Jesus Christ the fullness of God
Day 18
by Gini Crawford, MSW
Knowing Jesus is knowing God
No one has ever seen God the Father directly; however, it is through God the Son that we come to know Him. John 1:18 says, "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known."
God the Father is Spirit (John 4:24). He has an invisible nature that is not confined to one location. In Colossians 1:15a, it says about Jesus, He is the image of the invisible God. God the Son is the person of the Trinity that expresses God in human form as illustrated in Philippians 2:6-8 and Hebrews 2:14a. Through Jesus Christ we have the opportunity to personally know the Triune God, which is an incredible reality, isn't it?
A mountain city was celebrating a newly translated Bible in their language. One of the translators went blind towards the end of the thirty years it took to translate the Bible into his indigenous language. Yet, he still rejoiced over his copy of the Bible, even though he would never personally get to read it. He knew others would get to know our God, Jesus Christ, through reading it. (Luke 24:25-27). The better you know God's Word, the better you'll know Jesus.
Personally knowing God
The Apostle John, was a close friend of Jesus on this earth (John 13:23-25, 19:26, 20:2, 21:20-25). Let's describe what their friendship might have looked like: There were meals together. Hardships were shared, the weariness of travel, the suffocating crowds, lack of food and ill health. There was everyday things discussed, the sharing of laughter, and of course, Jesus wouldn't miss an opportunity to teach, using parables drawn from life, illustrating truths with familiar images. I am sure there was a contentment that surrounded all Jesus' disciples because Jesus' words, actions and presence brings perfect kindness, joy and peace (John 15:11, 16:33). And of course, the supernatural was there - the miraculous healings, the calming of storms, the feeding of thousands, all evidences that God with them.
We could definitely say, John experientially knew Who Jesus was, so he easily wrote about the God he knew, as I could write about my husband. Describe how you think John felt living with and learning from Jesus personally. Can you picture seeing and feeling Jesus' love like John did? (John 20:30-31).
Life Application
The Word expresses God to us
John called Jesus, the Word, in John chapter one. You might be wondering what does being called, the Word mean? From our language it sounds odd, doesn't it? Yet, the term Word or logos was a common Greek word. John's contemporaries would recognize a dual reference: Logos would be the powerful, creative Word of God in the Old Testament by which the heavens and earth were created. In Greek thinking Logos was the unifying or organizing principle of the universe, the thing that held it together and allowed it to make sense. (Psalm 33:6; Colossians 1:16-17). John chose "logos the Word" because it was familiar and it allowed Him to convey right away that Jesus is God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1, 14 ESV®
John's Gospel begins by emphasizing Jesus' divinity, rather than His birth as Matthew and Luke did. He does this by calling Jesus the Word. Let's explore John 1:1, 14: As you know, the Word is Jesus Christ, Who is the Creator and sustains everything. The phrase, the Word was with God, means Jesus is in constant fellowship with God the Father – the Trinity. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, is clearly the humanity of Jesus that John recognized as God. Remember, He is the person of the Trinity Who communicates the character of God and expresses His thoughts and will to us. Read Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-18, 14:1-11; Hebrews 1:1-3. Describe some insights about the Trinity from these passages with emphasis on Jesus.
To ponder: If you don't know, God picked John to be the author of the last book in the Bible – Revelation. It must have been quite a marvelous occurrence for John to have heard and seen Jesus again so many years after His resurrection, and to have had His angel reveal to John the events before, during and after Jesus' second coming. Someday you will see Jesus as John did. Yes, Jesus is coming back again, maybe sooner than we think.
Jesus, as the Word of God, reveals God and His truth to us. Because Jesus lived among us, we receive the fullness of God's grace (favor). You don't need to be afraid; Jesus' right hand is upon you, loving and leading you in the everlasting way. Read Revelation 1:1-6, 12-19. Did you see Jesus' love and compassion on display in the first chapter of Revelation? Explain.
Reflect on John 1:14.