Why is Jesus Christ called the WORD?
The short answer is:
1. that is what he is
2. that is how the Spirit of God revealed him to John.
Word means language – communication. The Son of God (the Word) is the one who communicates God to his creatures (us!). The Word matches our need. We were created to know and respond to God. It was sin that interrupted that communication and fellowship. The Word comes to open our sin-deafened ears and allow us to learn about God’s grace, whereby he will rescue those who come back to the Father through the Son.
The Word matches the way we were created. We were created with intellect, feelings and will – not like the animals. We were created to process language and respond to it.
If we were animals then food, or mating, or the environment might have been the best way to communicate with us. You train a dog by rewarding him with food – you don’t sit down and reason with him why it would be wise to come when you call, sit or fetch a stick! Sadly, sin has ruined humanity. People now seek ultimate meaning, not be humbly opening their hearts and minds and will to the Word. Now people seek ultimate meaning like animals. They have their own personal ‘scriptures’ that read:
In the beginning was the FOOD; or in the beginning was the SEX; or in the beginning was the STUFF!
They look to these things for their ultimate satisfaction. Those coming to Christ look beyond these things to the WORD – Christ as our ultimate reason for existence and the ultimate satisfaction – and the promise of eternal well-being.
God made us different to the animals. We have feelings, intellect and a will. The Word speaks to these. He is the good news that connects with us to bring joy to our feelings, understanding to our thinking and happy submission to our wills.
Why is Jesus called the Word? Because he has something to say to us. John says that he came, full of grace and truth.
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. And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
This is the message you need to hear from God (not your numbers read out for the Lotto draw; not your name read out for the representative team; not the A+ for your assignment; not the words ‘I love you’ from the person you are attracted to – though some of these (not all) are good things)… the message you need to hear from God is what the Word brought into the world when he came in human flesh. You need to hear grace and truth.
These you desperately need – as do I! Grace (the undeserved favour of God towards those who actually deserve his wrath) is what brought the Son into the world to rescue you. Philippians 2.5-11
Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So you need the grace he brings. You also need the truth. You need to understand the truth of your deadly condition. You need to know the truth about God’s justice and how it is satisfied by Christ suffering death at the cross for you. You need to understand the truth of new birth so you can receive God’s grace and get Christ’s resurrection life at work in you.
When you transfer your trust from everything else to Jesus Christ, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Free from guilt. Free from controlling sins. Free from anxiety. Free from the fear of death. Free to live as a son or daughter of God – confident, joyful and at peace.
So why exactly, did John call Jesus WORD? Because when he heard Jesus speak and he watched his life, he was not just hearing a message. It was a total package. His message. explained and reflected his living and his living shed light on his message. At various times, people stood open mouthed and said: “He speaks as someone with authority, not like the religious men”. They noticed that not only did he explain the Scriptures, not only did he tell amazingly rich, meaningful parables – but he lived them and exemplified them. This is why he is the Word. He makes happen what he says. He said “Let their be light” and there was light. He told demons to remove themselves and they fled. He made dead legs work again.
Jesus is God’s living message to us. Are you paying attention? If you miss THIS Word, you have proven yourself to be dead in your rebellion against God. Will he send another messenger! No. He has sent the best. Listen to what Jesus taught about this:
33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you, the
There is one Word and we must pay attention to him.
No comments:
Post a Comment