The Word Made Flesh
"The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father), fulll of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
Have you ever wondered why Jesus left heaven to live in this world clothed in a body of flesh? Why does the Bible call Jesus the Word? Of all the names for Jesus, the Word is probably the least understood.
Man communicates through symbols that represent words. A word is simply a sound or a combination of sounds, in speech or writing, that express ideas. These sounds communicate a meaning. For example, hieroglyphics are simply ancient symbols used to represent ancient words. The English alphabet uses twenty-six letters and ten numbers that we combine into words and ideas. I am trusting that the reader will understand these concepts as I combine letters into words, words into phrases and sentences, and sentences into ideas.
Even with alphabets and letters as symbols, some concepts are difficult to grasp without a picture or a visual illustration. Jesus is God's symbol. As the Word, he represents God in human form so that we can see God living in our earthly conditions and circumstances, and know what is valued in heaven.
The Old Testament unfolded God's nature in many circumstances. We can see evidence of His working, but he did not fully disclose himself. He worked through special men for special seasons. Moses saw him in a burning bush when God was ready for him to lead his people out of Egypt. He shared his plans for Sodom and Gomorrah with Abraham.
The common man, however, didn't know God. People settled for what their ancestors knew before them. At the synagogue, the priest intervened between them and God. They contentedly followed the crowd not caring about their destiny. Before the printing press made Bibles affordable, men couldn't search the Scripture to know God's mind.
Hebrews reveals Jesus, ". . . [As] the brightness of His [God's] glory, and the express image of his person . . . (Hebrew 1:3 KJV). Jesus reveals God's nature so that all men could know him. Since Jesus communicated the Father nature of God to man, we can now know the joy of a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Only through God's Son can we know God. He is the very expression of the Father in human form. We could not recognize this nature until it was lived out the life and testimony of Christ Jesus. By knowing Jesus we can know the Father.
Jesus declared, "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him" (John 14:7). He is the visible image of God to a world that uses symbols or pictures to understand new or complex concepts.
Jesus is our symbol to help us understand God's glory as shown in grace and truth. Glory is simply the honor resulting from a good opinion and describes the nature and acts of God showing himself to the world. We beheld His glory; we saw the good qualities, nature, and being of Jesus, as the only begotten of the Father.
What men couldn't see in the religious leaders, they could clearly see in Jesus Christ. God used many people to fill roles and complete tasks. Only one, however, is the Son of God, whose blood can wash away our sin.
Grace is divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life. Scholars call it the unmerited favor of God. Christ not only shows grace, he is its complete expression: grace in action. Grace gave Jesus the strength to reject Satan. Grace gave him power in the garden to set his own will aside.
Through Christ, we can clearly see God's grace. He didn't merely talk about it, or preach about it as others did. He lived it. He embodied it in his own life. We too can have this grace. Grace gives us what we need when Satan tries to destroy our lives and testimony.
Truth is more than information found in the God's Word. The Law of Moses was true. Truth, however, came by Jesus Christ. The Old Testament gave us shadows and promises; Jesus brought and gave the substance of those promises. Jesus Christ, as the Word, became flesh and dwelt among us, as the image of God, the Father, who is also full of grace and truth.
When we understand Jesus as the Word, we see why he entered the world clothed in flesh. Of the many names of Jesus, the Word is the very essence of God, the Father, lived out in his living Symbol, Jesus, the Son.
Jesus, I pray that you help us see our Father God as we cultivate a relationship with You. Thank You for becoming the Word and revealing God's nature to our limited finite understanding. You are truly Grace and Truth.
Closing Thought:
Have you worked to develop a separate relationship with God, the Father since meeting Jesus? We can know all Three Persons of the Godhead individually. If you haven't, start now to develop a relationship with each Member. You'll be glad you did.
Article Source: Miron Ministries
About the Author
Dr. Sharon Schuetz is an ordained minister and holds a BA in Religious Education and a Phd in Clinical Counseling Psychology. She and her husband, Michael, have been married for 33 years. They have three children and seven grandchildren. Like most writers, she has loved writing since she was a child.