Commentary on John1:14-18

 John 1:14-18

---

A translation:

14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) 16From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. (John 1:14-18 NRSVUE)

---

A “gemara” (not only translating the language, but interpreting for the people, whatever is needed to fill them in so that they can make enough sense of it to actually live in line with it; from the original generalized language (Common Greek) of the new generalised people of God, (from the world Empire before the then “current” Roman one) into 21st Century English, the language of The Western Industrialism Age, a society that had thrown God out, though their language holds some remnants of God’s influence, and there are remnants of God-fearers among them):

14God’s word that spoke the heavens and the Earth

into existence (as more rich than just

a Universe, ‘coz metaphor was birthed

in that one action, for all culture must

address the first beginnings in a way

that has a backdrop, or that won’t allow

for other things to even have a say,

or influence this life on Earth somehow.

This same word, or this message from the God 

that came to all the prophets in the past

& filled them in enough to keep from what

would bring destruction (so no good would last)

has now come here to us, so rich and full,

full-bodied, three dimensional & round,

so strong, initiating, beautiful 

that it was like a best friend that you found

coming then to live with you and share

life for a good long stay, where friendship grows

in strength, commitment, realness and care

the beauty of a friend who really knows

not just the surface, but our background too,

our family, and theirs is shared with us.

- what an amazing fam-i-ly. A true 

embodiment of kindness/thoughtfulness.

15(And John, his relative, he let the cat

out of the bag when he leaked, as he said,

the inside story. “Let me just say that

I’m older, so was here on Earth ahead 

of him.  But he’s ahead, well, all the time;

because he was around and coming to

folk way ahead of “me” & all that’s mine,

the heavens and the Earth - to me & you

16From his amazingly full thoughtfulness,

from his creative wisdom we’ve received, 

this goodness, power, and kindness heaped to bless.

The 17Laws and regulations heaven weaved

came down to us through Moses - man of God; 

but friendly laughing with reality 

came down to us through Jesus Christ. And what 

tall poppy, “god of men, & man” is he!

It’s true that old, old saying that 18”No one 

has ever seen the uncreated God,

whose word made ev’ry thing, when that was done.

But if we have seen Jesus, you know what?

- we kind of have seen God, or better yet, 

we’ve got to know him; it’s the only Son,

himself part of the family (who’d suspect?) 

who’s closest to the Father’s heart. Knowing’s begun.

A new and living way - through whom God’s* known, 

the Son’s enabling us to get to know,

and trust and love him, as his life has shown,

in all of life and death. A word/ whole show!

(a poetic gamara- an explanation, of John 1:14-18)

---

14And the word from God that spoke the universe into existence, this same message from God that came to & entered all the prophets to fill them in enough to turn the people of God back from destruction, and which has now come to us was so rich and full-bodied, so rounded and strong, so three dimensional and beautiful that it was like a best friend coming to live with you for a good long stay. We got to know it much better and our friendship grew in commitment, strength, realness and beauty. We really got to know our friend’s whole family better, and what an amazing family. A true family embodying true and thoughtful relating.  15(John, his relative, let the cat out of the bag when he let us know some of the inside story. “I’m older in birthdays than him, so I was around on Earth ahead of  him.  But he is way ahead of me, because he was actually around way ahead of “me” & mine, the heavens and Earth .”) 16From his amazingly full thoughtfulness and creative wisdom we have all received, goodness, power, and thoughtfulness heaped on goodness, power, & thoughtfulness. 17Laws and regulations  came to us through Moses; but laughing reality came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. But if we have seen Jesus, we kind of have seen God, or better, because we’ve got to know him; it is the only Son, himself part of the family, who is close to the Father’s heart, through whom he’s* known, the Son is enabling us to get to know, and trust and love him. 

(a gamara- an explanation, of John 1:14-18)

---

*  “he’s known”  can stand for either, or both, “he is known (by us)”, or “he has known (us).” taking into account not only John, but the books of Matthew (“the king shall say, ‘I have never known you’ ”) and Galatians (“..now that we have known God, or rather let me say “God has  known us”)

---

Saint Valentine’s Day 2025

---

Oh God, I’m here to learn to be a man.

Or maybe that’s too small a goal itself.

