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Good morning!!
This morning we are continuing our study in the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 14-18.
Let’s begin by reading this passage.
I love this passage.
It is so short, but so full of what I need, so full of what we need.
But, Grace and Truth… does it still amaze me?
Or, has it become so common that I don’t get excited about it anymore?
Let’s pray and look at this more closely.
Prayer
The Word
Have you ever read this opening to John and thought, “What?”
What in the world is John not just saying he is writing about Jesus?
Why does he use this vague reference to ‘the Word’?
Do you remember who John originally wrote to?
Ephesians.
In Ephesians, we know there was a mixture of Gentile and Jewish people who became believers.
John uses a term that they both culturally knew, and gives it great meaning.
To the Greeks, the Word is the ‘supreme, eternal reason’ behind the universe.
Everything else—the world, and their gods—had beginnings.
But there was this reason which was eternal and behind all that exists.
This ‘eternal reason’ was the force that originated and permeated and directed all things.
To the Jews during this time, the Word and Wisdom were growing in usage.
The Word was the action of God’s will.
God spoke, things happened!
They were focusing on passages like Psalm 29 which Micah read with us in worship this morning, and Psalm 33:6
Other places they saw that The word of the Lord came to the prophets.
And as Isaiah prophesied of the Lord,
What followed is that the Jewish commentaries, the Targums used this expression for God.
Targums were their oral commentaries which eventually came to be written down.
They were paraphrases of the scriptures with explanations.
In the Targums, out of reverence for God, they would refer to God in different names, for example, “The Holy One”.
One of those names was, “The Word.”
For example, in Exodus 19:17...
In the Targums, this reads, Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with The Word.
To the Jews and the Greeks, “The Word” was divine, eternal, and behind it all creation.
John is taking this concept that was familiar to both, and directing them to realize that the Word was none other than God!!
God is the one who speaks and acts!
God is the one who is behind all things!
God is the one who is the source of all reason and wisdom.
God is the one who not only made, but upholds all things in his power!
God is the all powerful one who speaks, and his words do not return void, but accomplish all He intends!
Now keep in mind the setting of Exodus 19.
God, the Word is meeting with Israel.
He descends in glory and power upon Mt.
Sinai.
Imagine the fire, as the rock that is Mt.
Sinai is miraculously burning!
See the billowing smoke and thick cloud that envelopes the mountain as the Lord descends in power and glory.
Feel the mountain and earth trembling before the Lord.
Hear the thunder, hear the trumpet that is blaring louder and louder announcing the Lord’s presence!
God speaks… what?
The Law.
The people are… afraid.
No one can approach the mountain for God is holy, and they are unholy.
To come near him brings death.
Exodus 19:21, “the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish.””
What a glorious scene.
This setting of God’s coming in power and glory continues through the rest of Exodus.
But now, John says there is something more.
Something better!
Became flesh
What was so glorious at Mt. Sinai, what was so powerful that it spoke the world into existence, what spoke us into existence, what revealed the glory and majesty and wisdom of God, the WORD, became flesh!
This is radical!
To the Jews and the Greeks, the flesh is in contrast to the spirit.
God is spirit, holy, righteous, powerful.
We are flesh, unholy, unrighteous, weak, sinful.
Yet, here is God, the Word, becoming flesh.
In the beginning was the Word, eternally existing.
Now, in a moment in time, becoming flesh.
This is amazing!
That the God who, as Solomon described at the dedication of the temple,
God cannot be contained by the universe, and is so different from us!
He created us to be with us, and we, in Adam and since Adam, have constantly pulled away from him.
Now, he comes in the flesh.
He related to man ever since the creation revealing himself in what he has made, in speaking directly to him, in visions, in dreams, through prophets.
Now, he comes in the flesh!!!
He comes in seeming weakness, though He is all powerful!
Why in the flesh?
Because he loves us and continues to reach out to us.
He really wants to reach us, and goes to this great length to reveal himself to us!
To identify with us, and help us identify with him!
He comes in the flesh so we can related to him.
We honestly cannot relate to things we don’t know or understand.
So, God who is Spirit, who is holy and so totally different than we are, eternal, three in one, all powerful, all wise, all knowing, all righteous, all just, we just cannot relate!
But, another man, one who deals with life from birth to death with all of the struggles in between, now that we can relate to.
God loved us so much, he came in the flesh.
Made his dwelling among us
Remember Sinai?
God came down, but was unapproachable.
Even when he was in the tabernacle, and later the temple, he was there and gone.
And, when he was there, he was unapproachable.
Now, here comes all of God, in the flesh.
And he is living with men! Eating, drinking, walking, sleeping, talking, living with people!
Not only living, but wanting people to come!
Come to me all who are weary, and heavy laden!
Let the children come to me! Come to me all who thirst!
Come to me for real food!
Come!!
No longer is there this gulf.
He is dwelling among us!
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