Do you remember a time when your word was enough?Enough to enter into a contract? Enough to buy a car or borrow some money? Enough to enter into a marriage? I picture a time when my grandfather could walk into the local bank and tell Fred sitting behind his desk full of hand-written bank loans, that he needed to borrow some money. Fred would cut a deal, my grandfather could give his word; they’d shake on it. The deal was done.
I didn’t grow up in that world. Today, there is more paperwork over the most minute matters to devastate our national forests. I had to fill out more paperwork to get my water turned on at our house a couple of years ago than to buy our house.. (Or so it seemed). And I wonder... what has happened to the value of our word? Today in our society we have legal contracts, we have prenuptial agreements, we have waivers and ‘hold not responsible’ clauses ... Its as if our word isn’t enough. But there’s one whose word IS enough... or at least ought to be enough for us!
That is God’s WORD!
We’ve been looking at some ‘words’ over the last several weeks, some very important ones because they are words given to name Jesus and together they provide us a larger and fuller picture of who he is! The very name ‘Jesus’ means that “God is our salvation!” He is Christ– he is Messiah, the ‘Anointed One’, our King and we are his
subjects. He is Immanuel– or “God with us”, God’s promise to never leave us nor forsake us. He is our Righteous Advocate who stands before the Father in our defense. He is both Son of Man, identifying himself with our human weakness and brokenness... and Son of God with all the power to save us from that brokenness! Today I want us to look at the name given to Jesus in John’s gospel that was just read... That is: Jesus as God’s final, and ultimate WORD not just to his people, but for ALL people!
“In the beginning was the Word”... John is my favorite of the gospels and the most beautiful beginning of any of the books I think. But have you ever wondered what John means that Jesus is the Word? It does seem like a peculiar way to describe Jesus, but... I want us to see this morning that the WORD is a powerful name for Jesus because it is so rich and full in meaning... NOT just to Jews, but for ALL people! You remember in Luke’s announcement of Jesus birth to the shepherds out in the fields... “But the angel said to them "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news
of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11 NIV)
John wasn’t writing just to Jews. Nor was he writing just to Gentiles. No. He wanted everyone to hear the good news and come to faith in Christ! That’s why he picked a word so rich in meaning to describe Jesus! He is the WORD.
The WORD had a such rich meaning for EVERYONE
For the Greeks... While we’re not Jews, we also didn’t grow up Greeks or Romans either, so we might miss the significance of what the Word was to those people. But it was full of meaning! I’m not a philosopher, but if you’ll indulge me for a minute, I think this is interesting. In terms of the Greek background, the Logos/ or Word goes back
at least 500 years before the time of Christ to a Heraclitus of Ephesus. His chief concern was to understand how order and symmetry could function in all the chaos of our world. He clearly saw that there was a certain order, but there also seemed to be a lot of chaos. His answer was that there is an invisible force of reason that sustains everything. He used the term Logos or Word as a technical term to describe the orderly function he saw in the universe; an impersonal force “by which all things are steered through all things” he said. It doesn’t seem that far off from George Lucas’ vision of the force. Plato, the greatest of all the Greek philosophers, further developed the idea of the Logos. He said, what we see here in this life isn’t real. Ultimate reality exists in some transcendent universe somewhere.. and what we see here are only ‘forms’ or shadows of the realities that exist in that other world. So, how can we know of those realities? Only through Logoi... or words that describe to us that reality. For Plato words
like ‘beauty’ or ‘justice’ were logoi that represent to us the ideal beauty or justice that only existed in that other ‘real’ world. For Aristotle, who was a student of Plato, the idea of the Logos came to mean a thing’s definition, the conclusion or total proof of an argument. It was the bottom line or definitive word on a matter. And so, for the Greeks, the Logos steers the universe and keeps its forces in balance. It points beyond itself to ultimate reality and
gives understanding about the true nature of the world. It pervades all things and is the final, definitive answer to all things!
