In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The pure poetry of John’s gospel is, in my
mind, unparalleled in the entire Bible.
And yet, John is far more than a poet.
John has much to tell us of God and of Jesus Christ, even if it is not
like the other synoptic gospels. For
unlike Luke and Mark, John’s gospel has no account of Jesus’ birth. No angels, no shepherds, no wise men. No Little town of Bethlehem, no Hark the
Herald Angels, no Silent Night. John
tells us nothing of the birth of Jesus, nothing of the Christmas event that we
celebrate this morning. So why then,
with all of the other gospel stories we could read, do we have this particular
passage from John, on this of all mornings?
It would be
a mistake to assume, since he doesn’t mention the baby in Bethlehem, that John
has nothing to say to us of the incarnation and divinity of Christ. Indeed, John helps us to connect the
Christmas stories we know so well with the identity of Jesus Christ and helps
us to begin to comprehend how he relates to God.
In the
beginning was the Word. Words are
powerful things. The giving of someone’s
word is a solemn event and has great import in how we relate to one another. Once a word is spoken, it cannot be taken
back. Think of the Old Testament story
of Jacob and Esau. Jacob deceived Isaac
into giving him the blessing instead of his brother Esau, but because the word
had been spoken, it could not be taken back.
The word had power and even though Isaac wanted to change his mind, he
could not because he had to live by the word he had spoken.
When I was
growing up I was taught that your word is your bond. How you kept your word spoke volumes to other
people about your character, your trustworthiness; indeed your word defined who
you are. Going back on your word was not
something that could be contemplated, as your word was literally part of who
you are.
Think also
about how God created the world. The
book of Genesis tells us that the earth was a formless void and darkness
covered the face of the deep. How did
God change this? Did he strap on his
tool belt, head down to Home Depot for materials and start swinging a hammer? No, of course not. God spoke into the darkness and said “Let
there be Light”, and there was light.
God’s word separated the light from the darkness, created the dry land,
and brought forth every living creature including Adam and Eve. The word of God was the instrument of
creation, establishing our reality and all that we know. Words truly are powerful things.
John recalls
the creation story in Genesis when he tells us, In the beginning was the
Word. And we know that the Word was the
instrument of creation. He goes further
though in telling us that the Word was With God, and that the word WAS God. How can the word be with God, but also BE
God? That would mean that the Word was
somehow separate from God, but also part of God. That would mean then that the word was not
something created by God, but instead was an integral part of God himself. John is telling us that Jesus, the Word of
God, is part of God. Even though we call
Jesus God’s son, John is helping us to understand that Jesus is far more than
that.
I am a
father and I have three sons. There was
a time when I existed, but my sons did not, as they had not yet been born. If Jesus were simply the son of God, the same
would be true for him. That would mean
that there was a time when God existed, but Jesus did not. John’s gospel is telling us that this is not the
case, that Jesus the Word was with God in the beginning, was part of God, and
was the action of creation on behalf of God.
Even though
John does not tell us about the birth of Jesus Christ, he is helping us
understand that Jesus is more than just one of us. He is not simply a man sent from God, but he
is in fact God himself. God loves us so
much that he gives up his divinity to become like us, to experience the pains
and the joys we feel.
I recently
heard a song that said, “Many men have tried to become Gods, but only one God
has become a man.” That spoke to me at a
deep level. History is littered with
stories of men who have tried to become God.
Pharaohs, Kings and Emperors have been doing this for millennia, each
trying to impose their will upon the world and make it into the image they
chose. Refusing to be satisfied with
their humanity, they sought riches and power in a vain attempt to become like
God.
Even in our
own lives, how many of us want to play God, trying to recreate our jobs, our
relationships, our very lives in the image that we would choose? I thought about this over the past week with
the great furor over the mega millions jackpot.
The media was only too happy to cover the story of a chance for
life-changing riches. Enough money to
forget about the cares of your everyday life; to remake yourself in whatever
image you choose. Doesn’t this sound
like we too are trying to become God? To
have the power to do nearly anything we want?
And yet John
reminds us that our God did just the opposite.
God gave all of that up in order to become one of us. Jesus the Immanuel (which as you know
literally means “God with us”) left behind the divinity of God to take on our
humanity, coming to earth not as a grown man, not as a wealthy king, but in the
frail form of an infant born to a poor carpenter and his young wife in a
stable. Hardly a fitting location for
the most powerful human to ever walk the planet, and yet that is what God chose
to do.
And so, as
we gather this Christmas morning with the great cloud of witnesses who have
celebrated this Blessed event for more than 2,000 years, let us remember the
angels, let us remember the shepherds, let us remember the wise men. But let us also remember the Word, Jesus who
surrendered his divinity to become one of us.
For God loves us so much that he was willing to become one of us in
order that we might share in his eternal life.
