December 6 - The Word Made Flesh

"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 NKJV)

When John calls Jesus "the Word," he's describing expression - the expression of God. When we see Jesus, He is expressing Who God is. We use words to describe something invisible in our mind to put it into your mind. If I say "dog," you have an image. But imagine I brought a real dog in to run around - now you could see him in person!

God used words in the Old Testament to describe Himself, but He found those words incomplete. The Bible is a progressive revelation of Himself to mankind. From creation, to the Law, the Prophets, etc. - each stage revealed more of Himself to us. However, at Christmas, God is no longer just vocalizing through a prophet. It's as if He said, "I'm going to show up in the flesh."

Hebrews 1:1–2a (NKJV) says, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son..." The Living Bible (v. 1-3) reads, "Long ago God spoke in many different ways to our fathers through the prophets, in visions, dreams, and even face-to-face, telling them little by little about his plans. But now in these days he has spoken to us through his Son to whom he has given everything and through whom he made the world and everything there is. God’s Son shines out with God’s glory, and all that God’s Son is and does marks him as God..."

Jesus is God's final word. He doesn't need to say anything else. Jesus is not just pointing the way to God - Jesus is God.

The Bible is the written Word, but Jesus is the living Word. The Bible is God in a book; Jesus is God in a body.

Reflection Question: How does seeing Jesus help you understand what God the Father is like?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to us through Your Son Jesus Christ. Help me see Your glory displayed in His life, death, and resurrection. When I want to know what You are like, draw my attention to Jesus, Who perfectly represents You. In Jesus' Name, amen.