“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of God, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
Dear Ones:
In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, mankind is faced with the greatest revelation of the Eternal God to sinful man. The issue at hand is what is called, the “Word of God,” Christ the Messiah, taking upon Himself human flesh, and dwelling among us. It is one thing to see the hand of God, His beauty, power, and wisdom, in creation. It is quite another to see Him face to face, in the revelation of His person in Christ.
John begins his gospel account by making a declaration that is more than remarkable: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” (1:1) If we should go to the book of Revelation, we would find just who this “Word of God” is. We find the Lord Jesus in His glory, called “Faithful and Truth,” coming to judge and to make war with His enemies. John writes that “…His name is called The Word of God.” (19:13) Again, in John’s gospel, He writes concerning this “Word of God,” that He was “…in the beginning.” He has no beginning or ending of days. He is everlasting, the same yesterday, today, and forever. He was not only WITH the God the Father at creation, but was the God of creation, “…all things were made by Him.” (1:3) This “Word of God,” the Lord Jesus Christ, was and is, God the Creator. He is such with regard to every aspect of His creation, not only that which we are familiar with, but that which we have not seen or known, or even conceived as existing. He is Creator in every dimension, spiritual and physical. The vastness of that creation is only eclipsed by the greatness of God Himself, His wisdom and power. And yet, in the matter of God’s revelation of Himself to mankind, even the vastness of creation cannot even begin to reveal what we see in the incomprehensible miracle of Him taking on human flesh, dwelling among us, to reveal Himself to us. What form did the “Word of God” take, to reveal Himself in the greatest, and most appropriate measure?
The Apostle Paul wrote of Christ: “… (He) took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” (Phil. 2:7) The author of the book of Hebrews wrote: “…a body hast Thou prepared for me.” (10:5) In the sovereign mind of God, the Father, before the foundation of the world, would choose that the Son would lay aside His glory in heaven, to take upon Himself flesh, a body. He would dwell among us in the form of a servant, to BE the “Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn. 1:29) Zechariah would describe Him as the King of Jerusalem and Zion, “…just, and having salvation: lowly, and riding upon a donkey.” (9:9) The prophet Micah would write of this One who would come from “little” Bethlehem: “…out of thee shall come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel: whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (5:2) The eternal character of this “Word of God,” in all that He was as the Son of God, was revealed to men only in the measure that man could begin to grasp who He was. Because of His humility, and lowliness, even Philip, one of the disciples would ask Jesus: “Show us the Father,” to which the Lord Jesus would respond: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” (Jn.14:9) God the Father revealed, not only the wisdom and power of God in the vastness of creation, but the very nature and character of God in Christ…”full of grace and truth.” Here, before the disciples, and before us today in the Scriptures, is presented the greatest revelation of God, in the flesh, that we might know Him, and true fellowship with Him. (1 John 1:3-4)
Dear Father, Open our eyes to see Thee in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad