The Word Becomes Flesh

July 3, 2022 Background Scripture: John 1:1 - 14 Lesson Passage: John 1:1- 14 Our lessons for this month are based on scriptures in the Gospel of John. For anyone who has studied the four accounts of the Gospel, John's account is clearly unlike the other three. All four gospel writers address the divinity of Jesus. The three synoptic writers begin from the human perspective and moves towards Jesus' divinity. Contrariwise, John begins his account of the gospel from the perspective of Jesus' divinity. John sets forth Jesus as the eternal Word of God in the opening of his account. It is the preamble of the Gospel According to John. John's account begins outside of the time-space paradigm—that is, before there was a physical creation. There was no physical universe, or a way to establish the concept of time—since the movement of the planets and stars determine that. The only relationship that existed was between God and His Word, Later, the universe and mankind were created. After this came the incarnation of the eternal Word. The human dimension of Jesus began after the incarnation of the eternal Word of God. In John's language, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". Everything John presents after this statement relates to this statement. Every chapter in the Gospel of John presents something that can be used as evidence of Jesus' divinity (deity). Some chapters present miracles while others present personal testimonies or statements to this effect. Some may contain all of these. Throughout the Gospel of John there are reminders that Jesus is God in human flesh. John does not build up to this point at the end of his account. John makes this declaration at the beginning, and then he provides the remainder of the account as the supporting evidence for his declaration. According to John, Jesus did not become God. God became Jesus. That is John's opening presentation of Jesus. The "Word became flesh" means that Jesus' divinity is eternal, but His flesh was not. Jesus' flesh began as a divine conception in the womb of the virgin. At his birth, Jesus' earthly life began in this world. There are no such beginnings for Jesus' divinity. The Word has always been God and therefore, the Word has always been with God. This beginning of the Gospel of John sets forth theological truths about Jesus that are not presented anywhere else in the Bible. It is good to know about the miracles Jesus performed. It was because of those miracles that some Jewish religious leaders were convinced that Jesus was sent by God. It is good to know about the doctrines that Jesus taught. Those doctrines are in alignment with the teachings in the Law and the Prophets. Again, the biblical scholars of that day had an inkling concerning the person of Jesus. The miracles and the doctrinal teachings show that Jesus was clearly aligned with God in his ministry. John's declaration goes beyond doctrinal alignment and physical evidence. John declared that Jesus is God! This realization is a revelation from God. No one can know this to be a fact except God reveals it to him. The Gospel of John begins with this amazing revelation. Every lesson this month rests on the foundation of this first lesson. Let us embrace this revelation of Jesus as the second person in the triune Godhead. God is one! God reveals Himself in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. It is this second person, the Son (the Word made Flesh), Who is the focus of this month's lessons. Robert C. Hudson June 11, 2022