THE WORD BECAME FLESH - AND DWELT AMONG US. John 1

John the Baptist’s coming changed the entire scene- a man spoke of his GOD. In

fact the scripture showed, ’There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.’ (v5 ) Isaiah had anticipated this strategic moment (40: 3), when he wrote, ’The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord: make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; Did he refer to John’s blazing, piercing preaching as Isaiah continued, ’the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth.’ The Scripture was fulfilled six hundred years later.

John the Baptist was a messenger from God Himself. Isaiah later wrote, ’Come near to me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and his Spirit have sent me. (48:16) this clearly indicates the precious trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

John was destined to be ‘a witness, to bear witness to the light, that all men through Him should believe.’(v7) He knew the Lord had (beyond medical hope) )miraculously granted conception to his aged parents, Zechariah and Elisabeth. One purpose predominated : to witness to the Son of God. Would that you and I knew our major thrust in life was pointing others to our dear Lord. God’s purpose was to reach ‘all men’ with the glorious gospel; and that they should believe on Him.

Even though our Lord Jesus regarded John the Baptist as the greatest of men who had lived, he humbled himself in the presence of His Lord, for ‘he was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that light,’ His mission, like ours, was plain.

John announced the miracle of the incarnation of God’s Son as ‘the true Light, which gives light to every man who comes into the world.’ (v9) This staggers us that the omnipotent God should become the helpless Babe in the manger; that the omniscient One should ‘be subject to His parents , growing in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. That the Omnipresent Lord should be located in tiny Israel during His earthly ministry. Gloriously true, it still numbs the mind.

Isaiah spoke of His embodiment, ’the Lord Himself shall give you a sign, ’Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel.’(7:14 ) God intervened in the miraculous conception of our Lord in the womb of Mary. No ultrasound could more clearly foretell that a Son should be born. God decreed it. His name , Emmanuel, God with us, tells of the mystery of deity made flesh in the Man Jesus Christ. The God, who created the Milky way allowed His Son to draw milk from Mary’s breasts. We must learn to meditate on the absolute magnificence that the eternal One became Man and dwelt among us.

Isaiah penned words deeply loved especially at Christmas, ’For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called, ‘Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace; of the increase of his government there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice. (9:6) He came from royal stock- but from eternal pre-existence.

The child born was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit, while the Son was the eternal, only-begotten of the Father. No other Person could merit these exclusive titles, which Isaiah has attributed to our Lord Jesus. The musical ’THE MESSIAH’ captures the majestic glory of the unsurpassed One whose Name shall be called WONDERFUL, COUNSELLOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE. Some earthly rulers have expanded titles to capture some of their excellency. He is infinitely greater than any mere mortal.

The heartbreak was ‘He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.’(v10) What a colossal tragedy for the Creator to come to His own workmanship- and not be recognised, even though He had left His bench mark on all His perfect handiwork. For example, the rain drops on our roses are exquisite. Our Lord said to the woman of Samaria in John 4, ‘If you knew the gift of God and Who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water.’ (v10) In this encounter, the needy woman came to know Him, and found Him to be the life-giving water: even as He had promised. Have you drunk of the same fountain of living water? Do you know Him?

More tragically, ‘He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.’ (v11) While Scribes and Pharisees cherished their scrolls, which clearly spoke of the Messiah, they did not receive the central Person in all their hallowed documents. He spoke as ‘never man spoke’, yet they were deaf to His appeal and blind to recognise Him. Every detail of the construction of the temple, and especially of the Holy of Holies, pointed to our Lord Jesus. Hearts had hardened to this glorious Guest.

Thank God for those who received the transforming Son of God. ’For as many as received Him, to them gave He power ( authority, right, might and jurisdiction) to become children of God, even to those who believed on His Name. (v12) Our Lord highlighted ‘Him who received seed on the good ground, understanding it, bearing fruit and producing; some hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’ (Matthew 13:23)

Mary shows how she had received the Lord; ’Martha had a sister, called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word.’ (Luke 10:29) She treasured her Lord, and cherished every word which fell from His lips. Mary evidenced her deep

devotion in receiving her beloved Lord Jesus. Does your life show that attachment?

Do you sit at His feet, gaze into His holy face; And drink from the fountain of the water of Life? WE should develop this habit of drawing from the precious Word.

Tell your Pastor, elders, friends if God has spoken to you in these studies. Thank HIM