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Scripture Reading:
John 1:1-5
John was getting old and he never tired of the story of Jesus.
He had told it again and again and wanted all to hear it. His
purpose was clear: to tell the story of Jesus so that all who
may read or hear may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of
God and by believing they may know God in a personal way. So
many things probably ran through his mind as he had a pen in
hand or as the one who was to write waited patiently by.
He thought of His friend Jesus. He thought of all the healings
that had occurred. There was so much He could write about from
what He saw. Volumes of books could be written and would not
even begin to tell Jesus’ complete story. He remembered the love
that Jesus had shown and that too could fill up volumes. The one
theme that stuck out more than any other for John was that God
sent His Son Jesus to fellowship with common man. He had come
down from heaven to interact with humans and to offer Himself up
as a sacrifice for others that they may have a relationship with
God once again without shame. He was amazed at the plan that God
had set into motion before time began.
While He thought of Jesus’ words and works while on earth, there
was so much more to the story than what He did. All throughout
His childhood John would sit and listen and learn about the
teachings of the coming Messiah. He would listen intently
through the history of his people. Those stories had a different
meaning now that Jesus had came and showed that He had a
different destiny then the Jews had expected Him to have. Now it
seemed to make sense. John could think through those lessons and
stories and see God’s fingerprints, His plan, all throughout the
entire Torah. He saw a completion of that in Jesus.
Where to begin with so many thoughts? John started the story
where the story began so many years ago. In the beginning
God…those words alone had so much impact on the rest of the
story. In the beginning God…He created heavens and earth, plants
and animals, sun, moon, and stars. He also created mankind in
relationship with Him. But there was more even before all that.
There was that union of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit that
existed even before time began.
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the
Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” The one writing
for John looked up with questions in his eyes. This statement
had a lot of weight to it. The conversation may have been like
this:
“What is the Word?”
“No, Who is the Word? The Word is Jesus.” replied John
“Jesus is God?” the question was volleyed back to John
John probably sat back and grinned, “Yes He is God. They are one
in nature. Jesus and the Father were in perfect fellowship with
One another, timeless before the time began, and one in unity of
the plan which we have seen.”
“What about the Scripture that says ‘Hear O Israel the Lord your
God is One God’?”
“Yes,” John replied back, “Three distinct persons, One God.” It
was difficult to think and say. God was so much higher than what
can even be imagined. Yet Jesus was distinct and yet He was God.
John sat back and thought of what to write next. He wanted to
share this awesome plan of God intersecting life with His
people, a plan from the beginning of time. He may have looked at
his hand and then looked up at the sky and marveled.
“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him
nothing came into being that has come into being” Brother Paul
had also made mention to this fact in his letter to the
Colossians. Paul had wrote, “For
by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him
and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold
together.”
All of nature was God’s handiwork. The stars in the
sky and the grass of the field, the birds, the animals, the
fish, mankind, all symbolized God. He thought of that first
story. God had made mankind in His image. He designed them to
reflect who He was, to bring glory to Himself. But he didn’t
want clones or drones. He wanted people who would chose to
follow Him and in following Him become more like Him.
So God laid out a choice. Eat of the fruit of the
tree of good and evil and in that day, this relationship that we
have will be destroyed. They heard but they didn’t understand.
God is a perfect holy God with Whom there is perfect justice.
They didn’t understand what it would do, as a result the broken
world that we now live in with pain and suffering, sickness and
disease, sin and despair. And until Jesus had came the world
seemed hopeless, lifeless.
“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not
comprehend it.” That life, that fellowship, that union, that
knowing of God that existed in the Garden, now existed with
Jesus Christ once again. John remembered what it was like before
Jesus and many Christians now explained it similarly. Something
was wrong, it was like stumbling in the darkness, fumbling,
missing something.
Then Jesus came and showed them life. It was as if
He were a candle in a dark night softly beckoning them closer
into Him. He could see what he hadn’t seen before. His
perspective had been changing as the Light penetrated his life
showing the temporal verses the eternal, a man-centered view to
God centered view, from selfish pride trying to work his way
into heaven to a grateful humble state of accepting the gift of
God.
And John had thought back through his life since
this encounter with Jesus and nothing compared to this life,
knowing God. He had endured persecutions and sicknesses, yet he
knew while his body was a broken temporary vessel, his soul was
connected to Life. He thought about the darkness that he endured
that was overcome by the Light. No matter how deep the darkness
was, it could not compete with the Light, it could not
extinguish the Light.
He thought of the plan that God had set up since the beginning
of time to rescue and to draw into Himself. As one’s character
is transformed in the Light, God receives glory. As one thinks
of the plan and how Jesus played that plan of giving life, God
receives the glory. John was only at the beginning of eternal
life, the life of the ages, that is knowing God. There was so
much to the story. So much to tell.
So
where are we at in this story? Are we sitting in darkness? Are
we overcome by darkness? Is there hope that the Light overcomes
darkness? Are we amazed at God and His handiwork? Are we in awe
of the character of God? Are we humbled by His coming to reach
out to us? Are we experiencing the life of the ages of knowing
Him? |