Grace was constantly seen in Jesus’ words, actions, and presence. John saw the fullness, and  he also received from the fullness “grace upon grace.”

How should we understand this grace upon grace? Many hear it as “one blessing after another,” a continual stream of divine favour. Certainly, John experienced blessing after blessing from Jesus’ inexhaustible grace, and so do we. Yet John’s wording invites a different reading. The word often translated “upon” can also mean “instead of” in the sense of one thing replacing another. John is contrasting two eras of grace: the grace given through Moses and the surpassing grace revealed in Jesus.

The Mosaic covenant was itself an act of grace. God rescued Israel, bound Himself to them in steadfast love, and gave them the law as a gift.  His law wasn’t given as a ladder to earn His favour, but a gracious way of life with Him. Yet this grace was partial and anticipatory.  It was a shadow pointing forward. In Jesus, the fullness arrives. The grace that once came through the law is now replaced by the grace that comes through the Son—personal, abundant and final.

Grace is not an abstract principle but a person.  Grace is God Himself standing before you, offering Himself to you without hesitation.  So, we need to keep our eyes on  Jesus’ fullness overflowing toward us, rather than living as though grace is scarce.  Grace through Moses was real yet partial, but in Jesus, the fullness has arrived.  And as we receive the surpassing fullness of Grace in him, we do indeed enjoy one blessing after another.  In the presence of Jesus, we can be greedy for grace!