Jeremiah 31:7 – 14 / Psalm 147:13 – 21 / Ephesians 1:3 – 14 / John 1:1 – 18
This is the homily given at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania on Sunday, January 5, 2025 by Fr. Gene Tucker.
“ONLY”
(Homily
text: John 1:1 – 18)
A
friend of mine has assumed, for himself, the persona of Language Man. Language
Man takes it upon himself to comment on what he perceives to be misuse of
words, bad grammar, and other offenses against the dignity of the English
language. (Language Man’s postings can usually be found on Facebook.)
It
we might be permitted to follow in Language Man’s quest, we could apply some of
his observations to the use of the word “Only”, as we look at today’s wonderful
Gospel text, the Prologue to John’s Gospel account (John 1:1 – 18).
We
begin by looking at the word “Only”, in order to assess when and why it used,
and in what contexts.
“Only”,
it seems to be, generally is connected to the idea of assigning the cost, the importance
or the value of something or someone.
For
example, “Only’ can be used to minimize – or overlook - the cost of something,
usually something for sale. An example would be its use in advertising, as in “Only
four easy payments of $29.95/each”. Here, the idea is to heighten the perceived
value of whatever is being sold, often far beyond its real value and worth. Or,
it can be used to minimize the steps that must be taken to achieve something,
as in “You only have to do these exercises daily for one hundred days…” (Ugh!)
You
get the idea.
“Only”
can also be used to remind ourselves of something we might/should have known at
some point in the past, something that places our current knowledge and
information against a time in the past. For example, “If I’d only known
what fun my grandchildren would be, I would have had them first!” (A
certifiably true statement, by the way.) Another example would be, “If only
I’d known what I know now, I would have done things differently”.
The
third way that “Only” is used (it seems to me) is to declare the highest value
we place in someone or something. Used this way, “Only” has the sense that the
properties being held in mind are ones that no other thing (or person) can
have. An example might be “Dove dark chocolate drops are the only kind
of dark chocolate I like”. (OK, not true…I’m a chocoholic, and enjoy chocolate
in any and all its various forms!) One other example will illustrate this use
of the word: When we meet someone and fall in love, we often say something
like, “You are the only one for me!”.
Let’s
turn now to our appointed Gospel text, the beginning of the Fourth Gospel, the
one whose author is John.
The
first thing of importance (I think anyway) is to remind ourselves that John is
concerned to concentrate on our Lord Jesus Christ’s divine nature, His Oneness
with the Father.[1] So it is, in this
context that Jesus Christ says, “I and the Father are One. (John 10:30)
Similarly, in dealing with the disciple Philip’s doubts, He says, “If you have
seen me, you have seen the Father”. (John 14:9b) One more example will
emphasize John’s focus: The Lord says, “Before Abraham was, I am”. Those who
heard that statement knew immediately that He was claiming His divine being, eternal
as His Father. (John 8:58)
In
the fulness of time, God decides to intervene in human affairs and in human
history. He decides to do so directly, by sending His emissary.
Let’s
reflect on God’s decision, and begin by imagining that God might ask one (or
more) of us what form of the use of the word “Only” He would have to use to
encourage us to leave God’s presence and enter history.
God
might well have had to say something like, “You only have to go down and
become a helpless baby. As you grow up and begin to deliver my message, many
will reject it, although some will hear, understand and accept what you have to
say. Some will oppose you so much that they will conspire to kill you”. In
order to persuade one or more of us to take up this work, God would have to
minimize the difficulties that would lie ahead, or to get us to overlook how
hard that assignment would be.
Of
course, the truth is that none of us is at all qualified for such a work and
such a mission. However lacking we are to fulfill this mission, it is helpful
(I think) to cast some light on God’s decision to send Jesus, the Christ, to
take up our humanity, in order to show us the way to God.
The
truth is that the Father didn’t have to minimize the difficulties and the
challenges that would lie in Jesus Christ’s path as He left His Father’s
presence, and as He set aside the glory He has with the Father for His earthly
sojourn. Instead, perhaps the appropriate use of the word “Only” that applies
here is the Son’s unique nature for this work and this mission. Indeed, we can
safely say that “Jesus Christ is the only one who could fulfill the
Father’s desire and work”.
And
so, God the Son came, and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) His sojourn is a
temporary one, for the Greek word which is usually translated as “dwelt” has
the sense of “pitching his tent” among us. As God dwelt with His people in the
wilderness in the Tabernacle, a tent which went wherever God’s people went, so
our Lord Jesus Christ manifests God’s presence among us, and goes wherever we
go in our life’s walk and journey.
Our
response to God’s wonderful work in sending the very best, Himself, in the
person of Jesus Christ, can fall into one of two categories, both of which make
use of the word “Only”. We could fail to appreciate God’s gift by saying, “If only
I’d known, valued and accepted the blessings of God’s work in Jesus Christ….”
Or, we could say, “You, only, O Lord, are to be praised, glorified and
believed on in our lives, for you have come to us, bringing God’s very self to
dwell in our hearts”.
AMEN.
[1] The emphasis and the focus of the first three Gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark and Luke, is on Jesus Christ’s humanity. All of the Gospels affirm Jesus Christ’s dual nature, His humanity and His divine nature. It is the emphasis, the focus, that differentiates John’s account from the other three.
