The first fourteen verses of the Gospel according to John are the prologue to this account of Jesus, which is different in so many ways from those of Matthew, Mark and Luke. They also constitute one of the major Christological passages in the New Testament. Since volumes have been written to discuss the meaning and significance of what these verses reveal about Jesus, I confess that is rather presumptive of me to devote this brief article to such a vast subject. If I can succeed, however, in focusing the reader's attention for a few minutes upon the central Figure of mankind and the only hope for our future, then my feeble effort is worth it.
The text quoted above declares the fact of the incarnation, the descent of God to earth to enter into human flesh and dwell among us as a Man. That this would happen was prophesied centuries earlier in Isa. 7:14, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name IMMANUEL." In Matthew's account of Jesus' birth, (i.e., His incarnation), he quotes Isaiah's prophecy and explains to us that "Immanuel" means "God with us." It is an astounding fact to the sensitive mind that God would choose to humble Himself to the human plane of existence and submit His presence and activities to the limitations of our physical condition. If anything should cause our hearts to overflow with gratitude and thanksgiving to the Father, it should be the consideration of Jesus' assumption of the human state to share life with us in all its varied situations.
John, an eyewitness of Jesus' human experience, emphasizes here that he and his companions were privileged to behold in Jesus "the glory of the only begotten of the Father." It is difficult, if not impossible, to explain the full meaning and significance of the word "glory," but to say that it refers to "the sum total of God's perfections" may be a working definition. The divine glory was constantly manifested to select men in the Bible as a brilliantly radiant, utterly beautiful light. John, along with Peter and James, were honored to behold that glory when Jesus was transfigured before them one day on a mountaintop. On that occasion "His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was as white as the light." In the initial text above, John may be ultimately referring to this experience when he declares, "and we beheld His glory." As a member of the Holy Trinity Jesus was endowed with glory which He left in heaven on His journey here to earth. But on the remarkable occasion in Mat. 17:1-8 He was transformed back into it briefly before the awestruck eyes of His three disciples.
Two other manifestations of Jesus' glory, though not beheld as a radiant light, were nonetheless wonderful. John says that Jesus was filled with "grace and truth." Grace refers to everything God gives us, although here the emphasis is upon His gift of salvation which we receive at Christ's expense. Jesus did what no one else could. He assumed the collective sins of every human and paid the price of death for their absolution. What greater gift could God give us than release from the death penalty for sin and the promise of eternal life in heaven?
Truth refers to the reality of spiritual existence which we can know only by means of revelation. Our perception is limited to the physical world, but Jesus taught us accurately about what exists in the spiritual world and what relation it sustains to us. Others, who were of course inspired by God, revealed small bits of information about that other sphere of existence. But the fullest picture we shall ever receive in this life is the truth which was revealed by Jesus when He was here among us.
