The apostle introduced us to John the Baptist earlier in the first chapter of his Gospel: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light…” (1:6-7). A few verses later, he quoted the prophet’s own words about Jesus. He said, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me’” (v.15). John said Jesus was to come after him. This was true in two ways. First, Jesus was born about 6 months after John. Second, he didn’t start his public ministry until after John had been preaching for some time. John also said this same Jesus, who was coming after him, was before him, literally, “he had been before me.” How is this not a contradiction?
John understood something very important about Jesus; he is the eternal Word of God, the One who already was before there ever was a beginning. John came to give a testimony of who Jesus truly was. Jesus’ life did not begin when he was born of Mary, or even when he was conceived within her womb. He is God of very God, the eternally existent One who bears all the attributes of God. John drew a simple conclusion: since Jesus was before him, he deserved to have the preeminence. John knew that Jesus was far greater than himself, and he preached this publicly to all who would listen.
The Fullness of God
In the next verse the apostle John offers his own testimony of Jesus: “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (v.16-17). The testimony of the two John’s is in agreement. John the apostle confirmed the testimony of John the baptizer. It’s as if he was saying, “John was right about Jesus being worthy of our worship and admiration, because we who have believed in his name have personal experience with his majesty and glory!” But what does he mean in v.16 when he says, “And of His fullness we have all received”? This idea of fullness refers to the totality of God which is in Jesus Christ, so that all of God is found in Christ. He is as much God as the Father and the Spirit, and he is the perfect divine representative, because the fullness of God is found in him. This is why Jesus said to Thomas, “If you had known me, you would have known My Father also,” (John 14:7) and to Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (14:9).
Is it really true that we can receive some part of the fullness of God? John says yes. In fact, he says that it is of this fullness that we have all received, referring to those who have received Jesus and become the children of God (1:12). He does not say that we receive all the fullness of God – that would be like trying to hold the ocean in a coffee cup – but we may receive and be filled with the Holy Spirit of God. You can be filled with the fullness of God by believing in Jesus’ name! It is like the story of a common Englishman many years ago who, while on his way to church, was asked whether his God was little or big. “He is both, sir,” he answered. “How can he be both?” “He is so great, sir, that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him; and so little that he can dwell in my heart.”
God sent his grace by means of his law through his servant Moses, but grace and truth have actually come in the person of Jesus.
Grace in Place of Grace
In addition to the fullness of God, John says that we have received “grace for grace.” This phrase is difficult, but I think the context helps to make it sensible. “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (v.17-18). The law was given, but grace and truth came. God sent his grace by means of his law through his servant Moses, but grace and truth have actually come down to earth in the person of Jesus. This is not to say that grace was unavailable under the Mosaic system, but men did not receive grace in the same way and to the same extent prior to Christ. With the coming of Jesus and his finished work, every believer possesses grace immediately through the indwelling of God’s Spirit. The point is not that we must have either the law or grace and truth; he means that Jesus’ ministry is superior to that of Moses. The ministry of grace and truth is preferable to that of law.
Who Can Reveal God?
The phrase “only-begotten Son” does not refer to Jesus’ birth as a human being, but to his shared nature with God the Father. Since Jesus is the one-and-only Son of God, he is uniquely able to reveal God the Father. He is also said to be in the bosom of the Father, which means that Christ is in the place closest to the heart of God. He is the only one who knows the will and the affections of the Father; he is the only one who could come down and declare God to men. Jesus is the perfect representative of God to men, better even than Moses.
Moses could not look upon God’s face. He could not stand to see all of his glory and live. Even the mere reflection of the backside of God’s glory was so brilliant, so powerful, that Moses’ face shone for days afterward. If Moses could not even look upon the face of God, it was impossible for him to explain him or make him personally known to others. Jesus is the one who is able to declare God to men, and he has come down – being full of grace and truth – to make him known. We will only see God when we see Jesus, and we can only know God by coming to know Jesus.
Let’s ask the question once more, Who is Jesus, really? We find in these verses another answer: Jesus is the Revealer of God the Father. Do you want to know God? Get to know Jesus Christ. Do you want to hear God speak? Listen to the words of Jesus Christ. Do you want to see God? Observe the life of Jesus Christ. He is the Revealer of God the Father.
