Benefits of Teh Incarnation in John 1!

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    BlBLlOTHECASACRA161 (April-June 2004): 179-93

    THE BENEFITS OF THEINCARNATION OF THE WORD:

    JOHN1:15-18*

    David J. MacLeod

    ON OCTOBER17, 1944,THOMAS TORRANCE,who later becameprofessor of theology at Edinburgh University, was astretcher-bearer following the British troops in a night at

    tack on the small town of San Martino, Italy. At daylight he cameacross a young soldier, Private Philips, only twenty years old, lyingmortally wounded on the ground, who clearly had not long to live.As Torrance knelt down and bent over him, the young soldier said,"Padre, is God really like Jesus?" Torrance writes, "I assured himthat he wasthe only God that there is, the God who had come tous in Jesus, shown his face to us, and poured out his love to us asour Saviour. As I prayed and commended him to the Lord Jesus, hepassed away."1

    Torrance never forgot that event. He wrote, "The incident leftan indelible impression on me. . . . I kept wondering afterwardswhat modern theology and the Churches had done to drive some

    kind of wedge between God and Jesus. There is no hidden God . . .no God behind the back of the Lord Jesus, but only the one LordGod who became incarnate in him."2

    Andrew Purves wrote, "If Jesus is not God in the flesh, the effect is to shut God out of the world, making God mute, hidden, andinoperative with regard to our sin."3 The apostle John affirmed,

    David J. MacLeod is Chairman of the Division of Biblical Studies, Emmaus Bible

    College,Dubuque, Iowa, and Associate Editor ofThe Emmaus Journal.* This is the sixth article in a six-part series, "The Living Word in John 1:1-18."

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    however, that God is not mute, hidden, or inoperative. In John1:14, the "central passage" on the doctrine of the Incarnation, he

    boldly set forth the truth that God has indeed assumed humanflesh.4And this doctrine, wrote Torrance, is "the most fundamentaltruth which we have to learn in the Christian Church, or ratherrelearn since we have suppressed it. . . . The Incarnation was thecoming of God to save us in the heart of our fallen and depravedhumanity."5

    Having affirmed the fact of the Incarnation, John then setforth the confirmation and benefits of the Incarnation. The lessonof John 1:15-18 is this: Because the eternal Logos has assumed

    human nature He can meet all the needs of His people and revealGod fully to man.

    THE CONFIRMATION OF THE INCARNATION (V. 15)

    CONFIRMEDBYTHE PROPHECY OF JOHN

    Verses 15-18 corroborate what John wrote in verse 14, and theyconclude the prologue by underlining the uniqueness of Jesus

    Christ.

    6

    On the assumption that John was quoting an early Christian hymn in these verses, it is evident that he broke in on thehymn to give an account of the witness of John the Baptist. Verse15 is generally believed to be a parenthesis,7a brief narrative section in which the apostle summarized the testimony of the last andgreatest prophet of the Old Covenant (cf. Matt. 11:11;Luke 7:28).8

    He already did this in verses 6-8, when he wrote that the Baptistbore witness to the Light. Now he made it clear that the Light is

    (February2001):4.4 H. C. G. Moule,Outlines of Christian Doctrine(London: Hodder and Stoughton,1889),61.

    5 Thomas F. Torrance,The Mediation of Christ (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983),48.

    Leon Morris,The Gospel according to John,New International Commentary onthe New Testament, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans), 95.

    Some have argued that verse 15 is an interpolation by a later redactor (e.g.,Raymond E. Brown,The Gospel according to John: Chs. 1-12,Anchor Bible [Garden

    City, NY: Doubleday, 1966], 15). J. A. T. Robinson called the verse a "rude interruption"("The Relation of the Prologue to the Gospel of St.John,"New TestamentStudies 9 [1962 63]: 122) There is no need to conclude that it is anything more than "a

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    identical to theincarnate Word ofverse 14.This parenthesis alsoprepares theway for the detailed story ofJohntheBaptist laterinthis chapter(w.1936, esp.w . 2934).

    Verse 15states that "John testified about Him." Literallytheverse reads, "John bears witness ofHim," that is, the Evangelistused the historicalordramatic present,

    9inwhich a writer usesthepresent tense to describe a past event. He didthis for thesake of

    vividness. The apostle still heard John's voice,10 as itwere, and he

    wantedhisreaders to heari ttoo.The apostle continuedbystating that John "cried out, saying. .

    . . *Again the tense ofthe verb is interesting here.It is th eperfect

    tense (,"has cried"), which normally describes an eventcompleted in thepast with results existing in thepresent time.Inother words what John the Baptist proclaimed in thepast is per-manently true.

