Anyone doing a front to back reading of the gospels quickly realizes new land has been entered when the first words of John appear on the page. The Prologue right at the very beginning is a real Stop Sign for any reader who has built up steam and is hurrying along to the end. Jesus is introduced not through a birth story, or as a baptismal candidate, but in language that brings heaven and earth so close together the holy incense can be smelled. Instead of facts about Jesus, John fills the spirit which powerful images that send it soaring into realms of mystery.
The Prologue also tells us something about what is to follow. Such is the function of any good beginning. As Jesus is introduced as one "full of grace and truth," the door to what follows is open. Everything about Jesus' life, everything about every personal encounter, and everything about that awful moment on the cross shows us what grace look like as it takes on the humanity common to us all. Not only do we see Him as the Model for grace, but we also see Him as the embodiment of truth. Later in John's gospel we actually hear Jesus saying, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." (John 14:6)
As we pay close attention we realize Jesus is not proclaiming Himself to be "a" truth among many truths, but "the" truth meaning that it is greater than and more pervasive than anything else humankind might define as truth. When we hear these words, we are tempted to do as the ancient Hebrews who were tried to worship at two altars. We want to put Jesus on a level with other proclaimers of truth, but to do so is to run the risk and reap the results of those rebellious Hebrews of long ago.
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