To learn to give away the man I am

to grow invisibly some kind of health

of being which itself cannot be seen.

A creature which, no light has ever  touched,

though no less real, if you know what I mean.

We’re meant to learn to partner - very much

within a bigger body, which humans 

can sense (but not through naked sense alone)

it is discerned by metaphor and can

be sensed with common sense, and then be known.

With flesh and bony body, which in some

poetic kind of understanding stands.

No other creature on the earth has come

quite near to understanding it. Humans

can “get it”, as one might just “get” a joke.

But maybe not these bigger bodies, though

if all the humans in them laughed and spoke

together, social bodies might more show.

Become more visible to human eyes,

as friendship, say, might then somehow be seen,

appreciated, not so much disguised.

We might then sense what now we only mean.

That humming, crooning, happy as a purr,

of t-w-o-man* that can then sustain those who

have partnered to comprise it, though they were

before like single cells, just One & Two.

Though similar in very many ways,

yet diff’rent ’nough to fit together well,

as friendship, or as parenting displays.

This partnership embodies anti-hell.

Though, sometimes is can be the portal for

enable-ing the stuff of hell to hold

and multiply, to get some purchase, more

like form a bridgehead, from which sortés bold-

ly go out hunting, gathering their stuff,

to help hell be the big reality,

“de owner” with its purchased pow’r enough

to overthrow, and conquer, by its greed.

But this one human who lives in those worlds

of thoughts and words and acts that bring on change

will recognise and grow the love that’s hurled

so far into a future that's arranged

as possibility right from the start.

And then creative love’s “partnered” with some,

to bring it on, & out, from at the heart

of ev’rything & ev’ry “partnered” one.

---

*  t-w-o-man (pronounced tw-omen), the (mythical though real) creature formed on Earth, within the present evil age, from which all human individuals are born. In the present set-up, no human ever comes from another single human. A little part of a human has to be placed in a secret place in a second human. This partnership must be enacted (& it sometimes sustains, as the habits of eating and drinking sustain humanity) on the stage of human history for a new likeness of creative love to develop. 

---

in mind..

---

Well here I am, quite often just like an…

..an animal with no mem’ry of friends.

I seem to not sustain things much more than 

my senses “see” some concrete expressions

of what or who I’m in relation to.

But wait! I have learned some things on the way.

I know creative energy can do

much more than just my will-pow-er to stay

& keep my focus on things not now seen.

It’s like I have to see them in my mind,

or bring them out from somewhere in between

into the present world, where then I find

myself in focus on them; they’re not lie-

-ing somewhere more forgotten. They’re more “found!”

Like hov’ring bird or circling butterfly, 

I keep myself viewing while turning round.

So there does seem a bit that I can do,

and for the rest I’ll have to just trust you.

But I can  write this poem to pursue

more mem’ry - which appears to then ensue.

And for the rest I’ll have to be content

with simply ‘fessing up to what’s in past.

And using all that metaphors have bent

into the service of “the first & last”.

I now perceive the way you do all this:

You’re not “in charge” as Caesar was of Rome,

the hint, ask, knock & wait, way that Jesus

employed is like a father in his home.

---

Waking the dead…

---

If he who’s God of god's, and Lord of lords

is present with me here, though human eyes 

this side of that day when “new birth” affords

us eyes and brain together which supply

some new capacities to new humans,

who’ve come out of this life which is our womb 

and start to really “see” and understand

so much in world more complex, so that soon

our brains and mind and our whole beings too

will be at home in world much bigger then.

But best of all, our Lord said we’ll see you.

He said “..the pure in heart …will see God!” When?

The future tense, is all the hint he gave.

But it was just as certain for him then

as sleep is to a body, (death & grave

we say are certainties) - some time, but “When?”

is quite opaque to us, as now a babe

is unaware of when it falls asleep.

It's body “knows”, but it learns to behave

in ways that can anticipate and keep

it’s cool about unconsciousness that comes

upon us all, we learn to happ-il-y 

relinquish our control & doing sums,

we let our bodies rest, and minds be free.

Well, since I’ve learned this process, as a child;

it’s not all new to me, yet must be spread

in voluntary ways. Your life is wild!

My old approach is what I now call “Dead!”

---