    1 1Sometimes, however, this tense can betranslated

    as a present tense, "John cries out,"12

    that is, theBaptist's voicestill soundedin hisears as theEvangelist wrote hisGospel. Johnthe Baptist, ofcourse,wasmore than awitness. He was aherald,loudly proclaiming the comingofthe promised Messiah.

    13

    Frederick Louis Godet, Commentary on the Gospel of John, trans. TimothyDwight, 3d ed. (NewYork:Funk& Wagnalls, 1893;reprint, GrandRapids: Zonder

    van, 1970), 1:274; Brown,The Gospel according toJohn,Chs. 112,15;Carson,TheGospel according toJohn, 130; cf. Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar beyond theBasics(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 526.Other commentators treatasa descriptive present, that is, the present indicates that although John the Baptisthad been dead for several decadeswhenthe Gospel of John was written, his witnessremained. John had been incorporated, as it were, into the community and he wasperpetually present and bears witness (F. F. Bruce, The Gospel of John [GrandRapids: Eerdmans, 1983], 42; George R. BeasleyMurray, John, Word Biblical

    Commentary [Waco, TX: Word, 1987], 15; Ernst Haenchen,John 1, Hermeneia[Philadelphia: Fortress,1984], 120;cf. Wallace, GreekGrammar beyond the Basics,518).

    The traditional view of John 1:35 is that one of the two disciples of John theBaptist was the author of this Gospel.

    Bruce,The Gospel ofJohn,42; cf. Wallace, GreekGrammar beyond the Basics,573.Commenting on the extensive use of the perfect tense in John's Gospel, NigelTurnernotes "its love of emphasis and solemnity, its stress on theabiding signifi-canceof everything" (Syntax,vol. 3 of Grammarof New TestamentGreek,ed. J. H.Moulton[Edinburgh: Clark,1963],83).

    Godet,Commentary on the Gospel ofJohn,1:274; Barrett,The Gospel accordingto St.John,167; Morris,The Gospel according toJohn,96 n. 106;cf. Moulton,Pro-legomena vol 1 of Grammar of New Testament Greek 147; F Blass and A De

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    SUPERIORTO JOHN

    Johnthe Baptist appeared on the scene before Jesus did and began

    to proclaim the coming of the Messiah (the Christ, the anointedone). John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah until Jesus'

    baptism in the Jordan River (w. 2633). "The Baptist proclaimed'theComing One' ( )before he had identified Him withJesus."

    14 ThenJohn pointed to Jesus and said, "This is the Son of

    God"(v. 34).In the Jewish culture of Jesus' day, age and precedence be-

    stowed peculiarhonoron a person. One might suspect that becauseJohn was older than Jesus and had appeared on the scene before

    Him, he was greater than Jesus.1 5 John said that was not so. "Hewho comes after me has a higher rank than I." The New Interna-tionalVersion renders this, "He . . . has surpassed me" (v. 30). Thethought is of priority in status, which was because Jesus had "pri-ority in time."

    16John said, "He existed before me"('r

    ).17

    The New English Bible reads, "Before I was born, He alreadywas." Christ was before Johnin His preincarnate life, although Hewas born into the world six months after John the Baptist. John,

    then, was speaking of the Word, who existed in eternity past withGod(v. 1).Somehave argued that Johnthe Baptist could not have known

    of Christ's prexistence when Jesus' own disciples did not fully appreciate this until after His resurrection.18 However, the Baptist

    was a prophet, that is, he spoke because of having received revela

    tion directly from God. Furthermore he could point to the Old Tes

    tament, which spoke of the eternality of the Coming One (Isa. 9:6;

    Mie. 5:2; Dan. 7:13-14).19

    1980), 1:24-25.

    J. H. Bernard,A Critical andExegeticalCommentary on the Gospel according toSt. John,International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: Clark, 1928), 1:20.1 5 Carson,TheGospelaccording to John,131.

    Beasley-Murray,John,25; cf. Wallace,GreekGrammar beyond the Basics,303.

    herehas the sense offirstin time(Walter Bauer,WilliamF.Arndt, andF.WilburGingrich,AGreekEnglish Lexiconof the New Testamentand otherEarlyCh i i Li 3d d F d i k Willi D k [Chi U i i f

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    THE BENEFITS OF THE INCARNATION( W. 1618)

    JESUSSUPPLIESALLTHE NEEDS OF HIS PEOPLE(V. 16)

    Having made his parenthetical remark about John the Baptist's

    testimony, the Evangelist picked up the thought begun in verse

    14.20 At this point he added a third confirmation of the Word's in-

    carnation.In verse 14 he gave the testimony of the original disci-ples,"We beheld His glory." In verse 15 he gave the testimony of

    JohntheBaptist,"He existed before me." Now in verse 16he addedthe confirming testimony of the experience of all Christians, "Wehave all received."

