In this sermon, Pastor Dave Capoccia examines the prologue of John’s Gospel, John 1:1-18. In this prologue, John gives four arresting identifications of Jesus so that you will pay attention to Jesus as the supreme Word of God.
1. Jesus Is the Wise and Powerful Creator (1:1-5)
2. Jesus Is the True and Ultimate Light (1:6-9)
3. Jesus Is the Rejected yet Life-giving Lord (1:10-13)
4. Jesus Is the Glorious and Gracious Revelator (1:14-18)
Auto Transcript
Note: This rough transcript was automatically generated by YouTube’s AI algorithm. We provide it here for your convenience, but know it will surely contain errors as it has not been proofread or edited by a human.
let’s pray as we prepare to hear from the word O Lord show us your glory show us your glory in the face of Christ as he is revealed in the scripture enable me to speak it enable us to hear it and transform us we pray amen well when I was in college one of my history teachers was a guest lecturer from Italy she was a petite middle-aged woman with a strong Italian accent she caught she taught a course on the Crusades which I enrolled in and enjoyed but one moment I remember from her class that actually had nothing to do with medieval history she noticed that my last name is Italian and one day after class had finished she asked me if I knew what kaposha means she soon explained that kaposha or kapocha in Italian means head boss Chief or overseer it’s from the Latin word for your literal head think of the word cat in English and it’s also the root of some of our words for a figurative head like Captain or capital as you can imagine learning that kaposha means boss pretty gratifying news to me but then she also asked me if I knew what the family crest or symbol was for kaposha I didn’t so she had to tell me can you guess what it is not a human head but a donkey apparently the kaposha family symbol is the Donkey she offered an explanation often the one in charge the head can be a bit stubborn but when he’s stubborn about the right kind of things that’s a leader that you want so I guess as kaposha I’ve got my work cut out for me to be the right kind of stubborn now I don’t know if you’ve ever looked into your own family symbol or even how reliable such information is about such things but did you know that the writers of the four gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John each have a symbol an animal symbol no this is not from the Bible this is not an inspired thing this is just a church tradition thing but starting with some church fathers in the second and then the fourth centuries each of the gospel writers became Associated by tradition with one face of the four living creatures that are mentioned in Ezekiel 1 and revelation 4.
do you remember these spectacular creatures which were seen by Vision around God’s throne aside from having multiple Wings many eyes and other awesome features we’re told in the Bible that each creature has four faces there’s the face of a man the face of a lion the face of an ox and the face of an eagle well these four creature faces or rather the creatures that make up those faces they were adopted as traditional symbols for the four gospel writers and different early theologians assigned the symbols differently but the designation that has stuck the most and it’s still evident in much surviving Christian art today is the one given by Jerome in the 4th century Jerome assigned a creature symbol to a gospel writer based on how that writer’s gospel begins thus Matthew symbol was the man since his gospel begins with a human genealogy Mark’s symbol was the lion since his gospel starts with John the Baptist roaring like a lion in the wilderness Luke’s symbol was the ox since his gospel starts with Zacharias offering sacrifice but John’s symbol was the eagle since his gospel starts in the lofty Heights of Heaven we’re going to look at the beginning of John’s gospel today and see why John Begins the way that he does if you would please open your Bibles to John 1 verses 1 to 18.
the title of this message is the Supreme word the Supreme word if you’re with us last December you may remember that we did a two-part Christmas-themed investigation of this passage we’re going to cover the whole passage in one message today John 1 1 to 18.
