"The Light," that is, the Word of God, shines "in the darkness," that is, in death and error. For He, even having submitted to death, so overcame it that He compelled it to vomit up even those whom it had previously swallowed. And in pagan error the preaching shines.
Jn. 1:5. and the darkness did not overcome it.
Neither death overcame Him, nor error. For this light, that is, the Word of God, is unconquerable. Some considered "darkness" to be the flesh and earthly life. The Word shone even when It became flesh and was in this life, and the darkness, that is, the opposing power, tempted and pursued the Light, but found Him invincible and unconquerable. The flesh is called darkness not because it is such by nature (God forbid!), but on account of sin. For the flesh, so long as it is governed by the law of nature, has absolutely no evil whatsoever, but when it is moved beyond the bounds of nature and serves sin, it becomes and is called darkness.
Jn. 1:6. There was a man sent from God; his name was John.
Having told us about the pre-eternal existence of God the Word and intending to speak about the incarnation of the Word, the Evangelist inserts a discourse about the Forerunner. And what else, if not the birth of John the Forerunner, could be spoken of before the discourse on the birth of the Lord in the flesh? The Evangelist says of the Forerunner that he was "sent" by God, that is, sent from God. For false prophets are not from God. When you hear that he was sent from God, know that he said nothing of himself or from men, but all things from God. For this reason he is also called an angel (Mal. 3:1), and it is the prerogative of an angel to say nothing of himself. Hearing of an angel, do not think that John was an angel by nature or that he descended from heaven; he is called an angel by virtue of his work and ministry. Since he served the proclamation and heralded the Lord beforehand, for this he was called an angel. Therefore the Evangelist, in refutation of the supposition of many who perhaps thought that John was an angel by nature, says: "there was a man," sent from God.
Jn. 1:7. He came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all might believe through him.
"He," it says, "was sent from God to bear witness concerning the light." Then, lest anyone should think that his testimony was truly needed for the Only-Begotten, as though He were in need of something, the evangelist adds that John came to bear witness concerning the Son of God not because He needed his testimony, but so that all might believe through him. Did all then indeed believe through him? No. How then does the evangelist say: so that all might believe? How? — as far as it depended on him, he bore witness in order to draw all people, but if some did not believe, he does not deserve blame. The sun also rises in order to illuminate all, but if someone, having shut himself in a dark room, does not make use of its ray, is the sun to blame for this? So it is here as well. John was sent so that all might believe through him; but if this did not happen, he is not at fault.
Jn. 1:8. He was not the light, but was sent to bear witness of the Light.
Since it often happens that a witness is greater than the one about whom he testifies, lest you think that John, who testifies about Christ, was also greater than Him, the Evangelist, in refutation of this wicked thought, says: "he was not the Light." But perhaps someone will say: "Can we not call John, or any other of the saints, light?" We can call each of the saints a light, but the Light, in this sense, we cannot call them. For example, if someone asks you: "Is John a light?" — agree. But if he asks thus: "Is John that Light?" — say "no." For he himself is not the light in the proper sense, but light by participation, having his radiance from the true Light.
Jn. 1:9. There was the true Light, which enlightens every man coming into the world.
The Evangelist intends to speak of the Incarnate Economy of the Only-Begotten in the flesh — that He came to His own, that He became flesh. Therefore, lest anyone think that He did not exist before the Incarnation, he raises the mind to existence before every beginning and says that the true Light existed even before the Incarnation. By this he also overthrows the heresy of Photinus and Paul of Samosata, who maintained that the Only-Begotten received His being only when He was born of the Virgin, and did not exist before that. And you, Arian, who do not acknowledge the Son of God as true God, hear what the Evangelist says: "the true Light." And you, Manichean, who say that we were created by an evil creator, hear that the true Light enlightens every man. If the evil creator is darkness, then he cannot enlighten anyone. Therefore we are creatures of the true Light. "And how," someone will say, "does He enlighten every man, when we see some who are darkened?" As far as it depends on Him, He enlightens all. For tell me, are we not all rational? Do we not all know by nature what is good and its opposite? Do we not have the ability, through contemplation of created things, to know the Creator? Therefore the reason given to us, which instructs us by nature — which is also called the natural law — may be called a light given to us from God. But if some have made poor use of reason, they have darkened themselves. Others resolve this objection thus: "The Lord enlightens," they say, "every man who comes 'into the world' (in Greek, *kosmos* — adornment, order), that is, into a better state, and who strives to adorn his soul rather than leave it disordered and shapeless."
Jn. 1:10. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and the world did not know Him.
He was in the world as the omnipresent God, and one might also say that He was in the world with respect to providence and preservation. However, he says: "Why do I say that He was in the world, when there would not even be a world if He had not created it?" From all sides he proves that He is the Creator, at once removing both the madness of Manes, who said that an evil creator produced all things, and the madness of Arius, who called the Son of God a creature, and at the same time leading every person to the confession of the Creator, teaching not to serve creatures but to worship the Maker. But "the world," he says, "did not know Him," that is, the wicked people who occupied themselves with worldly affairs. For the name "world" signifies both this universe, as is said here: "the world came into being through Him"; and it signifies those who think in a worldly manner, as is said here: "the world did not know Him," that is, people attached to the earth. But all the saints and prophets knew Him.
