Introduction
The Gospel of John was the last of the four Gospels written around 85 A.D. by the Apostle called “the disciple Jesus loved.” Where the first three Gospels have many of the same stories, language and events described, the Gospel of John is different. Where the Synoptic Gospels often pointed out the stories of the Son of Man, John paints a picture of the Son of God.
It wasn’t just the events around His life or the activities that He was involved with. It wasn’t just the people He cured, the dead He resurrected or the miracles He performed. It’s more that what He did, but also who He is. Tonight I want to look at who Jesus really is and what that means to us.
Jesus, Eternal Being
John starts his book with the simple words “In the beginning.” This is the same language that’s used in the beginning of the Bible at Genesis 1:1 to talk about everything before creation even happened. Before the world, before the universe, before mankind was created, Jesus was there. Before history, before even time, He was there. Jesus was able to observe all the activities on earth before He chose to bear our burdens. He watched as Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were marshaled out of the Garden of Eden. He watched as Cain disagreed with Abel’s sacrifice and committed the first murder. He watched as evil continued to flourish on the earth and the great flood started things anew for eight people and an arc full of animals. He watched the conquest of the Promised Land and the lives of the judges and kings. Jesus knew what sinners were capable of and how they treated each other.
He came into this world fully aware of what was going to happen to Him, fully aware of the brutality this world would inflict on Him and fully aware of the suffering He would endure on our behalf.
Jesus, The ëüãïò (logos)
In the beginning, Jesus was there. The eternal nature by itself shows the deity of Jesus, but John had a lot more to say.
In the first verse, John uses the word ëüãïò (logos) , which we see translated in the English version as “word.” Ëüãïò (logos) was an interesting word choice because it had meaning both to the Romans as well as the Jews. To the Romans, this word meant more than the written word. It meant the unspoken word, rational thought, reason. When they used logos to describe the world, it meant the principle behind the world that makes it function. The Jews used it in a more straight forward manner as a description of God. In this way, John used a word that was familiar both to the Romans as well as the Jews. Each had a slightly different view of what that word meant, and both were correct.
Jesus, Creator
John continued with his description. The Word was more than an eternal creature. He was more than a rational being behind the scenes. Through Him all things were made. Jesus was more than a logical creature watching creation go on around Him. He was part of the process separating the light from the darkness, and the land from the sea. Jesus, maker of all things, creator.
This news wasn’t restricted to John’s Gospel only. When God decided to make man, we find in Genesis 1:26 (NIV) God said, “Let us make man in our image.” We see the use of a plural word to show God’s motives. We see more than one described in this simple word. Repeatedly throughout scripture we find a reference to only one God, yet we find indications that there is more than one as well. Jesus was part of creation mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments. He was God along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, the Light Shining in the Darkness
His role didn’t end at creation. With His appearance on earth, he was able to shine light in the darkness, show us the path to salvation, reveal our sin and lead us toward the heavenly light. He was the only one who could show us how to assure our salvation. But, not because of any actions we can take on our own account. But, only because of the Gracious love of a father who truly cares for His children. Only by Grace and through faith can we share in the hope of salvation and eternal life.
Jesus, True Man
He accomplished these things by not only remaining true God, but becoming true man as well. He wore the flesh and blood of a human so that He could walk through our world, experience the temptations we experience, feel the pain of man’s existence. He was born, learned how to walk, how to talk. He likely had many of the same cuts and scrapes that our children get when they learn how to hop, skip and jump. He made a mess when He learned how to eat and He likely smelled bad from time to time as He became potty trained. As He grew, He learned the carpentry trade and may have smacked his thumb from time to time. He experienced pain, He bled, He laughed and cried, He died.
Historians validate that Jesus really was born as a man. The Jewish historian Josephus and the Roman historian Tacitus both wrote about the great oratory and Jewish instigator Jesus. He was a true historical figure born on this earth. He lived, worked and made a difference in the lives of those around Him. He stirred up the Jewish people and many followed him. He showed them how to live, and he was crucified on the cross.
The historians have a lot to say about how Jesus lived, what He did, and the events surrounding Him. What they fail to discuss is His nature as God. But as we can see, John clearly pointed out that Jesus was God. He was truly God incarnate and He was truly man as well. That’s something hard to wrap our brain around. How could someone born of a woman also be eternal, all powerful and perfect? But, the simple fact is that we have a hard time processing what God is really like.
Philip Yancey in his book ‘The Jesus I Never Knew” (slightly re-worded to allow for better text flow in preaching) told this story about how he was able to relate God’s superior status to us just like a fish in a tank might relate their status to humans.
Managing a marine aquarium is no easy task. You have to run a portable chemical laboratory to monitor the nitrate levels and the ammonia content, pump in vitamins, antibiotics and sulfa drugs and enough enzymes to make a rock grow. You need to filter the water through glass fibers and charcoal, and exposed it to ultraviolet light. You would think, in view of all the energy expanded on their behalf, that tank fish would be grateful. Not so. Every time your shadow looms above the tank they dive for cover into the nearest shell. They show one emotion, fear. Although you can open the lid and drop in food on a regular schedule, 3 times a day, they responded to each visit as a sure sign to torture them. They couldn’t be convinced someone was caring for them.
To Yancey’s fish he was a deity. He was too large for them, his actions too incomprehensible. His acts of mercy they saw as cruelty; his attempts at healing they viewed as destruction. To change their perceptions, he began to see, would require a form of an incarnation. He would have to become a fish and ‘speak’ to them in a language they could understand.
Both Man and God
That’s really what Jesus did for us. While in the heavenly realm, we couldn’t see the good that He was doing on our behalf. We had to wait for Him to come to earth to understand much of His purposes and means to assist our lives. By becoming man, and still remaining God, Jesus became the only true mediator between man and God. He had all the power of God and all the pain of man. He chose to experience all the difficulties and unpleasant situations that we live our lives through while disregarding the power He had to dismiss all of the unpleasant situations at any time. He emptied Himself of His power so that He experienced being human , just like we do.
Conclusion
So what does John tell us about Jesus Christ? Jesus journeyed from heaven to earth, from eternity to time, from spirit to body, and from deity to humanity to deliver us from our chaos, to help us redeem time, to provide healing for our bodies and to identify with our fleshly weaknesses. He came on our behalf. He came to save us from sin, Satan and self. He is God’s gift to us, but a gift is not a gift until it is received. (Otis McMillan, “An Awesome Journey”, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=112446&libronix=1
He was the perfect substitution for out sins. He was fully God, being next to the Father and fully man next to mankind. He lived His life the way God wanted us to live. He shared Himself with other so that they could benefit. He showed us how to act so that we could learn from His example.
