"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." (Jn 1:16)

Just a small observation today. From the fullness of Jesus' grace, being the fullness of the glory of the Father, John says we ALL receive grace. This contrasts with what John says in 1:12 - "to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..."

I may be drawing too fine a point, but in 1:16, John seems to be acknowledging that Jesus brings God's grace in some form to ALL the world. Within that set of those who receive grace, there is a subset -- those who receive him -- who receive a specific grace, power to become children of God. Yet there is grace for ALL the world also. It's a different grace, but it's there none the less.

The Old Testament acknowledges that God sends the grace of rain upon the just and the unjust. ALL get to share in the grace of Creation, in which the Word was a participant. Even Paul acknowledges in Romans 1:20 that there is a revelation of God for all -- "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made..."

From the fullness of Jesus' grace, we ALL receive grace upon grace.