Jn. 1:11. He came to His own,
Here the Evangelist is clearly speaking of the Dispensation of salvation in the flesh, and the entire order of thought is as follows: the Light was true, in the world, without flesh, and was not known; then He came to His own with flesh. By "His own" you may understand either the whole world, or Judea, which He chose as a portion of inheritance, as a lot and His own possession (Ps. 113:2).
Jn. 1:11. His own did not receive Him.
or the Jews, or the rest of the people created by Him. Thus, he laments the madness of men and marvels at the love of the Master for mankind. "Being," he says, "His own, not all received Him, for the Lord does not attract anyone by force, but leaves it to their own judgment and free will."
Jn. 1:12. But to those who received Him, who believe in His name, He gave the power to become children of God,
To those who received Him, whether slaves or free, young or old, barbarians or Greeks, to all He gave the power to become children of God. And who are these? Those who believe in His name, that is, those who received the Word and the true Light, and received by faith, and embraced Him. Why did the evangelist not say that He "made" them children of God, but "gave (them) the power" to become children of God? Why? Listen. Because to preserve purity it is not enough to be baptized, but much effort is needed to keep undefiled the image of adoption that is imprinted in baptism. Therefore many, although they received the grace of adoption through baptism, did not remain children of God to the end because of their negligence.
Another person might also say that many receive Him through faith only, for example, the so-called catechumens, but they have not yet become children of God; however, if they wish to be baptized, they have the power to be deemed worthy of this grace as well, that is, adoption as sons.
Another will say also this: that although through baptism we receive the grace of adoption, we will receive the perfection in the resurrection; then we hope to receive the most perfect adoption, as Paul also says: "we wait for the adoption" (Rom. 8:23). Therefore this evangelist also did not say that those who received Him, He made children of God, but gave them power to become children of God, that is, to receive this grace in the age to come.
Jn. 1:13. Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
He makes a kind of comparison between Divine and fleshly birth, not without purpose reminding us of fleshly births, but so that we, having recognized through comparison the ignobility and lowliness of fleshly birth, might hasten toward Divine grace. He says "who were born not of blood," that is, of the menstrual blood, for by it the child is nourished and grows in the womb. They also say that the seed is first converted into blood, then formed into flesh and the rest of the body's structure. Since some might say that the birth of Isaac was therefore the same as the birth of those who believe in Christ, since Isaac was born not of blood, for Sarah's monthly discharges (separations of blood) had ceased (Gen. 18:11); since some might think this, the Evangelist adds: "nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man." The birth of Isaac was, though not of blood, yet of the will of a man, since the husband indeed desired that a child be born to him from Sarah (Gen. 21:8). But "of the will of the flesh," for example, was Samuel from Hannah. Thus, you can say that Isaac was of the will of a man, and Samuel of the will of the flesh, that is, of Hannah, for this barren woman intensely desired to receive a son (1 Sam. 1:6), though perhaps both elements were present in both cases.
If you wish to learn something more, then listen. Carnal union occurs either from natural inflammation, for often a person receives a very hot constitution and from that is very inclined to intercourse. This the Evangelist called "the will of the flesh." Or the unrestrained impulse toward intercourse comes from bad habit and an intemperate way of life. This impulse he called "the will of man," since it is a matter not of natural constitution but of the intemperance of the man. Since, however, a strong inclination toward intercourse is found sometimes in the wife, sometimes in the husband, perhaps by "the will of man" the Evangelist signified the sensuality of the husband, and by "the will of the flesh" the sensuality of the wife. You may also rightly understand by "the will of the flesh" the lust that inflames the flesh toward union, and by "the will of man" the consent of the one lusting to copulation, which consent is the beginning of the act. The Evangelist set down both because many feel lust yet are not immediately carried away by the flesh, but overcome it and do not fall into the act itself. But those whom it overcomes reach the desire to copulate, because at first the flesh and the lust smoldering in it inflamed them. Thus the Evangelist fittingly placed the will of the flesh before the will of man, because naturally lust precedes union; and both wills necessarily converge in copulation. All this has been said on account of those who often ask foolish questions, because, strictly speaking, all these expressions convey one thought, namely: the lowliness of carnal birth is set in plain view.
What then do we, who believe in Christ, have that is greater than the Israelites under the Law? True, they too were called sons of God, but between us and them there is a great difference. The Law in all things had "a shadow of the good things to come" (Heb. 10:1) and did not impart to the Israelites sonship (fully), but only as it were in figure and mental representation. But we, through baptism in very deed, having received the Spirit of God, cry out: "Abba, Father!" (Gal. 4:6). Just as their baptism was a figure and shadow, so too their sonship foreshadowed our adoption. Although they too were called sons, it was in shadow, and they did not possess the very reality of sonship, as we now possess it through baptism.