December 10: The Word
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Here at the very start of John’s gospel we encounter one of the Bible’s most amazing statements. It is full of world changing potential and power, brimming with significance and purpose, and thick with divine mystery. Here we meet the Word. This one who was in the beginning, with God, and even is God. John here is referring to Jesus, as we see clearly in his later summary in verse 14: “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.” This eternal, pre-existent Word became flesh, and even lived among us. J.I. Packer reflecting on this said: “The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man … The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation.” This is the very heart of everything that we celebrate at Christmas. The wonder of the incarnation; the Word become flesh!
But what about this enigmatic title: The Word?Why not the deed, or the thought, or the feeling? All of these are inadequate. Deeds can be misinterpreted, thoughts can lack impact on real life, and feelings, well, they’re as fleeting as the wind. Jesus is called the Word of God because Jesus is Himself the final and decisive message of God to the world. Want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus. He himself is the fullest and most glorious truth of God. He is God’s very Word, His self-disclosure. This Christmas, don’t forget the momentous impact of this. God has spoken, and he has spoken clearly through his Son Jesus. Are you listening?