The Great I Am - Pt. 4

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5 ESV).

 

Yahweh is the name of Israel’s God and the God who came to earth as Jesus Christ, Yahweh in the flesh. Matthew writes, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:15). The name Jesus is from the Latin form of the Greek form of Yeshua, which literally means “Yahweh saves.” So, Yahweh will save His people from their sins, and simultaneously Jesus will save His people from their sins. This is just one of many instances where Jesus and Yahweh are equated.

 

Our reading today intentionally echoes Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” But the beginning spoken of by John came before the beginning spoken of by Genesis. We know this because every created thing was created by the Word, who was with God from eternity. This is a great mystery, and we must approach it slowly and humbly. The Word of God existed long before Jesus became a human being. Jesus of Nazareth was truly a man, walking and talking in our midst. But he was also truly God.

 

As deep a mystery as this is, it is not meant to confuse us. That’s because Jesus Christ, the Word of God, came as God’s communication, the clearest revelation from God there ever was. If we want to understand this God whom we worship, we must listen to Christ. When you want to understand someone, you listen carefully to what they say. The writer of Hebrews says, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets . . . but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son . . . through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

 

The God who was, and is, and will be forever sent His only begotten Son on our behalf. Can there be any greater gift than that! Listen to Him as He speaks to you each day!