[:en]The Word Became Flesh (vs. 1-18)
John spoke about Jesus who is fully human and fully God. He lived as a man but He never ceased to be the everlasting God, the creator and sustainer of all things and the source of eternal God. “He is the Word that became flesh and in Him was life and that life as the light of men” (v. 4). The “Word” was used by Jews and Greeks in many ways. In Hebrew Scripture, the “Word” was an agent of creation (Ps. 33:6), the source of God’s message to His people through the prophets (Hosea 4:1) and God’s law, His standard of holiness (Ps. 119:11). In Greek philosophy, the “Word” was the principle of reason that governed the world.
What does John mean by the “Word”? John described Jesus as a human being, the creator of universe, the ultimate revelation of God and the living picture of God’s holiness. So to the Jewish readers, it was blasphemous to say that Jesus was God. To the Greek readers, “the Word became human” was impossible. But to John, this new understanding of the WORD was the Good news of Jesus Christ.
God created something out of nothing. “Through Him, all things were made, without Him, nothing was made” (v. 3) We exist only because God made us to be valuable and unique. But apart from God, we are nothing. If we live without Christ, we are abandoning the purpose for which we are made. God created the universe, so He understands your live. His love is bigger than any problem you may face.
Jesus Christ is the creator of life and His life brings light to mankind. Through Him, we see ourselves as sinners who need a Savior. By following Him, the light shows us how to live so that we will not stumble in darkness.
Have you allowed the light of Christ to shine into your life? Let us not present ourselves as a light to others but to point to Christ as the true light. Let us reflect His life to the unbelieving world.
God created the world, but the people did not recognize him. Many rejected Him. “Yet to all who receive Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (v. 12) If we accept Christ in our lives, we receive a new life from God. This new birth changes our attitude, desires and motives and makes us spiritually alive and puts us in God’s family.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He came as a sacrifice for all our sins. He was born completely human and completely divine. He became visible and tangible for us to know Him fully. Christ is the perfect expression of God in human form. Moses was the giver of the law emphasizing law and justice, but Christ came to fulfill the law highlighting God’s mercy, love, faithfulness and forgiveness.
John the Baptist Denies being the Christ (vs. 19-28)
When the Jews of Jerusalem sent the priests and Levites to ask John the Baptist who he was, he answered: “I am the voice of the one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the Lord'” (v. 23) He confirmed that he was not the Christ nor Elijah nor Prophet. But “there is one who comes after him, the thongs of whose sandals he was not worthy to untie” (v.28)
If John the Baptist felt inadequate to become Christ’s slave, how much more should we forgo our self-importance and lay aside our pride to serve God.
Jesus the Lamb of God (vs. 29-34)
When John saw Jesus coming toward him, he said: “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (v. 29) John was a well known preacher but he let Jesus take the higher place.
True humility is the basis for greatness in preaching and teaching. In anything that you do, let Jesus Christ be honored and He will do great things through you.
Jesus’ First disciples (vs. 35-42)
The disciples of Jesus used several names for Jesus: the Lamb of God (v. 26), Rabbi (v. 35), Messiah (v. 41), Son of God (v. 49), King of Israel (v. 49). As they were together with Jesus, their appreciation to Him grew.
The more time we spend time with God, the more we got to know Him. We can then appreciate Christ by living in faith.
When Andrew knew that Jesus is the Messiah, he immediately introduced Him to Peter. Jesus gave Simon a new name Cephas in Aramaic and “Peter” in Greek, which means a “Rock”. He will one day become a solid rock in the early church.
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael (vs. 43-51)
Peter and Andrew found Philip and told him to follow Christ. Philip found Nathanael and told him about Jesus of Nazareth. When Nathanael heard that the Messiah was from Nazareth, he said: “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” (v. 46) Inspite of his prejudice, he followed Philip’s advice and went to see Jesus. Jesus acknowledged the honest thought of Nathanael and welcomed him to be His disciple.
Do not let people’s stereotypes about Christ discourage you to witness His power and love. Invite them to come and see who Jesus really is.
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