The Word Became Flesh
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 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. And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. John 1:1-18 (ESV)
I can’t imagine how John felt as he sat down to pen his account of Christ’s life. While I can’t prove it, perhaps he thought to himself, “where do I begin?”. John witnessed Christ’s miracles, heard Him teach, saw Him mocked and hung from a tree, peered inside of an empty tomb, witnessed Christ manifest himself instantly among the disciples, and was one of the original eleven who received the Great Commission.
He probably thought, “There is so much He did…and is doing. Where do I begin?” And perhaps it was through this humble and contrite heart that the Holy Spirit prompted, “In the beginning…” and John’s heart leapt.
“Yes! Of course! The beginning!” he exclaimed, and a flood of scriptures warmed his heart.
His mind raced to the beginning of all prophecy when God told the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV). And he recalled hundreds of years later when, as Abraham lead his son Isaac to the altar to sacrifice, Isaac asks where the lamb was for the burnt offering and his dad replied, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:7-8, ESV emphasis added).
John’s mind darted to Isaiah’s words:
He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Isaiah 53:3-9 (ESV)
He remembered the Scripture account of God telling David He would establish his throne forever and Isaiah prophesying the same event:
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:7 (ESV)
He thought of the conversation between God and Moses in the tent of meeting that happened prior to God graciously handing down His Law. It was here, in the tent of meeting, that God proclaimed:
“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” Exodus 34:6-7 (ESV)
John remembered how the tent of meeting became the temple that he had worshiped in all of his life. But he also recalled Christ’s words: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19, ESV). He sees how on the cross, Jesus displayed God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, His grace and truth.
John sat back from his table numb, and with tears wheeling up in his eyes he hears a whisper: “John, the Word became flesh!”. His back straightened and his heart raced. The Word he heard read in the temple; the symbolism he had talked about with his friends; and the prophesies taught and their fulfillment anticipated by his people – all of it had now come to fruition through Jesus. Of course! The Word – God’s gracious and perfect self-disclosure of His character, His righteousness, His justice, His love, His mercy, and His truth – are manifested in His ultimate and final revelation: Jesus, the Christ.
Jesus is the Creator.
Jesus is the Suffering Servant.
Jesus is the Sacrifice.
Jesus is the Substitution on mankind’s behalf.
Jesus is the Temple where His people will dwell forever in perfect union with God.
Jesus is the Figure of which all of Scriptures points to: Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Son of David, and the Son sustaining all by His very Word. He is the Word made flesh. Wanting his readers to know and believe this truth, John quickly dips his pen in the ink and writes:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
by Scott Bersaglia | December 2010