For the Jews...The Jews were influenced much less by ‘philosophy’ (which I’m glad) and much more by Scripture! Yet, the Jews of the first century lived in a culture that greatly influenced by Greek culture. For example, the Jews had been forced to learn and use the Greek language from about the fourth century B.C. on. Sometime in the 3rd century B.C. a Greek-language translation of their Bibles had become the standard of the day. The Septuagint, as it is called, was the Bible that was best known by Jews of the first century in Jesus’ day, particularly those who lived outside of Palestine. From their use of the LXX, Jewish people knew the Greek term logos from their Bibles.
Gen 15:1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." (NIV)
For God to speak was also for him to act, for his word was powerful!
Ps 33:6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. (NIV)
So, the logos was a typical way to think of God speaking and acting. What’s more, it was even used by the Jews to represent God at times. Even though Greek was the common language of the day, when they’d read aloud their Bibles in synagogue, they still read the Hebrew. But since many Jews of the day didn’t even understand their native language, a running commentary in Greek was often given. Since they never read aloud the divine name of God (YWH) , they would substitute other words...Greek words, ‘adonai’ which meant Lord; ‘Holy One’; ‘the Name’ and even ‘the Word/ logos.’ So Jews were used to associating ‘the Word’ as another designation for God.
Why is all of that important? I think it helps us see the beauty of Scripture and the wisdom of God in selecting this particular term. When John came to write his gospel he intended it NOT just for Jews and NOT just for Gentiles, but for everybody... yet there was such a cultural divide between the two! How do you describe Jesus in a way that captures the attention and interest of everybody? You use a term like ‘the Word’ that would have meaning for both
audiences! And it fully captures ALL that Jesus was and IS if you think about from both perspectives. He is the force that steers the universe. He is the final word/ authority on matters. He is the embodiment of God upon this Earth, his message/ word to us!
Let’s see what John says about the Word and go back to the text... John 1:1-14 (As we read we might wonder
if John had just re-read Genesis before he sat down to pen these words.)
#1. It was “in the beginning”
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
This may be the most profound mystery of the gospel, but it is the essence of the gospel! Jesus
is at the same time fully man and fully God! As the logos, he is co-eternal with the Father. He always has been and He always will be! There was never a time when he didn’t exist. The Father didn’t create Him. He just IS! And he had a hand in creation... remember In Genesis God creates the heavens & Earth and says, “Let us make man in
our image.” Us? Our image? What does he mean ‘our’? While God is one... somehow there is also a plurality to his nature. There is God the Father, God the Logos, and God the Holy Spirit. How is this possible? Again, I have no idea. I promise, I’d tell you if I knew! But that’s the testimony of Scripture and implicit in the name, ‘the Word.’.
#2 Life is found in Him, the light of the world!
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. I love that & want to come back to it in just a second...
#3 He would be rejected by the world
5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood {overtaken} it.
6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify
concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as
a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the
world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his
own did not receive him.
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Perhaps the saddest words in all of Scripture... ‘He came to those who were his own, but his own people did not
receive him.’ They rejected him! They concocted false charges against him! They had him unfairly tried and
convicted! And they murdered him! Not just Jews either! The Gentiles rejected him, too! I suppose that we are all
capable of missing things from time to time... we all have our blind spots, preconceptions, and prejudices.
Everybody had their preconceived notions of what a “word” from God would be ... The Jews expected a mighty
Messiah who would come with power & overthrow the infidel, the Roman government to set up the government of
God! Perhaps the Greeks expected an elegant orator who would come with a new philosophy that would order the
universe. Jesus met neither of those wrong-headed expectations, and so he was met with utter rejection. But the
good news... to those who DID... who believed in his NAME... the name that is above every name... the only name
under heaven given to men by which we must be saved... to THOSE he gave the right to be called children of God!
How awesome! How did he do it?
#4 He became flesh and lived right here with us! 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We
have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. He had to
become one of us in order to deliver us! He had to identify with our brokenness so that he could rescue us from it!
