Walking through the last verses of the first chapter, more words in the tradition of grace and truth are used to describe the fullness of the character of Jesus. To know Him is to know what life should be all about.
Part of earthly living is to handle scarcity and provide for our own basic needs. Fear of deprivation is a basic struggle for life. To keep us from running out of supplies is what our job and providing for others are all about. Is that not often reason for deep-rooted fear and stress?
God is called El Shaddai, the God of enough. Those words have constantly been a strong source of encouragement to me. His name is His character. If He is the source that will never run out, He will make provision for us, His children. His provision is never sparse.
We sang an old song with exactly those words to drive out fear of the future:
He is more than enough, more than enough
He is El Shaddai, the God of plenty
The All-sufficient One, God Almighty
He is more than enough
The meaning of El Shaddai is closely related to the majestic Creator-God, who is Almighty and who knows how to provide enough. He can create from nothing. He can call the seas its boundaries and declare enough.
In His provision and in His creation His glory is displayed. Glory is defined as high renown or honour won by notable achievements, magnificence or great beauty. God’s glory is the full weight or substance of his splendour, His reputation and good standing.
He manifested his glory in miracles. (John 2:11) For Jesus His own glory was the glory of God, the glory of the One who sent Him. His Father glorified Him, which meant that He had the full weight of the Creator-God at His disposal. (John 5:41; 7:18; 8:50,54) Jesus states that the glory of His Father was his own before the world began (John 17:5). That same glory, His reputation, and His sufficiency he has given to his disciples (John 17:22). This mighty wonder includes us.
Jesus is God’s reputation, a manifestation of God’s love.
1:15-17:John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist gave Jesus first place. In every word the Baptist spoke he emphasized the superior calling of Jesus. This is very important to John the Apostle.
Jesus was actually six months younger in age than the Baptist. John is saying: “He who is my junior has been advanced beyond me. I prepared the way for Him”. Jesus is the one who existed before the world began.
The word that John uses for fullness is a great word. It is pleroma and it means the sum total of all that is in God. He meant that in Jesus there dwelt the totality of the wisdom, the power and the love of God.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him…
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 1:19, 2:9,10).
The spring of divine life, becomes available to men.
1:18: No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
When John said that no man has ever seen God, everyone in the ancient world would fully agree with him. Men were fascinated and depressed and frustrated by what they regarded as the infinite distance and the utter remoteness of God.
God is represented as saying to Moses: “You cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:20)
Plato said: “Never man and God can meet. “God is way beyond everything.”
It was unthinkable to call God father.
John makes the startling statement that Jesus has fully revealed to men what God is like.
Jesus is unique. He is described as monogenes which means only-begotten. He is one of a kind, specially beloved.
To be in the bosom of someone is the Hebrew phrase, which expresses the deepest intimacy possible in human life. Therefore Jesus can reveal the Father, as He comes from the bosom of the Father.
In Jesus Christ the distant, unknowable, invisible, unreachable God has come to men; and God can never be a stranger to us again.
This was not a new idea. It was often expressed in the Psalms and the longings of the prophets. To them the ultimate excellence of living was to be found in the presence of the Most High. Even from their perspective of God as distant and fierce, there was a deep longing for the intimate fellowship of a love-relationship.
Hosea writes of a heavenly engagement, expressing the love-relationship conveyed by God to His people.
“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy. (Hosea 2:19)
God speaks to Jeremiah and says that He remembers the time of Israel’s first love, when following Him, even into the wilderness, was a sign of their love for Him. (Jeremiah 2:1)
It is all about love. Jesus is God’s love. The only life worth living is only possible in the fullness of love.