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DAY THREE: The Meaning of “Grace Upon Grace”

What does “grace upon grace” mean?

John’s unique phrase points to the layered aspect of God’s grace revealed over time. The first grace John refers to is the Law—the original commandments and way of living meant to bless Israel. How was the Law itself a form of grace? Because it was actually a preliminary manifestation of God’s greater grace, shown more fully through Jesus.

Through God’s Law, a new standard was established: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. In other words, the punishment needed to fit the crime. I no longer had the right to burn down someone’s house just for stealing my camel. The Law, then, lifted Israel out of the base standards of that period in history.

Jesus came to extend a greater grace to people. This is the second grace. What Jesus was revealing was the way of His kingdom. This kingdom was full of grace—so much that when someone did evil against you, the response now called for forgiveness instead of bitterness, love instead of hatred, and mercy instead of judgment. Jesus was calling His followers to a higher level than the Mosaic Law. He was calling them to a mountain even higher than Mount Sinai.