Today we will conclude our initial study of John 1:1-14. So far we’ve seen that Jesus is God, that He became human, that He is life and gives life and that He is the true Light.
Read John 1:1-14 one more time.
Given what we’ve learned so far, are there any more insights you gained in your current reading through this passage?
Jesus is Full of Grace and Truth
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
How would you explain the phrase full of grace and truth?
This phrase, perhaps, embodies who Jesus is more than any other phrase John has used thus far. The Greek word that John uses for full, pleres, denotes something that is brimming. It is impossible to add anything to this understanding of what is full; it is complete in itself. In our context this means that there is nothing, grace or truth, that can be added to the character of Jesus to make Him more complete. Jesus in His person fully embodies not only the essence of grace and truth but the reality of it as well.
It would do us well to also consider what John intends by using each of the words “grace” and “truth.”
A widely used acronym for grace (that I learned at an early age from a sermon) helped me remember what constitutes grace: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. This acronym may give us a glimpse of what grace is but at the same time it also lacks depth of understanding that we will need in order to interpret the many relational interactions John’s narrative shows us. While it is helpful to remember that grace is an outpouring of God’s riches, we need to know it is so much more than that. Grace, or charis in the Greek, is a word rich with meaning. It denotes lovingkindness (i.e. covenant keeping love) and goodness. But it also refers to that which is pleasurable and delightful, words and actions characterized by sweetness, favor, loveliness and joy. It is both compassionate and playful. Grace is like a glue that strengthens the relationships we are about to see. It is the compassionate, joyful, inclusive nature that gives Jesus His winsomeness.
What ways do you experience the fullness of Jesus’ grace? How have you seen grace (as we are framing it) played out in the Bible narrative or the experience of someone you know?
Similarly, truth has a deeper understanding than might meet the mind’s eye. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words identifies alethei, the Greek counterpart to the English word truth, as “the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter.” It is not just truth, it is the origin of that truth. Truth originates with Jesus. He declares it. He defines it. He is, as He affirms, truth. (John 14:6) One could add nothing to His character to make Him truer than He is now or has ever been or ever will be. Truth is woven throughout the pages of John. It, like grace, is central to who Jesus is.
In a world that struggles to find the identity of truth, how does it feel to know that truth is a Person? How does this change your perspective of what you believe about yourself? God’s Word? Your neighborhood, church, community, etc.?
Imagine it. Jesus is full to the brim of unending tender mercy (i.e. grace) and beyond-the-conception-of-the-human-mind truth. This statement, full of grace and truth, therefore characterizes a being who is both mercifully tender and infinitely wise, One whose grace and truth are immeasurable. This describes a benevolent God. It describes Jesus. This is directly in keeping with John’s purpose for his gospel: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God…” (John 20:31)
When you consider that Jesus is complete in grace AND truth, what understanding does that give you regarding your relationship with Him?
Please remember that this was not meant to be an exhaustive study of John’s introduction to his gospel. The things that we have focused on were meant to draw the attention to Jesus, to His character, and give us a framework for understanding the remainder of John’s narrative with regard to the relationships that we will see Jesus develop over the course of this study. I pray we will all receive blessing by learning more about the personal side of Jesus. I pray it will teach us about the relationship God wants to have with us both individually and corporately.