    21 The connection is a bit elliptical. What is

    meant is something like this: "We, too, testify to His uniqueness,becauseof His fullness we have all received."

    22

    In verse 14 the apostle wrote that God's only begottenSon was"fullofgraceand truth." Now he said that believers have drawn on

    His inexhaustible resources23

    of grace and truth. Christ is the

    sourceof all blessings, and those blessings are infinite ("grace upon

    grace").John, ofcourse, was assuming something he had not yet

    mentioned, namely,Jesus'sacrifice on the cross. "The Word, who

    became flesh, has also completed a work of redemption, because we

    could never enjoy His fullness if we had not been redeemed."24

    The phrase ("graceupon grace") is a beauti-

    ful one. It has an accumulative sense.25

    "What the followers of

    2 0 Brown argues that verse 16 resumes thehymn and should be tied to verse 14

    (The GospelaccordingtoJohn,Chs. 112,15).

    Zane C.Hodges,like earlier writers (e.g.,Origen and Luther), argues that Johncontinued to speak in verse 16. However, (

    awe all") refutes thisview

    ("Grace after GraceJohn 1:16,"Bibliotheca Sacra 135 [JanuaryMarch 1978]:3536).

    2 2 S. Lewis Johnson Jr., "The Word in History and among Believers: John

    1:1418,"BelieversBible Bulletin,December6,1981,4.

    2 3 Later in Gnostic literature theword "fullness" came to have a technical sense

    (Rudolf Bultmann, The Gospel ofJohn, trans, and ed. George R. BeasleyMurray[Philadelphia: Westminster, 1971], 77 n. 1). But it is not used in that technicalGnostic sense here (Barrett,The Gospel according to St.John, 168; and Carson,TheGospelaccordingtoJohn, 131).

    2 4 Johnson, "TheWordin History and among Believers: John1:1418,"4.

    2 5 The interpretation of has been debated. There are at least

    fourviews, allturningon the force of the preposition.The firstviewis that

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    Christ draw from the ocean of divine fullness is grace upon graceone wave of grace being constantly replaced by a fresh one . . .There is no limit to the supply of grace which God has placed atHis people's disposal in Christ.''

    26As the Lord told Paul, "My grace

    is sufficient for you" (2 Cor. 12:9).During the closing months of World War I many German

    housewives had great difficulty ingivingtheir families enough foodfrom the small, available rations. One day a woman arrived at theseaside from a north German city. It was the first time in her lifethat she had been able to enjoy a sight of the vast ocean. She wasquite overwhelmed with the magnificence of theview and with the

    endless waters. In her astonishment she cried out, "At last, afterall, something which they cannot ration!" One may smile at thiscomment, but one can understand her delight in view of her cir-cumstances.

    27 God's inexhaustible heavenly resources are a thou-

    sand times greater ("grace after grace"), and the Lord has placedthese resources at the disposal ofHischildren.

    Paul spoke of "the unfathomable riches" of Christ's heavenly

    in verse 17. John's pointis that grace did not come by Moses (Barrett,The Gospelaccording toSt.John,168).

    A secondviewis that suggests the ideao correspondence,that is, the graceChristians receive corresponds to the grace of Christ (Bernard,A Critical and Exe

    getical Commentary on the Gospel according to St. John, 1:29). But it is unlikelythatisever usedin this way.

    Athirdviewis that suggests theideao exchange,that is, one grace is given"in return for" another (Barrett,The Gospel according to St. John, 168). But thiskind of quid pro quo arrangement for grace is foreign to John's Gospel (Carson, TheGospel according to John,131).