let us read the prologue of John’s gospel 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 came into being through him and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of men the light shines in the Darkness and the Darkness did not comprehend it there came a man sent from God whose name was John he came as a witness to testify about the light so that all might believe through him he was not the light but he came to testify about the light there was the True Light which coming into the world enlightens every man 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 those who were his own did not receive him but as many as received him to them he gave the right to become children of God even to those who believe in his name 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 dwelts among us and we saw his glory glory as of the only begotten from the father full of grace and truth John testified about him and cried out saying this was he of whom I said he who comes after me has a higher rank than I for he existed before me for up his fullness we have all received and Grace upon Grace for the law was given through Moses Grace and Truth were realized through Jesus Christ no one has seen God at any time the only begotten God who was in the bosom of the father he has explained him we can see right away why Jerome went with the eagle as the symbol of John’s gospel not only is the setting and the content of this prologue heavenly but even the way it’s written seems to evoke lofty Majesty interpreters have wondered whether this text was written as or contained sections of an early hymn probably not but there is an undeniably poetic quality to these words there’s plenty of repetition parallelism it’s even a certain amount of structural symmetry for example you may notice that passages bookended and it’s beginning and end with the same concept verse 1 it begins with the word who was God with God and verse 18 we have again God With God even the son and the bosom of the father but while there is evident symmetry there is also a clear progression through this passage verse 1 starts in eternity and then creation and gradually we move closer and closer to Christ’s tangible appearance into history and even to his meeting with John the Baptist later in this chapter and like any good introduction this prologue accomplishes a few fundamental purposes for this gospel the prologue establishes a clear starting point for the narrative but one intriguingly that is way further back than we might have expected the prologue also prepares us for what we will read in the rest of John not only are we introduced to key themes that will appear throughout the book with terms like Life Light Darkness World witness Glory believe but we even have the whole Story the whole record summarized for us in miniature the Eternal God we’re told came into the world as a man but was unrecognized and rejected yet some believed in him and those ones became life inheritors as children of God finally and crucially this prologue secures our interest with its awesome descriptions of this gospel Central person John’s original Jewish readers were no doubt expecting in receiving this gospel having somebody read it to them or with them they’re no doubt expecting to read a record about Jesus but John wants those readers and us today to know from the beginning who Jesus really is according to John Jesus is no mere man not simply a good teacher not simply a prophet who brings the word of God who Jesus is the word of God he is the Supreme word to which you must give your attention the prologue logically and grammatically divides into four sections that clarify Jesus true identity and that’s what we’re going to investigate in John 1 1 to 18 John our writer gives four arresting identifications of Jesus so that you will pay attention to him as the Supreme word of God for arresting identifications identifications that just make you stop and listen pay attention to him who is the Supreme word of God let’s look at each of these identifications starting with the first and verses one to five where we see number one that Jesus is the wise and Powerful creator Jesus is the wise and Powerful Creator look at verse one in the beginning was the word to start his gospel John doesn’t take us back to Jesus first meeting with John the Baptist which of the circumstances surrounding Jesus birth or even to Jesus distant genealogical record that we could have done that other gospels do that John instead takes us back to the beginning which beginning the beginning beginning even the space between Time and Eternity John’s original Hellenistic Jewish audience they would have recognized in this opening phrase a clear allusion to Genesis 1 1 actually it starts with the exact same words in the Greek Septuagint the translation of the Old Testament but whereas Genesis 1 1 goes on to say in the beginning God created John 1 1 says in the beginning was the word a Greek word for word here is Lagos a term which most basically refers to something written spoken or thought as we can see from reading the whole Passage intriguingly John uses this word logos as a title for Jesus and he’s the only New Testament writer to do so and he only does So In this passage and in one place in Revelation Revelation 19 13.
why does John call Jesus Lagos the word what we’ll see is we work through the passage notice already though from this opening phrase that John is already asserting something very amazing about Jesus origin namely that Jesus has no origin that he was already there in the beginning before creation it is more look at verse 1’s next phrase and the Word was with God and the Word was God this is one of the most mysterious and Majestic phrases in the Bible and our English versions do a very good job of translating what is a very precise reconstruction the words here cannot be translated as the Jehovah Witnesses would like that the word was a god no John says that Jesus even before his incarnation even before creation he existed as the Eternal Word both with God and as God this phrasing is careful it clarifies that God and the word are the same yet distinct how can this be certainly would have been intriguing for the first listeners but from the rest the gospel and the rest of the scriptures we know this can only be explained by the concept of the trinity that there is only one God but he exists in three persons Father Son and Holy Spirit each of whom is the fullness of God yet each is distinct from the others this would have been indeed an arresting assertion just in verse 1 for John’s original Jewish audience could it be Jesus is the word the logos who has not only enjoyed Eternal fellowship with God but is God and just to re-emphasize and prevent misunderstanding John restates the truth of verse 1 again in verse 2.
verse 2 he the logos was in the beginning with God now someone might ask but Mike verses one to two imply or even allow that Jesus was an early creation of God before the rest of creation impossible because with what we read next in verse 3. look at verse 3.
all things came into being through him and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being can the Apostle John be any more emphatic in this next wondrous declaration the word John says was not a product of creation we’re a bystander 2 creation or even a lesser assistant in creation rather John says the word who is Jesus is the creator everything that isn’t Eternal everything that came into existence came into existence through the word and if it didn’t come into existence through the word what does John say it didn’t come into existence at all really if the Jehovah Witnesses thought more seriously about what John 1 3 says even in their own Bible translation they’d stop with their nonsense about John 1 1.
there is no way that Jesus as the creator of all things could be created now in one way this Monumental assertion of verse 3 would have made sense to the original audience as Hellenistic Jews they were likely used to the idea that the logos of God had brought about creation you see certain Greek philosophers by this time had observed like many today that there is an obvious order and wisdom in the natural world in the created world and they theorize that there must be some wise principle or Force operating in the universe that is responsible for the orderly creation and maintenance of the world they call this wisdom principle the Lagos with a word so the audience would have been familiar with that concept from Greek philosophy but also the Jewish Bible the Old Testament it states explicitly that God’s word was responsible for creation I mean that’s there even in Genesis right how did God create according to Genesis 1 he spoke he used words it was his word Psalm 33 6 confirms this by saying by the word of the Lord by the word of Yahweh the heavens were made and of course everything else in fact if we just consider God’s word in the Old Testament we see frequently that it’s God’s word that accomplishes his will whether it’s to create or to save or to destroy like Isaiah 55 11 says God’s word does not go out and come back to him void but it accomplishes exactly what he Wills mm-hmm and what is the Old Testament word for word translated into Greek well logos so from two sources John’s audience would be familiar with the idea that the logos brought about creation but in another way verse 3 would have been very shocking to them why because John asserts that this wise and Powerful creating Word is not impersonal personal the word is a person in fact he is Jesus Jesus is the wisdom and power that brought about and maintains creation because he is the creator of course Colossians 1 15-17 and Hebrews 1 1-3 which we read earlier they say the same thing about Jesus but John says Jesus is not just the one who previously created but he’s also the source of new creation and we see this in the next two verses look at verse 4 and we’ll read verse 4 and 5 together in him was life and the life was the light of men the light shines in the Darkness and the Darkness did not comprehend it in one sense verses four and five just continued the description of Jesus as the word being the Creator he’s the one who gave life and still gives life to all mankind just as he does with light he created the original light and he gives light to all mankind still but there is another sense to these words that they depict a new kind of creation for which Jesus is also responsible and why do I say that because as we read on in the Gospel of John and even as we read on in this prologue we’re going to hear how spiritual light and life come through Jesus in a world of Darkness thus Jesus is not just the source of all physical life but even all spiritual life even eternal life is not just the source of physical light for mankind but also spiritual light John says this light shined and still shines in the Darkness even in a rebellious and ignorant world of Darkness in fact notice the intentional ambiguity of one of the words at the end of verse 5.
