We are two weeks away from the date we set aside to celebrate the Incarnation. God becoming man. Immanuel – God is with us! What glory to even consider and conceive such. The God Who spoke the universe into existence taking on the form of a man, coming as an infant, growing into a young carpenter, and living with the whole purpose of the ages in His Father in view: to bring life out of His death ,and liberty form the bondage of sin to a fallen world, so we might be one… “even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.(Jesus prayer in John 17:21)
The apostle John in his account of creation in John 1 does not begin with heaven and earth, but with The Word and Light out of darkness.
[John 1:1-5, 9-13 NASB95] 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. … 9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
It is an amazing understanding of the way things were before the foundations of the world, and God’s purpose and intent in sending His son, as God in flesh, that He might have many sons like the First and only begotten of God. Consider… I mean meditate for just a few moments on what John recorded next. Ask the Holy Spirit to unfold your understanding of this:
[John 1:14-18 NASB95] 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John (the baptist) testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'” 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained [Him.]
I will forego lengthy exposition here, leaving you in the capable hands of the Holy Spirit, but to say God veiled His very Word, which is truth (John 17:17: Your word is truth), in flesh and sent Him/God the Son among us, giving us full exposure to His glory. The Glory of the One and Only who was in the Father and came from Him to us full of, and revealing, His great grace and all truth. And although no one has seen God at any time, this only begotten of the Father, this Word, this Jesus, explained Him.
But, “explained” is too simple a word here. The King James version says “declared” Him, unfortunately I think, an even more simple understanding; as in He preached Him. I am not a Greek scholar, but my understanding of the term “exogeomai” (from which we get the term exegete and exegesis) is to go before, to fully draw out a narrative for complete understanding, to literally unfold a complete understanding of something, or in this case Someone. The fullness of God was in Him in bodily form. Jesus revealed the fullness of the nature and character of God, His grace, His love, His truth. That is why Jesus could say to Philip when he said
“Show us the Father and it is enough for us. ” “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father….
[Colossians 2:9 NASB95] 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
[John 14:7-13 NASB95] 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” 8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and [yet] you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how [can] you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater [works] than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Revealing his complete understanding of the Father’s purpose to draw us into fellowship with Himself and the Son Jesus, John would later write:
[1John 1:1-3 NASB95] 1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life-– 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us– 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
John saying here , he heard Jesus personally, he saw Him, personally, he touched Him with his hands personally… The very Word of Life he had opened his gospel proclaiming, he had had a first hand unfolding of the Father through, walking with Jesus. He is now inviting his reader to understand the eternal purpose of God in Christ, and to have that same unfolding, and become one in that fellowship the Father and Son enjoy, and that John himself now proclaims, knows, and enjoys with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ!
What a glorious thing to comprehend the unfolding of understanding and knowing God in Christ Jesus. God could have revealed Himself in so many awesome ways that would have got our attention in either mesmerizing, or awe and fear inspiring, displays of power, blowing our minds. But His plan was to become like us and reveal Himself in grace and truth, and the fullness of His love, in Jesus. And, as Michael Card put so well in his song, His Final Word.
You and me we use
So very many clumsy words
The noise of what we often say
Is not worth being heard
When the Father’s Wisdom wanted to
Communicate His love
He spoke it in one final perfect Word
He spoke the Incarnation
And then so was born the Son
His final word was Jesus
He needed no other one
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed
And make a way Divine
And so was born the baby
Who would die to make it mine
And so the Father’s fondest thought
Took on flesh and bone
He spoke the living luminous Word
At once His will was done
And so the transformation
That in man had been unheard
Took place in God the Father
As He spoke that final Word
He spoke the Incarnation
And then so was born the Son
His final word was Jesus
He needed no other one
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed
And make a way Divine
And so was born the baby
Who would die to make it mine
And so the Light became alive
And manna became Man
Eternity stepped into time
So we could understand
He spoke the Incarnation
And then so was born the Son
His final word was Jesus
He needed no other one
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed
And make a way Divine
And so was born the baby
Who would die to make it mine
And so was born the baby
Who would die to make it mine