Tuesday
John 1:1-5, 14-18

The Word

Just as our words reveal to others our hearts and minds, Jesus is God’s “Word” which reveals God’s heart and mind to us. A word is composed of letters and Jesus Christ is the “Alpha and Omega” (Revelation 1:11), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In the beginning, Colossians 1:16 tells us, God created all things through Jesus Christ, and Jesus is God’s last Word to mankind according to Hebrews 1:1-3, the culmination of the divine revelation. He was, is, and forever will be the infinite God.

But although Jesus “existed in the form of God, [he] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6), so “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory” (John 1:14) and witnessed his humanity as he experienced fatigue (John 4:6), thirst (John 4:7), grief (John 11:35), and death (John 19:30).

The Word becoming flesh helps us grasp the invisible God. “You don’t need to be in the dark about God. He has gone beyond parchment and paper. He has gone beyond tapes and cassettes. He has gone beyond videos and even beyond live drama. He has actually come and pitched his tent in our backyard and beckoned us to watch him and get to know him in the person of his Son Jesus. When you watch Jesus in action, you watch God in action. When you hear Jesus teach, you hear God teach. When you come to know what Jesus is like, you know what God is like.” – John Piper, sermon December 24, 1989.