The Word Made Flesh

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by Him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind…Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw His glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.”
John 1:1-4; 14

For the better part of nineteen months this blog has focused on journeying through Scripture in a chronological fashion. There have been some slight deviations here and there, but the bulk of the writing since April 2012 has slowly and systematically worked through the Old Testament. Considering the Old Testament comprises two-thirds of the entire Bible it has required a significant amount of time to review its assorted passages. But with this entry we now make our way into the New Testament, which only amplifies the amazement and wonder of God’s eternal presence, position, and power that was set forth in the Old Testament. 

The starting point for this New Testament study is the book of John, one of the four gospel accounts. It is interesting to note that each of the gospel records presents a unique perspective on the lordship and legacy of Jesus. While there are correlating and matching stories, the text reads and flows slightly differently in all four books. Consequently, each gospel account opens in a distinctive manner. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus (likely from Joseph’s line) and then lists details regarding the miraculous birth of Jesus (through immaculate conception, conceived by the Holy Spirit). Mark begins with the work of John the Baptist, who spiritually paved the way for Jesus’ ministry. Luke begins with the history of John the Baptist’s conception, which itself was supernatural, and then reveals the relational connection of John the Baptist’s mother (Elizabeth) to Mary, the mother of Jesus. And finally John begins in a theological style rather than a historical style, and provides one of the most impactful treatises on Jesus in all of Scripture. 

Where some authors opted to open their gospel accounts with the genealogical connection of Jesus to the Hebrew lineage, thus calling attention to Christ’s humanity, John the apostle opted to convey the holy nature of Jesus, thus calling attention to His divinity. In other words, Jesus was God in man, or the God-man. As the late, great British preacher and author Charles Spurgeon once observed, “Remember Christ was not a deified man, neither was he was a humanized God. He was perfectly God, and at the same time perfectly man.” And this theme is readily apparent in the first few verses of John’s gospel. 

The literary imagery that John captures in chapter 1, verse 1, (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God…) takes us back to the book of Genesis. In Genesis 1:1 it states that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” And a little later in verse three of Genesis 1 the text declares that “God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light.” Therefore, God was able to abstractly imagine something that had never existed (like light, sky, stars, and humanity) and then literally speak it into existence with a spoken word. Such holy power is unparalleled and unmatched. God is so omnipotent that He can generate life and beauty with merely an expressed thought. Furthermore, light, sky, stars, and humanity have an origin through God, but God has no origin, no beginning point, for He has always been and will always be, And this reflection and knowledge bring us to a realization of the Lord’s supremacy, a recognition that is reaffirmed in the opening lines of John’s gospel. 

So when John says the Word became flesh (John 1:14) in Jesus he is confirming the overarching sovereignty of God. Jesus, like God, has always been and will always be. He was integral in the creation of man, and He was integral in the salvation of man. Mankind, as a whole, has struggled to fully grasp the splendor and majesty of Christ, let alone God. But John’s initial contemplations harken us to surrender praise and passion to Christ’s incredible redemptive work. And you cannot wholly appreciate what Jesus did through Calvary until you identify His eternal position, presence, and power. Yes, Jesus performed an amazing feat on earth, but that ministry is enveloped within His everlasting divinity.

It is remarkable to consider that Jesus donned human skin to rescue human souls, know He was stepping into hostile territory where He would be mistreated and maligned. And still to this day many are resistant to the message of Christ and denounce the name of Jesus. But to the followers of Christ we must proclaim the Word, the light, the name of Jesus. After all, from Christ’s abundance comes one glorious blessing after another (John 1:16). Therefore, let us not be silent. Let us not be stubborn. Let us be spirited. And let us rejoice that Jesus came to this world to redeem the otherwise unredeemable. He is full of grace and truth. To Jesus be the glory forever and ever.