depending on your Bible translation you might see the word comprehend or the word overcome and that’s because the original Greek word could be rightly translated either way and I think John actually wants us to think about both meanings because both are true when the creator of light himself shined in the world the darkness did not understand they did not comprehend this light or his message and thus rejected him but just as the Genesis Darkness could not thwart the creation of light The Shining of that light so now the new light of Jesus cannot be overcome by a dark world Jesus will succeed in shining as the light and even in creating new light and new life and those who believe in him so perhaps the reader of these two verses for the first time wouldn’t see how this is also true spiritually but they certainly would see in a second time through reading through the Gospel of John now imagine as an ancient hellenized Jew you would be reading this for the first time and what that would provoke in you is Jesus Jesus really the wise and Powerful logos the Eternal Word the creator of all life and light whether it’s physical or spiritual if so I need to find out more I need to pay attention and same is true of course for all of you listening today because Jesus is indeed as John testifies the wise and Powerful Creator your wise and Powerful creator you must pay attention to him as the Supreme word now John provides a second arresting identification of Jesus in verses six to nine which is where we’ll see number two Jesus is the true and ultimate light Jesus is the true and ultimate light and we’ll review we’ll read these verses all together verse 6.
there came a man sent from God whose name was John he came as a witness to testify about the light so that all might believe through him he was not the light but he came to testify about the light there was the True Light which coming into the world enlightens every man in this next section we begin to transition from eternity and creation to the world of first century Judea Jesus the Eternal Word didn’t stay at the father’s side but came into the world but not without an appropriate foreign Forerunner a man named John you’ll remember from the introduction sermon that that John mentioned here is not our author the Apostle but instead John the Baptist John’s gospel is unique and never referring to John the Baptist with that extra descriptor the Baptist but we know that’s who it is based on what we see in the rest of the prologue and what we see in chapter one person verses six to eight here that John the Baptist is not sent by God to be the light but to be a testimony for him who is the light namely Jesus the word and why specifically the text says so that others might believe in Jesus Through John through the witness of John now some have suggested and I think there’s Merit to this that our author the Apostle includes these and certain other words about John the Baptist partly because there are still people in his time who are holding up John the Baptist too highly or perhaps out of timidity out of fear of persecution they are willing to go so far as to accept John and the teachings of John but not accept Jesus well John the Apostle certainly wants to give John the Baptist proper honor as Jesus himself did John the Apostle doesn’t want his audience to miss that the True Light is Jesus not John the Baptist not John the Apostle either not Moses not any other Jewish or Christian person this was even John the Baptist’s own attitude as we’ll see as we read on and you know what it needs to be our attitudes we Brethren are not the light no saint is the light we’re all just Witnesses we Are Witnesses of him who is the true light and we are called and our purpose is to point everyone to him I noticed verse 9 calls Jesus the True Light and the use of true here does not necessarily imply that every other witness is a false light rather Jesus is simply the greater the ultimate light the light to which all other lights are pointing he is the Supreme word and thus he is the Supreme completely trustworthy and life-giving Light and there’s also the two phrases at the end of verse nine as they transition us into the next section we’re told that the True Light is the one coming into the world and this is the first time that John uses the word world in our passage and even in this book and we might be used to the word world being a largely neutral term just a descriptor for the Earth the dwelling place of mankind that greater universe but as we see as we will see as we work through this gospel that’s not the way that John uses the word world he uses it with a negative connotation to John the world is not simply the created order but the Realm of Darkness ignorance and sin The Dwelling Place of a race living in total Rebellion against God that’s the world as John normally sees it into such a world verse 9 says the true light came and enlightens every man now that’s a phrase that’s puzzled many an interpreter of this passage and what way does Jesus present tense Enlighten shine on or illuminate every person lots of amethysters have been suggested the answer that makes the most biblical sense to me is not that Jesus saves every person automatically or spiritually gives every person sufficient knowledge of God there is such a thing as general Revelation but it’s not talking about that here rather the sense that makes the most sense to me is that Jesus by coming into the world reveals every person for what that person really is and really this is what we saw previously in John 3 verses 19 to 21 isn’t it we’ll get there in our own exposition of this book but Jesus light what does it do it shows your true colors it shows what you really are it shows whether you really love God and His truth or not no matter who you are no matter where you are those who love evil they run from the light of Jesus or they try to destroy him but those who love the truth they run to Jesus and they give him the glory for everything thank you in that sense Jesus does illuminate every person so in this section John is asking the original audience and he’s asking us again to whom are you giving your attention is it to the Supreme word the True Light or is it to some mere lesser light or even worse to Darkness because of who Jesus is you must give attention to him as the Supreme word John provides a third arresting identification of Jesus in verses 10 to 13.
