“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…(John 1:14).” What an astounding reality. The Word, which had existed with God and in fact was God (John 1:1), entered the world of humanity. Love prompted it, and sin required it. Guilt demanded a resolution, and it came to a feed trough in Bethlehem. A baby. A crying, needy, dependent infant who relied on human parents for everything. This was the Lord of the universe who came to save the world. Absolutely remarkable.
It is a skin and bones revelation of the unending love of God for His creation. It speaks, no it screams of a Creator who desperately wants to share Himself with a sinful world. He desires our company forever. The Word made that possible. The Son of God had always been on a par with God. He relinquished that status to become flesh and dwell among us. The glory of God was on full display in an unlikely package. Grace and truth in the son of man lit the darkness. It was not what anyone expected. Divine love reached out to people fit for a trash pile.
Sin is dreadful. It totally destroys people from the inside out. Our own lust drives the pursuit. We want what we want, and nothing gets in the way. That passion will steal our sense and take us places we never intended to go. Eve wanted the fruit and took it. She also got expulsion from paradise. Indulging our fleshly desires is a costly proposition. Death is always at the end of the road (James 1:14-16). It is a tempting and devastating deception. Our Father knew and sent His Son to save us. Amazing grace. Astounding love. The Word became flesh…
It is easy to relegate that fact to the dust bins of history. It is a neat story but irrelevant in a twenty-first century world. The risen Lord is forgotten in the midst of life’s hectic demands. We remember for a moment on the first day of the week…maybe…then it’s back to life as usual. It is a mistake that robs life of its potential. He is risen. That matters.
The Word became flesh. He lived as a human. He really was a man. He served and suffered. He cried. He hungered. He was tempted. He knows how it is. He experienced what we go through. Now, He is at the right hand of God interceding on behalf of His family. He is our high priest right now. He brings His own blood sacrifice for us to the heavenly altar. He is neither dead nor retired.
We sing about serving a risen Savior. Let’s not forget that a risen Savior is serving us. He walked the dusty roads of earth, successfully endured the temptations and gave His life on the old rugged cross for us, you and me. The Word became flesh. Hallelujah, what a Savior.