ADVENT SEASON
(THE ANTICIPATION OF CHRIST’S BIRTH IN THE SEASON LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS)
28 NAMES OF JESUS
DECEMBER 7, 2020
#7: “The Word”
John 1:14; John 1:9-18
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
The anticipation is building for one of the most celebrated days on the calendar. I’ve heard people comment that this needs to be the best Christmas ever to help ease the pain, adversity, and stress of 2020. This overwhelming year is leading to desperation and a pursuit of hope in things that just don’t deliver. There is nothing Amazon can bring to our door that can meet the needs we all have. These needs are only met in Christ as we meditate on the advent message of Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love.
Over 2000 years ago, something supernatural happened: God’s glory was put on display in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The writer of Hebrews states, “Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:13). John describes Jesus as the “Word became flesh,” who “dwelt among us.”1 These words direct the thoughts of the reader to the tabernacle in the wilderness and God’s presence with the people of Israel. In this season in Israel’s history, God’s presence and direction were made known through a cloud by day and fire by night. In this statement, John was describing Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us.
Paul states in Philippians, “though Jesus was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6 – 7). This is an incredible contrast to the many counterfeit gods that were worshipped in Israel’s history, who were perceived as aloof from their worshippers. They were, in fact, counterfeit, impersonal, and impotent gods. These gods who demanded to be pursued were now being challenged by the Word became flesh, the Son of God, Who was full of grace and truth. His mission was to pursue broken and lost people. He was willing to do the will of the Father and make the ultimate sacrifice, providing salvation for those who embrace Him as Lord of their life.
In John 1:14, we also see Jesus described as the one-and-only Son of God (the only Son from the Father). The phrase is used to describe an only child in Hebrews 11:17. It shows the uniqueness of Jesus Who, “unlike any other, is God’s one and only — the divine Son of God who is the only person both fully divine and fully human.”2 When we think about the fact the God sent His beloved Son as a sacrifice for our sins, it should make us stop a moment and sit in awe of His love for us. In his book, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote, “The very idea that an infinite, eternal God could descend into frail human flesh was an idea that astonished him and one he often meditated upon.” He went on to say, “this was even more a miracle than if a human should descend into the form of a slug.”3 The word that stands out to me in C. S. Lewis’s description of the incarnation is “astonished.” I think Lewis provides a term that we should all embrace — that leads us to react like he did when we contemplate the eternal ramifications of the baby in the manger — the Word became flesh Who was sent by the Father to save the world. This season, find your hope, joy, love, and peace, in the only place they are available: in Christ, the King of glory, Who is full of grace and truth.
Pastor Chuck
1. Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary, “Dwell.” σκηνόω (skēnoō), GK 5012 (S 4637), Used 5x. skēnoō means “dwell, live,” but it often retains the notion of pitching a tent. In John 1:14 the evangelist says of Jesus: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling [skēnoō, lit., ‘tabernacled’] among us.” That is, Jesus is the incarnation of the glory of God, dwelling among God’s people as God did in the tabernacle (skēnē) of the OT. Similarly, Rev 21:3 says, “Now the dwelling [skēnē] of God is with men, and He will live [skēnoō] with them” (cf. also 13:6).
2. NIV Quest Study Bible Note, John 1:14
3. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book. 4, Chapter 4. Found at https://www.cslewis.com/word-pictures-for-the-word-made-flesh/ (accessed December 6th, 2020)