which we will see next is number three Jesus is the rejected yet life-giving Lord Jesus is the rejected yet life-giving Lord both verse 5 and verse 9 have already alluded to the fact that the world has rejected God’s Supreme word but John is going to make this surprising reality more explicit in this third section look at verse 10.
he that is the true light was in the world and the world was made through him and the world did not know him this is a doubly astonishing statement on the one hand we hear that the Eternal Word the logos the one who created the world he amazingly entered into the world God’s word his eternal word is remaining for a time in the world that’s astonishing but then on the other hand we also hear that the people of the world the very people that the Lagos created they did not know or recognize or acknowledge their creator how can this be surely the original Jewish audience might have asked this maybe we’re just talking about those Godless gentiles we’ll look at verse 11 now he came to his own and those who were his own did not receive him here again John says that Jesus the word he came into the creation that was all made by him and for him it belongs to him he’s the owner he’s the master he’s the Lord of it but how did the created people within that creation respond to their owner respond to their lord the text says the Master’s own people did not receive him they did not accept him Jesus offered himself as the True Light and life and the people of the world rejected him now those who were his own that phrase it certainly applies to Mankind in general but John surely uses this phrase to refer to the Jews specifically if anybody should have received the True Light the word should be his own people should be the Jews but they didn’t John will repeatedly show in the rest of the Gospel how the Jews even the flesh and blood of Jesus did not receive their lord and Messiah but were in fact the most vicious in opposing him so consider just how dark this world is that Jesus came to save the world that we still live in this is not a world of goodness that welcomes its creator the Lord this is a world of evil or the Lord’s own people will not receive him how great must be the love the humility the patience of God to enter into such a world how terrible is the crime of the world and even we ourselves when we go the same way as the world and completely rejecting him yet look at verse 12.
God has determined that he would not be rejected by all verse 12.
but as many as received him to them he gave the right to become children of God even to those who believe in his name not all the Jews rejected Jesus when he came to the Earth not all the Gentiles refused to acknowledge their creator and Lord through the apostolic Witness John indicates a Remnant repented and believed a holy portion just as it is today and what did God grant to these persons John says God granted them the right to become children of God beloved of the father fellow inheritors in the Kingdom of his son you know some have pointed out that if there is a highlighted hinge point in the symmetry of this passage it’s right here in verse 12.
it’s like John is emphasizing a central message to the original audience and even us today with this central portion you do not have to be like the rest of the world the world that Rejects it’s life-giving Lord you don’t have to be like the rest the Jews you don’t have to be like the rest of the Gentiles you can receive the True Light you can receive the Supreme word you can believe in his name you can find True Life as a child of God but before anyone starts patting himself on the back or exalting himself as he pursues Jesus in this way by repentance and Faith John adds in verse 13.
who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God how wondrous is this do you realize why you or anyone chooses to repent and believe in Jesus answer is you were born into it but not by physical descent nor by human passion or planning rather as Johns will tell us much more especially when we get to John chapter 3 in the conversation with Nicodemus you were born by the spirit according to the will of God did it all by himself but you are the beneficiary he gave you Faith he gave you life so who really is this Jesus the wise and Powerful Creator the true and ultimate light the rejected yet life-giving Lord if what John says is true and it is the Supreme word demands your attention it demands more than your attention it demands your entire self your whole trust belief and repentance and the one God sent into the world now as a resting as these first three identifications of Jesus are for us John saves the most mysterious and amazing for last and that’s in verses 14 to 18.
why else did you give Jesus your full attention number four Jesus is the Glorious and gracious Revelator Jesus is the Glorious and gracious Revelator or one who reveals look at the first part of verse 14.