    A fourth view is thatsuggests the ideaofaccumulation orsuccession,thatis,"grace upongrace," oneblessing after another (Rudolf Schnackenburg,TheGos-

    pel according to St. John, trans. Kevin Smyth [New York: Crossroad, 1987],1:27576;Bultmann, The Gospel ofJohn,78 n. 2; Bruce, The Gospel ofJohn,43;Haenchen,John1,120;MaxZerwickand MaryGrosvenor,A GrammaticalAnalysisof the Greek New Testament [Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1974], 1:287; andMurray J. Harris, "Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament," NewInternational Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. Colin Brown [Grand Rap-ids:Zondervan, 1978],3:1179). Itmust be confessed that theprepositionwouldmore clearly express this idea.Furthermore,if the twohalvesofverse17 are seenas acomparisonand not as a contrast, then thefirstviewwouldbemorelikely.Alsothe citation from Philo that is commonlyused tosupport the fourth view (On thePosterity of Cain and His Exile 145, inPhilo, Loeb Classical Library,trans. F. H.Colson and G. H.Whitaker [NewYork: Putnam's, 1929], 2:41215) is open to analternate interpretation.The fourth viewmakes the most sense in lightof the con-text. Carson has an extensive discussion of theproblem,but in the end he imposeshi i f l d J h

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    blessings (Eph. 3:8), and he described Christ Himself as the "inde-scribable gift" of God (2 Cor. 9:15). The expression "according to[]the riches of His glory" in Ephesians 3:16 conveys muchmore than if the apostle had said, "out of [\ His riches." If ahomeless person were to ask a man for a dollar, and if the man(unknown to the beggar) were a billionaire, and he gave the poorman a dollar, then he gave "out of his riches. But he did notgive"according to" his riches. If he had given him "according to" his

    wealth, the gift would have been very different. Godgives to be-lievers "out of His fullness" (1:16), but He also gives "grace aftergrace," that is, "according to His riches."

    28

    This is not tosuggest, of course, that the Christian life is freefrom problems, trials, or difficulties, for it is not. Yet the Lordgivesgrace to meet these needs. As a young man Harry Wood of Walesplayed soccer for a couple of that country's teams. Later in hisadult life he worked in a sawmill owned by the coal mines, but thedepression came and he was out of work. He tramped the streetslooking for work, but there was none. He would go to cricketmatches to find relief from his depression. But he said, "I would goin through the north gate . . . and there my problem would be for-

    gotten, but as I went out through the south I picked it up again."Then he heard the gospel preached by Martyn LloydJones, and he

    was converted. Harry said, "He preached to me and showed me theway whereby I could enter by the north gate, and go out throughthe south, with all my problems solved!"

    29 Yes, Harry was still poor

    and unemployed, but the truly great problemssin, guilt, and in-difference to the things of Godhad all been solved. He hadlearned ofthe grace of God!

    JESUSSURPASSES ALL THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE LAW (V. 17)

    John the apostle exulted in the "grace upon grace" that all believ-ers have received in Christ. This is in marked contrast with thespiritual condition of those who were under the Law.

    30 John wrote,

    "The Law was given through Moses; grace and trut h were realizedthrough Jesus Christ."

    2 8 Ibid.,7172.

    2 9 IainH.Murray,D. Martyn LloydJones: TheFirst FortyYears, 18991939 (Ed-inburgh:BannerofTruth,1982), 21011.

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    As Calvin observed, "We must notice the antithesis in his con-trasting of the law to grace and truth; for he means that the Lawlacked both of these."

    31 John was not denying that God acted gra-

    ciously toward the Jewish people (cf. Exod. 34:6; Ps. 86:15). Yet hetaught, as did the apostle Paul, that "Christ displaced the Law ofMoses as the focus of divine revelation and the way to life. . . . Thenew order,fulfills, surpasses, and replaces the old."

    32

    And so John set the Old Testament Law in contrast to "graceand truth."

    3 3 The Law "was given through Moses," that is, he was

    simply the one through whom Godgave the Law. However, graceand truth "came through [ \ Jesus Christ."

    34 Christ was

    not only the Mediator of grace and truth but also is its source andembodiment.35

    The Law, Paul wrote in Galatians 3:19 (cf. Rom. 5:20), wasonly a temporary addition to the essential program of salvation(Rom. 10:5; cf. 2:7); grace, however, is the complete fulfillment ofGod'sprogram.

    36 Perfect obedience was, of course, impossible (Gal.

    3:1012). The Law therefore served as a preparation for the graceandtruth that would come through Jesus Christ.

    The antithesis may be summarized in this way: Law was

    preparation, while grace is the provision. The Law gives theknowledge of sin, while the grace of God through Jesus Christ putsit away (Rom. 3:20; 4:15; 5:20; 8:14; Gal. 3:19). The Law com-mands, demands, and accuses (John 5:45), but grace offers, gives,

    d l

    JohnCalvin,The Gospelaccording to St. John,trans.T. H. L.Parker (GrandRapids: Eerdmans,1959), 1:24.

    3 2

    Bruce,TheGospelofJohn,43.

