The Majesty and Mystery of the Word

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 NIV

All of the Bible is good and beneficial (2 Timothy 3:16-1), and when asked, I usually shy away from which scripture is my favorite. Depending on my season of life, some speak to me more profoundly than others. However, one passage that never fails to thrill my soul at any time is John 1:1-5:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

From the first verse, John's tone reads differently from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. There's no baby Jesus; instead, he makes bold theological statements:

1. Jesus was there in the beginning.

2. Jesus was with God.

3. Jesus was God.

In Genesis 1, Jesus was present at the dawn of all creation. Jesus was with God. The first two statements have yet to prove that Jesus and God are separate deities. But John doesn't leave us hanging; he makes it abundantly clear that the two are one in the third statement. (In 1:32-33, at Jesus' baptism, the first mention of the Spirit descending upon Jesus is made. This completes John's introduction of the three personages of the Trinity, tying together the Father, Son, and Spirit.)

After establishing Jesus' divinity, John transitions to his humanity in 1:14, stating, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Jesus is not 50% divine and 50% human but 100% both. At the same time, he experienced our human joys and hurts; he is the same God who created the world and everything in it. Jesus didn't spend 33 physical years on earth and the remainder of his time in heaven. Instead, being omnipresent, he exists in heaven and with us simultaneously—then and now—and has done so since the beginning. He is ever with us through the Holy Spirit.

The same God who endowed humankind with free will, the ability to choose good or evil, also joined us in humanity so we might have deliverance from sin. He was the pure and blameless sacrifice offered on the altar of the cross so we might be redeemed.

Moreover, the good news is that Jesus Christ serves as our Mediator. This same Jesus that knew us before we were formed and the number of hairs on our heads is intimately familiar with our ups and downs and every breath we draw. He is with us through all our joys and hurts, and when we pray to him, he already knows the way and the timing in which he will answer.

Jesus, we thank you for the beautiful world you have created and the life you have given us. We thank you for taking human form to bring us forgiveness, redemption from sin, and the promise of joining with you one day in heaven. Help us as we strive to be your faithful servants. In the words of John Wesley, help us, "Do all the good we can, in all the ways we can, to all the souls we can, in every place we can, at all the times we can, with all the zeal we can, as long as ever we can." Amen.

Blessings,

Pastor Tim