and the word became flesh and dwelt Among Us consider how succinctly in just two phrases John captures The Wonder of the Incarnation at this point in the prologue we do know who the word is and what reception the world gave him but the Creator word still came it didn’t just appear in flesh but he became flesh very forceful description this means that he became fully and truly human with all its limitations and weaknesses apart from sin whatever human is that’s what he became and he dwelt more literally Tabernacle pitched his tents Among Us among people even the Earthly Witnesses of Jesus the Incarnation is no longer abstract at this point there are boots on the ground as it were or rather sandals the Eternal Word the Creator the Son of God Jesus is here and John says Jesus came not merely to dwell with us or even to save us but to reveal something and what is it that Jesus came to reveal begin to see in the next phrase John says and we saw his glory now notice the we here John is reporting the direct experience of the Apostles and other why eyewitnesses of Jesus but what John says indirectly captures the experience of every believer even those today what is that he and that we as Witnesses of Jesus see in the word becoming flesh well the answer is Glory that is the brightness the Splendor or the radiance of God ancient Israelites sometimes got to behold the radiance of God’s glorious presence visibly you’ll read about this in the Old Testament they saw the glory Cloud leading them through the Wilderness which also settled on the Tabernacle and then the temple well in the tabernacling of the word with man on the earth God’s people also beheld Glory even a greater glory here’s the two ways John next describes this glory in verse 14. first he says Glory as of the only begotten from the father the word translated only begotten is the word monogenes a word that doesn’t necessarily include the idea of birth or generation but it certainly means one and only unique a monogene’s son is a special son and especially beloved Son and it was the monogene son of God who displayed his unique loveliness and glory to the World by becoming flesh furthermore this glory is said to be full of grace and truth and this phrase may be another biblical illusion even to a famous description of God in the Torah verses 14 to 18 actually features several allusions to the Books of Moses recall that in Exodus 33 Moses asks to see God’s glory after God graciously forgives the people of Israel for their rebellion and creating and worshiping a golden calf Moses makes this petition God grants Moses requests and he tells Moses that God will pass by Moses and declare his name to Moses now the long name of God is given in Exodus 34 I won’t go through the whole thing but one phrase of it is notable and exodus 34 6-7 we hear that God is God says this about himself abounding and loving kindness and Truth abounding loving kindness and truth and this description became something of a favorite among the Israelites you see it all over the Old Testament well this phrase here in John full of grace and truth it’s not exactly the same as abounding and loving kindness and truth but it’s very similar Jesus Son the word the Apostle John says he is the full revelation of the grace and truth of God but what does this new revelation suggest about the old Revelation that which was given in the Old Testament well John’s going to explain first by citing John the Baptist again in verse 15 look at verse 15.
John testified about him and cried out saying this was he of whom I said he who comes after me has a higher rank than I for he existed before me now structurally this word from the baptizer forms a parallel from what was said about him before in verses six to eight but it also progresses us further along to the first historical scene in The Gospel in verse 19.
notice that in verses 6 to 8 the testimony of John the Baptist is indirect but here in verse 15 we have a direct quotation from him it’s almost like the camera is zooming in closer now we actually hear John the Baptist speak what did John the Baptist affirm in verse 15 well says again that Jesus is greater than John but Jesus appeared on the scene after John Jesus is actually the first one both in true chronology because he’s the Eternal Divine word but also in hierarchy Jesus John the Baptist says has always been the first one he’s the chief he’s the heir he’s the ruler of all creation and in this second insertion from John the Baptist we see implicitly affirmed that the grace truth and even Glory of Jesus on display in the Incarnation and one sense is the same as that which belonged to God in the Old Testament because as John the Baptist says if Jesus is the pre-existent one he’s the one of higher rank he’s even the Creator Lagos and he must be the god of the Old Testament and because God does not change and he does not increase in in essential Glory and the grace truth and glory of the word made flesh must be the same grace truth and Glory that was on display in the Old Testament Old Testament time okay but does that mean there’s nothing new about the manifestation of divine Glory seen in Jesus coming well no because look at verse 16.
verse 16.
for of his fullness we have all received and Grace upon Grace now verse 16 begins with the word for and that’s important because that word indicates that the author is supplying a reason for what he just said namely in verses 14 and 15. and what did we read there Jesus both John the Apostle and John the Baptist declare is the unique in full revelation of God’s glory but he’s also the same God whose Glory was put on display in the Old Testament so unique and full revelation of God’s glory now but the same God whose Glory was put on display in the Old Testament how can those things both be true let’s consider John’s words in the rest of verse 16.