    Manycommentatorsholdthat Johnsets law and gracein contrast(e.g.,Godet,Commentary on the GospelofJohn, 1:27879; Bernard,A Critical and ExegeticalCommentaryon the Gospelaccordingto St.John, 1:2930; Barrett,The Gospelac-cording to St. John, 169;Bruce,The Gospelof John,43; and Morris,The GospelaccordingtoJohn,99). Itshouldbe noted,however,thatanumberofscholarsreadthe two halvesofverse17 as acomparison,not acontrast(e.g., J. N.Sandersand B.

    A. Mastin,A Commentaryon the Gospelaccordingto St.John,HarperNew Testa-mentCommentaries [NewYork:Harper & Row, 19681, 85;BeasleyMurray,John,15;Brown,The GospelaccordingtoJohn,Chs. 112, 16;Carson,The Gospelaccord-ing toJohn,132; and Jeremas, ","873). See the succinctremarksofBruce,TheGospelofJohn,4344.

    3 4

    The verb earlier refersto theWord'screativeactivities(1:3, 10, 12). Byusing it here John may have been associating grace and truth with the work of

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    and forgives. The Law is a shadow, but grace provides the truesubstanceof the new age(Col. 2:16; Heb. 10:1, 510).

    37

    Alexander MacLaren(18261910)told of a man who was sick

    and lame. What is the use,MacLarenasked, of pointing to a moun-

    tainretreat and saying to the man, "Go up there and youwill be

    helped by the purer atmosphere?"The man was unable to do it be-causeof his illness.Soit is with the Law. There is no help there.

    38

    "Men are not perishing because they do not know what they oughtto do. Men are not bad because they doubt . . . what their duty is.The worst man in the world knows a great deal more of what heought to do than the best man in the world practices.Soit is not for

    want of[rules]that so many of us are going to destruction, but it isfor [lack]ofpower tofulfill the[rules]."

    39

    In John 1:17 John used the name"Jesus" for the first time inhis Gospel. The eternal "Word," who had been made flesh, isJesusChrist. John was fond of the name "Jesus," using it 237 times,

    more than any ofthe other Gospels(Matthew, 150times; Mark, 81times;Luke, 89 times). He used the title "Christ" 19 timesagain,more than the other Gospels(Matthew, 17 times; Mark, 7 times;

    Luke, 12 times). And he used the name "Jesus" and the title

    "Christ" together only twice, here in 1:17 and in 17:3. The title"Christ" depicts Him as theMessiah,that is, the anointed king of

    Israel (cf. 1:20). John used the name and the title in verse 17 in

    pointing upJesus'superioritytoMosesand the Law.40

    JESUSREVEALS ALLTHE SECRETSOFHIS FATHER (V. 18)

    All men are limited in their knowledge of God. Verse 18 brings

    John'sgreat prologue to aclose.41

    The verse serves two purposes.

    61 Johnson, "TheWordin History and among Believers: John1:1418,*5.

    Alexander MacLaren,Expositions of Holy Scripture: St.JohnChaps. 18(Hart-ford,CT: Scranton,n.d.),33.

    3 9 Ibid.,34.

    4 0 Morris,The Gospel according toJohn,99.

    Bernard says verse 18 ispartof the original hymn(ACritical and ExegeticalCommentary on the Gospel according to St.John,l:cxlv, 30). Others argue that it isnothymnicpoetry because theword is not used, the coordination is poor, andthere is acasus pendens. This last objection is a grammatical feature of verse 18that bears explanation. The phrase i i i d "h i i ti " Thi ti ll i d d

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    First, having named Jesus in verse 17,verse 18 becomes a transi-

    tion to the actual history of Christ's life on earth.42

    Second,John

    expounded the fullness of truth, just as he expounded the fullness

    of grace.43

    It is impossible for people, because of their finiteness

    and sin, to have direct knowledge of God. The only way one can

    know Him is through the One who shares both the divine nature of

    God and a human nature.44

    When John wrote,"Noman hasseenGod at any time," he may

    have been thinking of some occasion when someone claimed to

    have seenGod.45

    In light of verse 17 he was probably thinking of

    Moses.It was said metaphorically that God spoke with him "face to

    face"(Deut. 34:10).When Mosesasked to see God's glory, the Lordtold him to stand in the hollow of the mountainside while His glory

    passedby. He coveredMoseswith His hand and allowed him to see

    Hisback(Exod.33:2023),"for no man can seeMeand live."Moses

    saw, "the afterglow of the divine glory."46

    There were other occa-

    sions in Old Testament times when people are said to have seen

    God(e.g.,Jacob, Gen.32:30; Mosesand the leaders, Exod.24:910;

    and Isaiah, Isa. 6:5). But all those theophanies or Christophanies

    were partial, visionary, and evanescent. They did not see God in

    Hisactual being.47They did not get "a direct vision of God'sessen-tial glory, which no man" was permitted.

