Judges 11-12:5, John 1:1-28, Psalm 101:1-8, Proverbs 14:13-14

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Judges 11-12:5, John 1:1-28, Psalm 101:1-8, Proverbs 14:13-14

 

I can think of many famous game changers in my lifetime, as well as those pivotal moments in history that changed everything as we know it.  I remember when the Challenger exploded, when the Berlin Wall fell, 9/11, when Steve Jobs presented the IPhone for the first time, when D called me that he got the job in Stamford.  Total game changers.   John 1, to me, was a game changer to the Jewish people, the Church, and is a cornerstone to what we believe and know about the person of God.  It was in high school that the light bulb went on and I realized what this chapter meant.  "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Then jumping down to verse 14, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."  God = The Word = Jesus Christ.

 

I read through this chapter a few times, and each time something else grabs me.  There are three things that gave me comfort, smiles, and peace.  First, I love the word in verse 14, "dwelling."  In my footnotes this ancient word it means, "to pitch a tabernacle" or "live in a tent."  During the Old Testament, God lived in designated area, a tabernacle, the Holy of Holies.  Now, in John 1, the whole definition and meaning of "dwell" and this view of place is being changed.  Since this chapter declares God as being The Word and we know that The Word is Jesus Christ, we know that God came to dwell, or live with His people.  When people saw the face of Jesus, they saw the face of God.  This is the Incarnation of Jesus Christ that ultimately took him to the cross.   It's a game changer because many times in the Old Testament, God was above and separated from the people.  They heard His voice, but there was a clear distance.  Now, through Jesus, that gap was filled.

 

The other two words that jumped out to me more than any other time are "grace and truth."  We see these two words in verse 14 and then in verse 17.  They are tied together and both mentions are linked with Jesus.  In verse 14, The Word comes from the father in grace and truth.  In verse 17, "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."  Jesus was the Messiah. He came to deliver His people…He came to deliver us.  But He did not come with strength and might, nor did he come with power and authority.  He came with GRACE and TRUTH.  These attributes are direct pictures of God's glory that was seen through Jesus and why He came to Earth, and how He came to Earth.  The Jewish people already had the law (as we have been reading year to date,) but it is through Christ that God demonstrated His grace.  These are words and truths that I believe in and give me comfort.  This is a picture of love and this is what I lean on.  I put my trust in the truth of Jesus and I have awe in his grace that happened on the cross.