given the right to become children of God, children of that light, who may be born through it, through God. In this paragraph, we have several distinct notions of being and meaning and manifestation on mystical terms: the true Light which gave life to the world became a part of this created world, but the world did not know Him. Neither did His own, prepared through the Law and the Prophets, receive Him. But through grace, whoever receives Him is God's by adoption, which is offered to all. This mystical rebirth becomes the keystone of faith.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory 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 here is the great statement of the witness, the author of this gospel, Jesus' disciple John, who has also by Tradition given us several other books of the New Testament, each consistent in this message of witness to power and truth, and love. John the Evangelist says, "And we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." He refers to John the Baptist again by name, and to the Baptist's own testimony as witness.

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 ever seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. John the Evangelist testifies for all witnesses when he says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." This is the revelation of Christ, incarnate as human being, the grace and truth that He offered to the world and offers to us every day. The great prophet Moses, revealer of God's law to ancient Israel, is the other prophet mentioned, but Christ Himself was born as man in order to reveal grace and truth, that which comes from the Father and is of God, a mystical reality possible only for He who is God. This beginning reading ends also where it began, in a mystical reality, that the Son is in the bosom of the Father.

John's gospel teaches us, right from the beginning, of the mystical reality of our faith. This is not merely a story about a man who lived in the world, who was good, who taught us things we needed to learn and to think about for ourselves. This mystery is about participation in the life and the light of God, that which was from the beginning with God. The Son, who is light and life, and who will declare Himself so in John's gospel, is here in the flesh not only for those who will bear witness, but for those who come later -- to offer that light and life to all of us, to each of us, that through faith and participation in His life and light, we may also become sons of God by adoption. This powerful mystical reality sets us in a place of relatedness that goes deeper than any relationship of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but is of God. God, who was before the beginning, in the beginning, and ever will be, our Creator and creator of all things, comes into manifestation of spiritual and mystical truth more deeply than anything we know, as deeply as anything we are or hope to be. Can we live this mystical reality? Can we "receive" it, as we receive Him? This is the promise. John is the witness, and he writes for us all, calling us toward that light. Can we receive life and light?