    48

    All that has changed since the incarnation of Christ. InJesus

    Christ God has been seen and "explained."Jesus is here called ,which is rendered by the New American Standard

    Bible as "the only begotten God." This reading may seem strange to

    earsused to the King James Version, which has "the only begotten

    Son."The King James Version reflects the reading of a large num

    Howard,Accidence and Word Formation,vol. 2 of A Grammar of New TestamentGreek,42325;and Wallace,Greek Grammarbeyond the Basics,5153.

    4 2

    Haenchen,John 1,121.

    Johnson, "TheWordin History and among Believers," 5.

    4 4

    Westcott,The Gospel according toSt.John,1:27.

    4 5

    Hanson, "John 1:1418 and Exodus34,"95.4 6

    Bruce,The Gospel ofJohn,44.

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    ber of Greek manuscripts, but not the oldest manuscripts.49

    The

    oldestmanuscripts favor somethingcloseto the reading ofthe NewAmerican Standard Bible.

    But even that is not quiteaccuratebecause the wordconnotessonshipeven though is not used. The reading of the

    New International Version ("God the only Son") is a bit better.50

    Perhapsthe best English rendering would be "the only Son, God,"51

    or "the onlybegottenSon, (Himself)God."And so the prologue ends as it began. The One who in verse 1

    is called "the Word" is God, and in verse 18 the Word who wasmade flesh inJesusChrist, is again said to be God.

    As Bruce wrote, "Only one who fully knows the Father canmake Him known."

    52 And the Son's knowledge of the Father is

    powerfully underscored by the phrase

    ("who is in the bosom ofthe Father").53

    In verse 18 the pro

    4 9 Mostmodern scholars agree that in view of

    6* and

    7 5,both of which have,

    the scales have tipped against . A minority, however, still defend the reading(Barrett,The Gospel according to St.John, 169; Schnackenburg, The Gospelaccordingto St.John,1:280;andHodges,"Grace after GraceJohn 1:16," 43 n. 29).

    Advocates appeal to two considerations. First, "only begotten Son" seems to be re-quiredby the following clause, "in the bosom of the Father."Second,"only begottenSon" is more in conformity with Johannine usage(3:16,18; 1 John 4:9). Proponentsof the reading make the following responses. First, it is a mistake to assumethat John always links to the phrase . In fact, of thethree undisputed uses of in John(3:16,18; 1 John4:19),all relatethe phrase to and none to .The true filial counterpart to the of John 1:18 is simply unaccompaniedby . Second, it is wrong toassume thathas to mean either "unique" or "one ofakind."It more likelymeans "only begotten [son]"or "only son." In every one of the eight undisputed NewTestament uses ofthewordrefers to an only child, that is, it denotes afilial relationship, whether or not it is accompanied by or. See D. A.Fennema, "John 1:18: 'God the Only Son/"New Testament Studies 31 (1985):12435.

    5 0 Brown,TheGospelaccordingtoJohn,Chs. 112,17.

    Fennema, who offers this translation, says that it can mean "the only Son, who(in addition to the Father) is God"(Fennema,"John1:18: 'God the OnlySon/" 128).

    5 2 Bruce,TheGospelofJohn,45.

    5 3 There is some debate over two elements in this phrase. The first issue is how to

    interpret the articular participle .Some say it expresses the simultaneous pres-

    enceofJesusin heaven and on earthduringHis earthly ministry. "The only begot-ten is continually in the bosom of the Father" (Morris,The Gospel according toJohn,101). However, John seems to have distinguished Christ's descent and ascent

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    logue comes full circle. It began with theWord in the Father'spresence in eternity past, and it concludes with the Sonagain inthepresenceofthe Father after Hisascension.

    54

    The phrase "in thebosom ofthe Father" is an idiom that ex-presses theveryclosestofrelationships.

    55It is usedin theBibleof

    a mother andchild (Num. 11:12),ofhusband andwife (Deut. 13:6),andoffriends recliningsidebysideat afeast (John 13:23).

