Grace and
Truth. The Law and the Prophets. That is quite a contrast; a verifiable
standoff. Think about how John’s
statement would have sounded to a first century Jewish believer, to whom it was
addressed. The Law and Moses certainly
had no meaning to the Gentiles. But this
comparison was tantamount to fighting words to devout Jews; a head-on collision
between two revelations; one by and one of God.
Yet understanding the difference makes all the difference in the world.
Note the
contrast. First, there is the distinction
regarding how these two revelations took place.
They first came to us through Moses, the second through Jesus. It would be a fair comparison between two
giants of salvation history, except for the fact that John has already made the
earlier assertion that Jesus is God in the flesh. One can say that Jesus handed the first (and
second) set of tablets to Moses on Sinai.
He was there in the beginning and He has now walked among us. Score that one clearly for Jesus.
The second
contrast is in what was given. This is
kind of awesome to me as I develop the thought in my brain. God had already given His law. The Jews knew about it; they had memorized it
and passed it down through their generations.
That is how the law was passed down-- one generation repeating it to the
next. Law can be memorized and
legislated. Grace and truth are a
totally different animal. This one
requires special delivery! This one cannot
simply be transmitted through spoken language or a written record-- it has to
be incarnated. It is not a matter of
passing down information or legislation, this revelation has to be
personal. And it was. Grace and truth are only understood through
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Believe it or not, that's the truth John is inspired by God to
deliver. And it's just the beginning....
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