2025/12/01

224. The Gospel of John and the Priesthood of the New Covenant: Its Beginnings

When reading the opening description in John 1 with Jesus' words "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10:30) in mind, one realises this portrayal expresses the triune God. That is as the Gospel of John states concerning Jesus entering his public ministry, "No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known" (1:18). Jesus appeared in the world as a male because it was essential for men who receive the priesthood of the New Covenant -- which was to work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit -- to be perfected as those who recognise the Holy Spirit, the Divine. (cf. 1:16-18).

Those who receive the priesthood of the New Covenant, though male, are overshadowed by the power of the Holy Spirit like the mother of Jesus, for the birth of the Eucharist. They become those who ask the Father in Jesus' name for the birth of the Eucharist, receive it, and are filled with joy (cf. Jn 16:20-24). This priestly mission is concerned with the life of the Eucharist, just as a woman who conceives a foetus is concerned with human life. For the human life, which God desired to be, and which is born of a woman, God, who calls Himself "I am," willed to be born of a man, who was given the priesthood of the New Covenant, to serve human life as the Eucharist.

For those male believers who receive the priesthood of the New Covenant, it is essential to understand Jesus' words, "I and the Father are one," and thereby to see the Holy Spirit. Yet that is a sense all believers ought to possess, and one that must be consciously acquired. The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in Jesus' name, touches us through the Word, the Son. We, believers, must understand and acknowledge the priesthood of the New Covenant, which, before the altar, is not only touched by the Holy Spirit but maintains a constant connection with Him. It is precisely this that serves as an umbilical cord linking our lives as believers to the Holy Eucharist.

Jesus declared, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (Jn 14:6). The "way" is the Father's will. As Jesus said, "For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing" (5:20), the way to the Father is borne by Jesus, the Word. "Truth" is Jesus Himself. The words Jesus speaks are true. "Life" lies in the understanding to which the Holy Spirit guides by teaching truth. When the Father desires that there be life in a person, the Word speaks to him that there may be life, and when the Holy Spirit makes him understand the words, the life of the person begins. All life is born in this way.

The Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and appeared in the world through Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus said, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (Jn 14:26). Jesus, the Word, became flesh, dwelt among men, and spoke with all His might, so that the Holy Spirit sent by the Father in Jesus' name might enable people to recall everything Jesus had spoken.

The Gospel of John begins thus: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (Jn 1:1-5). The first half, from "In the beginning was the Word" to "without him was not anything made that was made," expresses the fact that "I and the Father are one."

"In him was life" signifies the fact that Jesus, who was God yet became man, received baptism by water, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him, as John the Baptist testified. Thus, Jesus demonstrated that his words would fulfil in humanity: "For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself" (Jn 5:26). Herein lies the mechanism whereby, through His words and the works, people come to believe in the Holy Spirit who enlightens them to the truth. The Holy Spirit is the light that illuminates humanity. The "darkness" mentioned in "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" refers to man’s information and knowledge.

At the beginning of Genesis chapter 2, it reads, "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them" (Gen 2:1). And on that day, God rested (cf. 2:2). Thus, the opening description in chapter 1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters" (1:1-2), seems to depict God taking a moment's pause after creating the heavens and the earth, before creating the all the host of them (cf. 1:3-31). Viewed thus, this opening depicts the Holy Spirit at work after the Word (the Son) accomplished the will of God (the Father) to create the heavens and the earth.

The phrase "the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters" signifies the words of the Son, who fulfilled the Father's will, being transformed into understanding by the Holy Spirit. "The deep" represents the profound abyss of God's knowledge. The Gospel of Luke says, "And they [demons] begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss" (Lk 8:31). The Book of Revelation also talks of "the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit" (Rev 9:1). If the "deep" signifies the deep abyss of God’s knowledge, it must surely be a grave for man’s information and knowledge.

Thus, the image of the Triune God is also present in the Old Testament. The Gospel of John introduces John the Baptist beginning in chapter 1, verse 6. He went before the Lord as the final prophet, bearing witness to the Holy Spirit and prophesying the priesthood of the New Covenant. Genesis also moves towards the concrete act of creation from chapter 1, verse 3.

Maria K. M.