    56It is a

    picture of love and close communion. Jesus, who occupies that

    isthe ground ofHissubsequent interpretation of the Father. Still others have sug-gestedthat the present participle alludes to the present session of Christ after His

    ascension.Bultmann wrote, "It is more probable, however, thatis to be taken asatrue present, and that it is therefore said oftheRevealer who has returned to theFather. This would thus introduce the idea, which is so important for the Gospelthat theworkof the Revealer is bounded by His 'coming' and by His 'return* "(TheGospel of John, 82 n. 6; cf.Meyer,The Gospel of John, 6970;and Brown,The Gos-

    pel accordingto John, Chs. 112,17).The second issue is how to interpret the preposition.Some have argued that

    it is static in meaning and thus is equivalent to(Barrett,The GospelaccordingtoSt.John, 16970;andMorris,The Gospel according to John, 101 n. 126).The prob-lem with this view is that John seems to have maintained a careful distinction be-tweenand.Of his 183uses ofas*,only in John 1:18 and 19:13could it possibly

    have the static sense of(J.J. O'Rourke,"andinJohn,"Bible Translator25[1974]: 13942).In light of John's strict distinction between and ,it is mostlikely thathas a dynamic force and points to theSon'sreturn to heaven throughtheAscension(Meyer,The Gospel of John, 70). See the thorough discussion of the

    whole verse in Murray J. Harris,Jesus as God (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992),73103,esp.94101.

    5 4

    Adele Reinhartz has argued that "the prologue is narrated retrospectively, fromapoint in time after theSon'sreturn to the Father." "The cosmologicaltale,"that is,theargument of the prologue, she writes, "proceeds parallel to the historical tale."Sheadds, "References toJesus'preexistence,though scattered throughout the bodyof thegospel(e.g.,8:58; 17:5),would be understood in the context ofthepreexistent

    Wordas described in the prologue. References toJesus' departure from theworldand his return to the Father(16:10,28) would be associated with the final phase ofthecosmological tale as told in the prologue, when the Son is in the bosom of theFather once more (1:18)"(The Word in the World: The Cosmological Tale in theFourth Gospel,Societyof Biblical Literature MonographSeries45 [Atlanta:Schol-ars, 1992],1819).Paul R. Raabe agrees. "The prologue of 1:118 provides the hermeneutical key for understanding the subsequent narrative. It places the historicaleventsoccurring in Palestine within an overarching cosmologicalframework. Thedivine logos, who was with God before the creation of theworld (1:13), becameflesh and dwelt in theworld(1:10,14) and then returned to the bosom oftheFather(1:18).This circle, from God to theworldand back to God, receives reinforcementthroughout the narrative (e.g.,6:62;16:28)"("A Dynamic Tension: God andWorldinJohn,"Concordia Journal21[April 1995]:14243[italicshis]).

    5 5

    Meyer notes the dynamic force of and translates the phrase "having arrived

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    The Benefits of the Incarnation of the Word:John1:1518191

    place in relation to God the Father, knows the most secret thoughts

    of His Father.57

    JesusChrist, the eternalWord,shares the very nature of God.

    He dwelt with God in eternity past, and today He has an unparal-

    leled intimacy with God the Father.58

    Only such a person is quali-

    fied to reveal God.59

    Luther said, "There is no other doctor, teacher,

    or preacher who resides in the Godhead and is in the bosom of the

    Father but the one Doctor, Christ. Humanly speaking, the Father

    enfolds Him in His arms and caresses Him. . . . Who else could

    have revealed God to us?"60

    And that is exactly what He didduring

    His sojourn on the earth."Hehas explained[] Him."

    Theverb,translated "explain," means "to tell or nar-rate"(cf. Luke 24:35;Acts 10:8; 15:12, 14; 21:19).The Englishword

    "exegesis" comes from this verb, so that the Son has been called

    "the'exegete'of the Father."61

    In classical Greek it was used of the

    publishingor explaining ofdivinesecrets, and that is its meaning

    here.62

    In fact one commentator says that this is abriefstatement

    of the theme of the entire Gospel of John. It is the interpretation of

    the person andworkofthe Father by theSon.63

    An elderly man walked through the writer's open office door at

    Emmaus Bible College. He said he was on his way to Minneapolisfor the fiftyyear reunion of his high school class. He said he had

    Godet,Commentaryon the Gospel of John,1:282.

    R. Alan Culpepper argues for a chiastic structure in John's prologue. Althoughhe concludes that verse 18 is not chiastic, he does argue that there is a correspon-dence between it and verses 12.He writes, "The return ofthe Wordto the presenceof God in v. 18 serves to give the prologue a definite ending which conveys a sense of

    order, balance and completion" ("The Pivot of John's Prologue,"New TestamentStudies 27[198081]:10).

