Originally posted December 2019
This is the last in a series of posts reflecting on biblical texts relating to the Christmas message!
The gospels of Matthew and Luke have both in their narratives emphasised the same truths:
That Christ was born a real human being, firmly planted in history, with genealogy and family; and at the same time pointing to his divine origin.
In the words of Paul:
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law* (Gal. 4,4)
*Born under the law means born under the Old Covenant. The New Covenant could of course only be ratified with the death and resurrection of Jesus!
Exactly the same truths are now brought to us more unambiguously so to speak, through the prologue of John’s Gospel, chapter 1,1-18.
The Word Became Flesh
In the Beginning
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
A. In the beginning: This reminds us of Gen. 1,1; the word beginning, (archē/άρχη) meaning as much origin, as beginning.
All that is predicated of the Word in these verses is done using the verb to be, in the past continuous tense in Greek. It is difficult to get our heads around what that would look like translated into English. But if we substitute “was” for “existed” in all but the last two instances, we might not be far wrong:
In the beginning the Word existed, and the Word existed with God, and the Word existed as God. He existed in the beginning with God. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The point is that the effect in Greek, is to place the Word outside the limits of time and space.
Everything was created (not a continuous tense) by him,
so the Word WAS, before anything else WAS, and he WAS with God!
This is a very important theological point, because it establishes Christ with God before all beginnings, before the foundation of the earth: It is through Christ that all things are created. He is therefore not himself a created being, but the only-begotten of the Father (see v. 14 and 18 in Norwegian translations, or the KJV).
In the words of article two of the Nicene Creed:
2. And we believe
in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
Begotten of the Father before all worlds;
[God of God],
Light of Light.
Very God of very God,
Begotten, not made,
Being of one substance with the Father;
By whom all things were made;
You can find the rest of the creed here: Nicene Creed
B. The Word was with God: The word used for “with” here, is the preposition pros/προς in Greek, which ordinarily denotes “motion towards”, and seldom means “with”. When it is used here, it denotes a personal dynamic relationship. The Word was turned towards God, in movement towards him. A face to face dynamic relationship.
C. The Word was God, (or: What God was, the Word also was): That the Word is God, does not mean that they are identical; they are separate, yet one. John intends, that the whole of his Gospel is to be read in the light of this fact: ‘The words and deeds of Jesus, are the words and deeds of God.’ C.K. Barrett
D. The Word: Word, is logos/λόγος in Greek. Here it describes God in the process of self-communication. (C.K. Barrett)
See also Colossians 1,15ff, and Hebrews 1,1-3
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
E. Life and Light, v. 4: In him was life, and the life was the light of men: The Word was Life and communicated the knowledge of God. Therefore, he was the light of men. By shining in their midst, he submitted them to judgement. (C.K. Barrett)
In other words: By shining in their midst, he made them choose between light and darkness!
F. Darkness and Light: The great conflict in this Gospel is between darkness and light. Light signifies revelation, knowledge of God, true understanding and wisdom, summarised as goodness and truth; darkness is the opposite of all this, and a force for evil and falsehood, which seeks to extinguish the light. Jesus is the light of the world (8,12)! The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (as is true of light, it dispels darkness).
The Witness of John
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
G. The point of these words is to distinguish John clearly from Jesus. John is not the light. His role is to bear witness to the light.
For the first time here, we are on the stage of history!
The Coming of the Light
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
H. The world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. In other words, his own creation did not recognise its creator when he came!
“Know” here means as much believe and receive, as recognise!
[On the knowledge of God: ‘In Greek thought, knowledge regularly implies observation and objectivity. It is closely connected with vision, whether by the eye of the body or the eye of the soul. In the Old Testament, however, knowledge is a much less intellectual and more comprehensive term. God’s knowledge of Israel includes his election of and care for his people (e.g. Amos 3,2), and for man to know God implies not only perception of his existence but also a relation with him of humble obedience and trust (e.g. Jer. 31,34).’ C.K. Barrett
Barrett goes on to mention other aspects of John´s use of the term Knowledge of God. But the above will suffice for the present.]
The world (kosmos/κόσμος) in this Gospel has several meanings, it is the realm of men and human affairs. It is also the realm where the power of darkness reigns as the prince of this world (John 12,31).
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
I. He came to his own: His own is neuter in Greek; so He came to his own property, his home (Israel)!
And his own people did not receive him: As the Messiah, it was to the Jewish nation he came. They did not receive him!
But his own property (Gr. ta idia/τα ίδια – neuter) and his own people (oi idioi/όι ίδιο – masculine) must also refer more widely: The property Jesus came to was the world (of men), the people he came to was humanity.
The Way of Salvation
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
J. The Incarnation is a fact (v. 14): the Word became flesh, the Word being Jesus of Nazareth!
“Became flesh” means put on humanity, became a man!
The words “dwelt among us” translate the Greek eskēnōsen/εσκηνωσεν, which literally means that he set up camp among us/pitched a tent among us; i.e. he took up his abode among us!
K. We saw his glory (v. 14): to see here in John is synonymous with believing.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
L. Grace upon grace (v. 16): The expression seems to mean that the Christian life is based at all points upon grace; as it proceeds, one grace is exchanged only for another. (C.K. Barrett)
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
M. Law vs. Grace and Truth v.17: The law was seen as a gift from God (5,39), but Moses is primarily an accuser (5,45). Grace and truth on the other hand have the power to change lives.
N. No one has seen God: A distinction is made here: No one; not even Moses has seen God; but the Son who is in the Father´s bosom, has made him known – shown us who he is!
The word kolpos/κόλπος means a person´s breast. The expression “in the father´s bosom” is taken to express intimacy – the Son in his incarnate state being turned towards his father; yet a relationship characterised by the Son´s dependence on, and obedience to the Father!
C.K. Barrett was professor of New Testament, and Head of the Department of Theology at Durham University when I was a student there. He wrote a very influential (still is) commentary on the Gospel of John.
The eagle is a symbol of John’s Gospel. It flies high, and sees a long way – with very sharp eyesight!