The Vine, The Light and The Word
Good morning, it is Friday, July 16, 2021.
Yesterday I wrote about the Holy Spirit and quoted the King James Version of 1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
” Who is the Word? Some may not know.
Jesus called Himself many things when He was on earth.
John 15:5 “I am the vine…”
John 6:35 “I am the bread of life…”
John 8:12 “I am the light of the world…”
John 4:14 “…water of life…”
John 10:9 “I am the door…”
John 10:11 “I am the good Shepherd…”
John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life…”
John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth…”
But the Bible also calls him “the Word”.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
Matthew 1:18-21 gives us a thumbnail sketch of the birth of Jesus “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” English Standard Version
The Word, Jesus, became flesh in the form of a tiny, helpless baby to save us from our sins!
But if we look even further back, back to the week of creation, we see this:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
There are people and faith organizations that do not believe Jesus is God, but there it is! “and the Word was God.”
Not only was Jesus there, and part of Creation Week, but He was the Creator!
I remember how shocked I was when I learned that several years ago. I had always imagined God the Father as the Creator, and certainly the Father and the Holy Spirit were present and active at Creation, but it was Jesus who created everything.
John 1:2-3 “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”
Here we have a God, who created everything, who wants us with Him so badly that “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” for you and me.
What a gift! What a God!
Jesus’ prayer in John 17:24 was for us to be with Him. “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am…”
If Jesus would risk everything by becoming a human baby, live on this earth, endure the torture of the cross, all for us, the least we can do is love Him back.