John affirms in the beginning of the verse that we that is the first Christian Believers and all those sins have received the fullness of the word he says we have all received the full Glory of Jesus revelation and what is that revelation John further describes it as Grace upon Grace and that’s an interesting phrase in Greek maybe it’s when you think about talk about Allah it’s it’s very lovely in its own way literally the phrase in Greek is Grace after Grace or even Grace instead of Grace which is a little hard to understand and Trans in Translation many interpreters go with the sense that we see in the translation I’m preaching from The New American Standard 95 that this is Grace upon Grace the idea is that Jesus coming resulted in an overflowing abundance of God’s grace God’s people experience it oh that is theologically true a better understanding of this phrase in context is actually more in line with what the NIV translates we have here both ideas of contrast and progression John is setting up comparison between the grace of God revealed in the Old Testament and the grace of God revealed in Christ’s incarnation did God manifest manifest his grace and truth in the Old Testament he most certainly did and the New Testament writers talk specifically about the glory and goodness of God’s law as well as the power of the Lord’s awesome appearance at Sinai that’s all acknowledged the grace of God manifests in Jesus is the same Grace but as many New Testament writers also affirm the grace manifesting Jesus is at the same time a better Grace a fuller Grace a superior Grace this new revelation of Grace or favor is after and in replacements of the previous Grace because really isn’t that exactly what verse 17 says look over at verse 17.
for the law was given through Moses Grace and Truth were realized through Jesus Christ there’s word for again so he’s been supplying a reason for what he just said about we have the fullness of Grace now John is not saying that there was no glory Grace or truth in the law of Moses there was but the grace and truth of God displayed in the word taking on human flesh is so much greater that it’s like Grace Grace and Truth weren’t even visible before Grace and Truth verse 17 says we’re realized or more literally came about or came into being through Jesus Christ that’s very strong language and certainly this would be a startling assertion for John’s original Jewish audience how can the coming of this G glorious revelation of the law especially if he’s the same God of the Old Testament how can his revelation how can he be the bringer of a Greater Grace I think the answer really is settled for us in verse 18. let’s look at verse 18.
no one has seen God at any time the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the father he has explained him notice how the first phrase here in verse 18 it again pushes us to think about Moses and God’s revelation in the Old Testament because did Moses did the people of Israel ever see God oh yes and no they did see a visible manifestation of God’s glory but not the fullness even in Exodus 33 34 which has been an allusion to that already God told Moses you cannot see my face for no one can see my face and live Moses saw God who was a gracious Revelation and yet Moses didn’t see God he didn’t see the fullness of God and same for the prophets consider the visions of God in heaven that are provided by Isaiah or Ezekiel their Visions are amazing they’re glorious they’ve got the four living creatures they see the train of God’s robe but the prophets they cannot bear to see God’s face to view God’s face they only look at God via their peripheral vision and even that is overwhelming to them John’s original Jewish readers would have been well aware of this impossibility of seeing God this is this is an unarguable truth no one has seen God at any time yep we get that Old Testament shows that yep understood and the reason is because the revelation of God’s full Glory seeing God is too much it’s too much for us we need it mediated to us somehow if only God could explain himself to us in a way that we humans could handle and understand if there were only some way that God could bend down to our level and show himself well at the same time losing none of that Grace and Truth that make him so glorious well John declares in verse 18 that that is precisely what God did what the word did in becoming flesh so your problem wasn’t simply before the Incarnation our need for light for life but more fundamentally for someone to explain to us and show us God none of us could sufficiently find that out on our owns the law provided by God is good but not enough the monogenes god when mysterious Triune way is always dwelling in the bosom of the father who intimately knows and loves the father this unique one this beloved one he and only he is able to explain the father to us the word explained in verse 18 is the Greek word exagatamai which means to report to explain to expound or to make known it’s from which we get