God couldn’t have sent another prophet, just another man because even though a man might understand us, he
would have no power to deliver us. He had to come himself! And so the divine logos wraps himself in human flesh and comes to live right here with us! The Message says that he “moved into the neighborhood!” And John doesn’t want to leave any doubt about this! He says, “And we have seen him! We beheld his glory! The glory of the one-and-only, the special, unique, one-of-a-kind Son who came from the Father... full of grace and truth!”
If you read on, you see how John wants us to know, too, that this is what John the Baptist’s ministry was all about...
he serves as a witness to the Christ, the Word as well!
What’s the bottom line, the final word for you and me this morning?
If you ask me, the key to all of this is found there in vs. 4
In him was life, and that life was the light of men. I’ve been in some pretty dark places before. Inside a cave in Racoon Mountain a guide cut off all the lights and I experienced (maybe for the first time) physical utter, complete darkness. Not even a hint of light existed! Our tour group couldn’t even see their hands right in front of our face! But then the tour guide lit a single lighter and it seemed that the whole cavern came alive again! Jesus is that light in the darkness of our world! That gives new meaning to the song we sang earlier from Ps. 119. Thy word is a
lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Vs. 105 (KJV) And he came to give us, not just thatlight for ourselves, but also LIFE... eternal life in heaven with the Father AND a full, abundant life in the here and now upon this Earth. Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10 NIV)
Do you believe that the Word offers abundant and full LIFE? Is your life better because of Jesus? I don’t mean ‘free of problems’ by any means... but doesn’t Jesus make all of life better? When those problems do come, doesn’t Jesus offer us hope? Assurance? Surely knowing that our sins are forgiven in Jesus offer us comfort and confidence.
Jesus is God’s ultimate WORD to all of humanity! It doesn’t matter if you are male or female, black or white... Jesus is God’s WORD for YOU!
It doesn’t matter if you’ve got plenty, or if you struggle to just make ends meet... or maybe they never meet... Jesus is God’s WORD for YOU!
From the Queen Mother to the divorced Mother of two... Jesus is God’s ultimate WORD for YOU!
If you’ve grown up in church and been faithful your whole life... or if you’ve never quite been as attentive or faithful as you should... Jesus is God’s ultimate WORD for YOU!
If you don’t know God this morning, let me tell you... Jesus is God’s ultimate answer for YOU!
It doesn’t matter WHO you are... Jesus represents God’s greatest effort to reveal himself to YOU... to say to you, “I’d rather go to the cross than live without you!”
He is God’s ultimate WORD to us all!
A small boy wanted to give his grandmother a special gift one Christmas. Because her Bible was worn from years of reading & study... so much so that pages would often fall out and she’d tape them back in... he decided to give his grandmother a new Bible. So, he saved his money, his parents helping him out and he bought her a brand new, leather-bound, beautiful Bible. He wanted to write in it something special, but he didn’t know what to say. So, he decided to copy something he’d seen written in one of his dad’s books... a book that had been given to his dad by a
special friend and author earlier that year. When his grandmother opened it up she chuckled at the inscription: “To Grandma, compliments of the author.”
It seems to me those words in that inscription are something like how we are to see Jesus. He is God’s Word to us. When God decided to give is final message to mankind, he didn’t just send it in a book... that came later! Instead, he sent Himself and became that Word to us.
The Word offers us meaning... when our world seems to be in chaos, the Word is that consistent force that pervades the universe and provides us order & symmetry. Its not philosophy or reason... it is Jesus! The Word offers us the definitive word, the final authority ! Jesus is God’s final word on all matters! The Word offers us a fuller glimpse of
God. Jesus would say if we’ve seen him, then we have seen the Father. He has revealed the Father to us. He
teaches us about God! And the Word offers us LIFE!
Do you have that abundant life this morning? Does your life have meaning because of what Jesus did for you? Do you possess eternal life this morning? Do you KNOW that you have a home in heaven when this life is over? The Bible says, “All who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” That’s a promise you can count on! You know why? He gave us his Word on it!
Have you called on his name? Have you turned from your sins and committed your life to him in baptism? Have you named His Name to be the Lord of your life? If you haven’t, now the opportunity for you to do so...
(Resource: Shelly, Rubel "The Names of Jesus" 1999)
