What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life— 2 for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
The Word was with God the Father from all eternity and was present at creation. He is the life and light of the world (John 1:1-4). The Word became incarnate by the power of the Holy Spirit (Lk. 1:35) and was heard, seen, looked at, and touched by the disciples so their testimony is true (Jn. 1:14). The author reaffirmed the dual natures of Jesus Christ, similar to the evangelist John’s description of the Logos (Jn. 1:1). God is physically present in the community in Jesus Christ (God made man), “The Father and I are one (Jn. 10:30).” In the OT, the presence of God was carried by the Hebrews in the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 25:8). The disciples were witnesses to the physical presence of the light who testified, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die (Jn. 11:25-26).”
The author of this Epistle and the Gospel of John is anonymous, but tradition assigns both works to the Apostle John. The author asserts that he is a witness to the Word of life in the flesh, Jesus Christ. He wrote to the Christian community about what he and the disciples have seen, what they have touched, and what has been revealed to them. He was announcing the Good News so that they could have fellowship with Jesus and with each other (v. 3), and through Christ have fellowship with God and continually increase in joy. Jesus earned eternal life for the human race through his death and resurrection. Humanity can now walk in the light of Christ, avoid evil works, and enter into salvation (1 Jn. 1:6-7). Writing to them about the Good News completed his joy (Jn. 15:11).
Almighty God, you reveal yourself in our hearts and minds and invite us to fellowship with you and each other so that we may be led to a right relationship with you. Grant us the wisdom to walk in your light and be brought joyfully to everlasting life. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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