the English word exegesis Jesus the son he’s able to execute the father for us to show us and to explain to us God and how by coming in a form that is familiar to us that is the same as us by coming as a human being by the Eternal Word becoming flesh unlike previously people we can now be in God’s presence we can listen to his words we can feel his touch we can even look at his face without being consumed and John our author should know because he experienced these things literally as they’ll tell us later he literally leaned back on the bosom of Jesus on the bosom of God just ask him a question nothing like this has ever been seen before of course then Jesus is the Supreme revelation of God and His grace to us in the life of Jesus we see both the astounding Holiness and truth of God but we also see the astounding grace and mercy of God God’s glory was put on display in the Old Testament and it was mighty it was amazing it was saving and yet it’s nothing like the fullness that we have now received and the life the words and the works of Jesus now we see the fullness of the glory of God now we see the full grace and truth of God by God’s amazing plan Jesus became for us the Glorious and gracious Revelator of God and thus what is a perfectly appropriate title for Jesus the word because what is a word it’s a message it’s communication it’s a revelation as the word of God Jesus is not merely God’s powerful and wise agent of creation he’s not merely the communicator of saving light but he is himself the revelation of God the communication of who God is and what God is like he is the Supreme communication the Supreme word in a way to us that we can understand not exhaustively of course but truly adequately in a sense fully because of the Living Word incarnated we can actually know God and why should that be such a big deal because those other things that we cherish light and life what is that the essence of them where do they really come from they come from what the prophets and the apostles declare in various places even Jesus himself what is the essence of life even eternal life it’s knowing god the essence of all life and light is simply knowing god and that’s what Jesus came to do for us so just in this short prologue consider all the arresting identifications that John provides for the original audience and for us today that should make us pay attention to Jesus as the Supreme word of God do you want to receive new creation in the powerful and wise creator do you want to Behold Him who is the true and ultimate light do you want a portion in him who is the rejected yet life-giving Lord and do you want to know him who is the Glorious and gracious Revelator of God if so and you must turn your attention to Jesus turn your life to Jesus stop being distracted by various sins or various passing Treasures of the world those things are not important compared to the Supreme word who has come you must give your attention to Jesus you need to find out who Jesus really is what he claims what he did what he said whether he really is the only way the truth and the life whether it really is worth giving up everything even your own life to know and follow him that’s the challenge John lays out for us the very beginning of his gospel just as he did the original readers those are some pretty challenging assertions but John stands already as one witness along with John the Baptist and others he says Jesus made these claims I’m telling you they’re true we can say many of us we can say the same and if these things are true then they demand truly our Supreme attention is that what you say is that what your life says let’s close in prayer Lord Jesus you’re so grateful for this Apostolic word this record from John so that even though we don’t see you with our own eyes we can see you by faith we can’t see you via the testimony of your chosen apostle and in a way see the very things that he saw so that we ourselves can verify these claims we can say Jesus really is the word he is the life he is the light he is the full revelation of God Jesus thank you for showing us the father thank you for showing us God thank you for showing your heart showing your glory in the cross and the resurrection oh Lord we would never have even begun to dream that there was a god So Glorious except for these things thank you for your word but Lord let us not just say wow that’s interesting wow that’s great that makes me emotional but then just move on but this is the kind of Revelation that needs to transform us that only happens by your New Birth by your spirit but we ask for that we ask for your fundamental transformation for anybody who does not know the new birth yet but also for those who have Lord that they would grow that they would pull away from those distractions of the world Lord that are inhibiting their following you I pray that for myself I pray that for everybody listening today that you would have the proper place in our lives as the Supreme word that you deserve in Jesus name amen