St John’s Gospel: Introduction: The Prologue 1:7-14 (Third Part)
Posted on February 14th 2010 in St. John's Gospel
The prologue which began with the identification of God and the Word, the implied incarnation of this word, and the historic mission of John the Baptist is now reaching its conclusion in the transformation of the relationship between God and Word into that of Father and Son (1:14). This process is first indicated in v9 when St John writes that the Word, literally ‘this man’ was coming into the world and implying a future Incarnation. The Word is again described as the organisational principle of creation, thus placing reason at the heart of all that is created (v10). The Incarnation will take place in an uncomprehending world, where the lack of light is considered normal. This will not be an abstract rejection but will take place amongst God’s chosen people who should have been made aware of the light through the ministry of John the Baptist.
The situation is reversed for those who do receive the Word, both as a gift from God and through a positive human disposition. Faith in the Word, Jesus Christ is both an action of God, and an action of the believer. These two dimensions come together at the Washing of the Feet, when the Evangelist writes, ‘he had always loved those who were His own in the world’ (13:1). The careful use by St John of the verb tense is key. The aorist participle, ‘became’ indicates a past event, but with current effect. This gift is not just promised for the future but is an achieved fact that demands present commitment.
This exact moment of this coming into the world will be at God’s behest, and this divine initiative points towards the Virgin Birth, as explained in St Matthew and St Luke. The lack of an active human element precludes all concupiscence or stain of original sin. The highpoint of the Prologue is now reached, the identity of Jesus Christ, the Word becoming flesh. He draws us towards Himself by living amongst us. The ‘glory’ is what the believer can grasp of God, since the Word was with God from the beginning. In other words there is nothing to know about God that cannot be found in the Son, Jesus Christ, since He is full of ‘the grace of the truth’. Jesus Christ embodies everything that may be said about God.