"(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father )" (John 1:14)

INSPIRED PARENTHESES (1)


"(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father )" (John 1:14)

AS we read our Bibles we find that every now and again the translators have surrounded a parenthetic passage with double brackets -- (    ). These parentheses have no part in the flow of the narrative, as can be seen by simply omitting them from the reading and finding that there is no gap or break. Since, however, they are part of the inspired Word of God, they must not be omitted or overlooked. It may even be that the opposite is true, and that the Spirit has inserted them just there because they have a special value. I think this is the case, and propose to consider some of them in this way, beginning with the phrase quoted above from John 1:14.

The passage is a wonderful one. It tells us that: "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth". This, however, could have been a general statement, true enough but quite impersonal. The words in brackets represent a most important addition; they inform us that John himself witnessed and appreciated this revelation from the Father. John closes his Gospel with the same insistence that he knew what he was writing about, since he had actually been present and enjoyed the spiritual reality of what had taken place (John 19:35 and 21:24). He not only saw the glory of the Incarnation, but also the glory of the Cross.

For him this parenthesis was all important. What is more, the values of it have overflowed to the Church everywhere. We cannot even imagine a New Testament lacking John's contributions, especially his Gospel which is full of spiritual wealth and is quite unique. We might never have marvelled at the water turned to wine if John had not seen Christ's glory at Cana of Galilee and believed on Him. If John had not been at the Cross, then we might not have known that the Lord's triumphant cry at the end was: "It is finished", and we would have had no personal testimony concerning the mysterious flowing of blood and water from the side of the crucified Saviour. All this, and very much more, represents the blessings which have accrued to us because John had this vital personal experience of beholding the Father's only Son.

The lesson, therefore, of this significant and inspired parenthesis is the supreme importance of having a personal revelation of God in Christ. It is not enough to have accurate information about the Lord Jesus -- we must see Him and know Him for ourselves. For John this was the secret of personal blessing, and it was also the basis of the long and costly witness which he faithfully bore right through to the isle of Patmos. But more than that, it gave him a mighty ministry of blessing to others. Because John so saw Christ, multitudes of others have come to see that glory for themselves, enjoying comfort and inspiration as a result of John's first-hand testimony.

Let us note this lesson. Let us make sure that we can put ourselves in the inspired double brackets, so that we also may be powerful and fruitful witnesses to the glory of the only begotten of the Father.

Harry Foster

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