The Word This Week
John 1:14…
Of all the astounding things God could have done for mankind, indwelling the body of a man surely ranks near the top of all His accomplishments for us.
We have previously established John refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as, “the Word.” This is an important understanding, given all God has desired to accomplish for mankind in the Person of Jesus, Who is the Christ.
You may have wondered how salvation is accomplished in the life of a believer, and John lays the groundwork for that here. Jesus, “the Word,” is God in flesh.
When John tells us the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, we are seeing the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, which proclaimed the virgin shall be with Child, and His name shall be called “Immanuel.” This prophecy had been given 700 years before its fulfillment.
The name “Immanuel” in Hebrew means ‘God with us.’ This is a staggering prophecy when we understand the true meaning of the declaration.
John, inspired by the Holy Spirit to write, chose not to deal with the birth of Jesus, as both Matthew have covered His birth extensively. John chose instead to declare Who Jesus is first, and having established Jesus IS God, He then tells us of God’s entry into the world. He does this to help us to better understand Jesus, as a baby born to woman, (a virgin, no less,) is truly God in flesh. Astoundingly, God has chosen to take the form of man, and in so doing, He has made His entry into the earth of His creation.
And so now we can see the story of the nativity of Jesus with different eyes. With John’s help we can now see the birth of Christ from heaven’s perspective. We see Jesus as a baby, born into poverty, in a stable, to humble and adoring parents singled out by God. We are drawn to that story as we are intended to be. But from heaven’s perspective we can now see not the birth of Jesus – though it is a natural birth – but the entry of Jesus, existent from eternity past, into the world of His creation. He came to tabernacle with mankind.
Pastor Bill
Of all the astounding things God could have done for mankind, indwelling the body of a man surely ranks near the top of all His accomplishments for us.
We have previously established John refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as, “the Word.” This is an important understanding, given all God has desired to accomplish for mankind in the Person of Jesus, Who is the Christ.
You may have wondered how salvation is accomplished in the life of a believer, and John lays the groundwork for that here. Jesus, “the Word,” is God in flesh.
When John tells us the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, we are seeing the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, which proclaimed the virgin shall be with Child, and His name shall be called “Immanuel.” This prophecy had been given 700 years before its fulfillment.
The name “Immanuel” in Hebrew means ‘God with us.’ This is a staggering prophecy when we understand the true meaning of the declaration.
John, inspired by the Holy Spirit to write, chose not to deal with the birth of Jesus, as both Matthew have covered His birth extensively. John chose instead to declare Who Jesus is first, and having established Jesus IS God, He then tells us of God’s entry into the world. He does this to help us to better understand Jesus, as a baby born to woman, (a virgin, no less,) is truly God in flesh. Astoundingly, God has chosen to take the form of man, and in so doing, He has made His entry into the earth of His creation.
And so now we can see the story of the nativity of Jesus with different eyes. With John’s help we can now see the birth of Christ from heaven’s perspective. We see Jesus as a baby, born into poverty, in a stable, to humble and adoring parents singled out by God. We are drawn to that story as we are intended to be. But from heaven’s perspective we can now see not the birth of Jesus – though it is a natural birth – but the entry of Jesus, existent from eternity past, into the world of His creation. He came to tabernacle with mankind.
Pastor Bill