sermonsonjohn

John 1:15-18

John has been laying the groundwork for his story of Jesus in this prologue. He has been introducing themes that will be taken up and opened out in the pages that follow.

In particular, he has introduced us to the Word and shown us something of his greatness. In these closing verses, he takes up what he has said and summarises just why the Word, Jesus Christ, is so great and why, therefore, we need to listen to his story, trust in him and love & serve him with all our hearts.

1. Jesus, greater than John (v.15)
Immediately after this Prologue, John tells us in more detail about John the Baptist and the work he did in preparing the way for Jesus and pointing people to him. Here in v.15 he summarises that ministry, stressing again that John testified to Jesus. And what John said of him is especially important.

He says that "He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me". In those days, the person who came first was given the greater priority. Now, John was older than Jesus and arrived on the scene before him. By convention, he should have had priority.

But John knows that the truth is different. Yes, he may be older than the man Jesus and started his ministry before him. But Jesus is different and special: he was before John. That is an absolute statement that means that he was before not just John but before everything. And that gives him the priority!

We have been shown that the Word existed before all things. He comes first in time. But he also created everything so that means he comes first in importance too.

The Jesus that the gospels speak about must be listened to and responded to because 'he was before us and before all things'. The truth about him humbles us & calls us to worship.

2. Jesus, source of all blessing (v.16)
John then describes a relationship with the Word which yields untold blessing. He says that "From his fullness we have all received". When he speaks of 'we' he is referring to all those who received Jesus, who believed in his name (v.12).

Those who so responded have received 'from his fullness'. In v.14 John told us the amazing truth that Jesus was God come in human flesh, full of God's glory. When a person believes in Jesus, they enter into a relationship where they receive from that fullness. In Jesus, God shares himself with us.

And what is it that all who believe receive? "One blessing after another". Now, that isn't a straightforward phrase to translate and we need to think about it quite closely.

One way is to understand it as 'grace upon grace' hence the NIV's 'one blessing after another'. That is certainly true and is an important truth: those who trust in Jesus are ushered into a relationship in which God continually blesses them with his grace.

Someone has suggested that John may be picking up on Ex. 33:12,13 where Moses, having received God's favour, asks for that favour to continue towards him. Grace upon grace; one blessing after another, God leading his people into an ever deeper relationship with himself.

This is what God has in store for all who really turn to Jesus and receive him. Isn't it wonderful? If you haven't received him yet, can't you hear his voice of invitation?

Another way of understanding the phrase is to take it in its most usual sense of 'grace instead of grace' .The meaning here would be that in Jesus God blesses with a grace that replaces an earlier display of grace. That would be to say that in the OT, God showed grace to his people but now in Jesus he has replaced that grace with his grace in Jesus.

Given the close connection with v.17 (which begins with 'for') it is perhaps best to understand what John is saying here in that way. So let's look at verse 17 to see what he says!

3. Jesus, surpassing Moses and the OT (v.17)
John reminds us that "the Law was given through Moses". That was a very important part of the history of the Jews but also of God's whole plan of salvation for the world. In John we find that the Law anticipates the coming of Jesus. It was preparatory. And that fits in with John showing us here that, although the giving of the Law was an act of grace, the fulfilment of that was to be through Jesus Christ. He is the one who has shown and embodied the unfailing love and faithfulness of God. All the promises of God come true in him.

You'll notice a difference here in how John says the Law came and how Grace and Truth came. The Law, he says, "was given through Moses" but grace and truth "came through Jesus Christ". That's an important distinction. Moses was a channel for something which was entirely outside of himself. Jesus was the channel for something which was integral to his own being.

And notice too that John speaks here of 'Jesus Christ', the first time he has given us the identity of the Word. He only uses the full name 'Jesus Christ' twice in this gospel and both times it is speaking about the great work of God in salvation, showing his grace and truth in his Son.

Whatever came before has paled in comparison; it was a shadow and now the reality is here! Jesus is the one to be received and believed.

4. Jesus, the revealer of God (v.18)
John concludes this amazing opening passage by emphasising again who Jesus is and what he does.

Who is Jesus? He is none other than God himself. In this verse he tells us that Jesus is "God the One and Only". Again there is a translation issue there but essentially John is saying that Jesus, the unique one, is God himself. His special relationship with the Father is stressed again in that he is said to be "at the Father's side". That is a phrase which speaks of real intimacy. No one could be closer.

What does Jesus do? That leads us into what Jesus does and how he is uniquely qualified to do it. Jesus has come to reveal God to us (and so to draw us into relationship with him). On our own, because of our deep sinfulness, we could never see God. Not even someone like Moses could see God, he was only permitted to see something of God's glory.

But Jesus, the unique son, God himself, he has made God known. In Jesus we see a perfect reflection of the Father, the full revelation of the heart of God (cf 14:9 "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father"). We can have full confidence that God is as Jesus has revealed him - and no one can give us a fuller account of god than Jesus has done.

John's prologue has reached a climax here. The crucial question for us is: How will we respond to it? How will we respond to Jesus? There is no one greater than he. And as God and the revealer of God and the way to God, he is worthy of our trust and love and worship. Will you do those things?

posted by minternational @ 2:42 AM