And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we
beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of
grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Jesus is the Godman—not half
God and half man, but fully God and fully man—just as much man as if He were
not God and just as much God as if He were not man. He is the Only Begotten Son, Jesus the One
and Only. Matthew begins with His genealogy
and stresses His royalty as the Son of David; Mark begins with His ministry and
underscores His activity as the Servant of Jehovah; Luke begins with His
nativity and emphasizes His humanity as the Son of Man. John takes us back into eternity and stresses
His deity as the Son of God. John has three
expressions He uses repeatedly in His writings: life, light and love. Each one of these are characteristic of the
Son of God.
So we see Christ’s DIVINE LIFE.
In John 1:14, the aged Apostle John declares, “We beheld His glory….” Christ
Himself said, “I am the resurrection and
the life.” (11:25a) In chapters 1-12 of John’s Gospel, we find
this emphasis. When the beginning began,
Christ already was the Eternal Son—without beginning or ending. John calls Him, “The Word.” Words are how we
communicate. When God was ready to speak
fully and finally to the world, He communicated through the living Word,
Jesus—the Word made flesh. Jesus not
only made the claim, He manifested the credentials. Seven “signs,” are featured in this
book. John didn’t claim to record all His
miracles, but seven were selected and are called signs that demonstrate His
Deity.
In John’s
Gospel we also witness Christ’s DIVINE LIGHT.
John told us that “we beheld His
glory….” Glory is the radiance of God—His Divine light outshining. He said, “I
am the light of the world.” (9:5) There are many mysteries of the Kingdom of
God—hidden truths that Jesus came to reveal as the light of His teaching shone
upon the disciples and He does in chapters 13-17. When Jesus wanted to teach His disciples the
essence of service, He didn’t just say it, He showed it, as He took a towel,
girded Himself, and washed the disciple’s feet.
When they left the upper room He taught them about abiding in His life
and love as a branch abides in the vine and bears fruit. There are lessons about the Holy Spirit and a
holy life. He teaches them about the
importance of prayer and unity as God’s children.
John’s
Gospel culminates in chapters 18-21 with Christ’s DIVINE LOVE. John said that His glory was “that of the only begotten of the Father….” To see Him was to see the Father. God is love and therefore Christ is love
incarnate. He stated, “Greater love has no one than this, than to
lay down one’s life for his friends.”
(15:13) It was love that brought
Him from eternity to earth on a mission to save sinners. We see Him nailed to a cross to pay the price
for our sins. But, Eternal Love cannot
be sealed in a tomb! Christ in His
resurrection glory appears to Mary, to ten of His disciples, and then to Thomas
who had his doubts. Those doubts were
overcome! Later, Jesus eats with the
eleven and restores Simon Peter who had denied Him. As Jesus was sent to seek the lost lambs, so
He sends His disciples today on a mission of love.
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