    5 9 Harris disagrees with this view. He says it seems toblurthe fact that it is not

    the Son'spresent communion with the Father but His preincarnate fellowship withthe Father that guarantees the accuracy of His revelation (Jesus as God,9596).Harris'sown analysis proves, however, that a reference to the Ascension in verse 18is possible, if not probable. As Meyernotes,John wrote from the perspective of hisown standpoint years afterJesus'death, resurrection, and ascension. He conceivedofChrist asHeis now in His state ofexaltation,"as having returned to the bosom ofthe Father"(The Gospel of John,70).

    MartinLuther,Sermons on the Gospel of St. John Chapters 14,ed. JaroslavPelikan,vol. 22oLuther's Works (St. Louis:Concordia,1957),156.6 1 B Th G l f J h 45

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    192 BlBLlOTHECA SACRA / April-June 2004

    graduated from Emmaus three years after his high school graduation as president of his class, but he had abandoned the Christianfaith a few months later when he was a student at Duke University. A warm and charming man, he said he was a member of theUnitarian Church and was a mystic. He said he had had a transcendent experience in which he said he had experienced the divine. But he commented that he could not put his experience inwords; it was ineffable. This is so unlike Jesus Christ, the "Word"of God. He has brought to humankind the truth in His very tangible person. People come to know God not through mystical experiences with the infinite, but through the God-Man, Jesus Christ,

    who came to earth where He could be seen and heard.

    Thou art the everlasting Word,The Father's only Son;God manifestly seen and heard,And Heaven's beloved One.Worthy,OLamb of God, art ThouThat every knee to Thee should bow.

    In Thee most perfectly expressedThe Father's glories shine;Of the full Deity possessed,Eternally divine:Worthy,OLamb of God, art ThouThat every knee to Thee should bow.64

    CONCLUSION

    Using beautiful hymnic prose the apostle John set forth in his prologue the framework of a worldview that serves as the introductionto his Gospel. Everything that follows must be read in light of whatJohn said in these opening eighteen verses. The various planks ofhis Christian worldview have been examined in this six-part seriesof articles. They include (1) the prexistence and deity ofChrist;(2)the personal distinction of the Son from the Father; (3) the creationof the universe by Christ; (4) the reality of sinunbelief, rebellion,and falsehoodwhich enshrouds the world in darkness; (5) the roleof Jesus Christ as the true light, that is, as the true agent of divinerevelation, opposed to all false agents both ancient and modern; (6)

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    The Benefits of the Incarnation of theWord:John1:15-18 193

    plight; (7) the role of Jesus Christ as Savior to those who receiveHim, that is, believe in Him; (8) the sovereignty of God in bringingpeople into His family; (9) the incarnation of the eternal Son ofGod; (10) His superiority to John the Baptist and, by extension, allother prophets and spiritual leaders, because of His prexistenceand deity; (11) His superiority to all the accomplishments of theLaw; (12) His embodiment of grace and truth; (13) His revelation ofthe invisible God in His own person; and (14) His present-day intimacy with God because of His ascension. As the various ingredients of John's worldview are examined, it is evident that the personand work of Jesus Christ are the unifying factors of His entire

    message. For John, the Christian worldview is more than a philosophy; it is a person. It is more than a way of viewing reality; itactually brings people out of the darkness so that they can see. It isnot just a way oflife;it is the way of salvation.

    In his celebrated trilogy of novels devoted to interplanetarytravel C. S. Lewis describes the encounters of the hero, Dr. ElwinRansom, with the strangely wonderful creatures of the planetMalacandra, or Mars. Dr. Ransom learns that they call the planetearth "Thulcandra," and they view its inhabitants as bent or sinful.

    They know the tutelary spirit of earth, namely, Satan, as "the BentOne," and they know earth, his stronghold, as "the silent planet."The creatures of Malacandra also tell Dr. Ransom of Maleldil theYoung, who went to the silent planet, dared terrible things, andwrestled with the Bent One. The apostle John, of course, wouldagree with the strange inhabitants of Malacandra, but he could tellthem much more.65 He could tell them what he told his readers,namely, that Maleldil the Young is none other than the Eternal

    Word, the Son ofGodHimself, the Lord Jesus Christ. He could addthat the Son of God created the universe and that He did indeedplan "terrible things" to rescue the bent and sinful men who livedin the fallen stronghold of"theBent One." Most wonderful of all, hecould tell them that the Son of God actually assumed human fleshand came to this earth on His rescue mission to deliver those livingin the darkness and to defeat the Bent One, the lord of theirworld.66 He could tell them that "the silent planet" is silent nolonger. The Eternal Word has spoken, and the light of His message

    directs men and women to the truth and to fellowship with theliving God.

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    ^ s

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