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 anything 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
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording. The gospel of John is different.
Where Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus on what Jesus taught and did– John focuses on who Jesus is.
Where the first three gospel accounts mainly share short portions of Jesus' teaching – John dedicates entire chapters.
And where Matthew, Mark, and Luke emphasized the Kingdom of God – John emphasized the life we find in God - a life abundant and eternal.
So, the question that must be asked is, "Why?"
Why did John write the book?
Why did it matter to have another account of Jesus' life here on earth?
The answer is found in John 20:31.
...but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
That is my prayer for YOU as we embark on this study through the book of John. I pray that your faith in Jesus would grow as your knowledge of Him grows. And that you would walk fully in the abundant life He purchased for you at Calvary.
____
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, cand we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14, ESV
"The Israelite people had been told many things about God. They knew Him through the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees – the keepers of the law, the leaders of the temple, the readers of the ancient scrolls. Like skilled painters, they had, with each stroke of false teaching, created their own masterpiece - an image so distorted and far from who He actually was that it no longer pointed the people to Him, but to them. They used this corrupted image to control, manipulate, and gain from the people what they wanted – strokes for their ego and money for their pockets.
Enter Jesus – the game changer. He came, not only as an example to us of who we are to be and the purchase price of our redemption, but also as a reflection of the Father, to show the people who God truly was. He came to erase the false image and replace it with the real one. Years after He died and rose again, John would write a book of “evidence” proving His validity as Son of God. In it, he would describe Jesus as “the Word made flesh” (John 1:14), the one who came to declare – “unfold and make known” -- the Father to us (John 1:18)."***
In a message years ago, Chuck Pierce told the congregation, "When they looked at Jesus, they were looking at God. When they touched Jesus, they were touching God. When they heard Jesus weeping, they were hearing God weep. When they saw His love for children, they saw the Father’s love. When they heard Him speak - the voice of God. When His hands were laid on suffering humanity, they saw His compassion for the needy. He is a God of love, tender, compassionate, touchable, forgiving. "Full of grace and truth."
The Word became flesh and dwelt among them...
Jesus revealed the Father to them. And He still reveals Him to us.
David Guzik wrote in his commentary of this passage, “God has come close to you in Jesus Christ. You don’t have to struggle to find Him; He came to you.”
You don't have to struggle to find Him.
Those words flood my heart with gratitude and my eyes with joyful tears.
He came to us.
He came to reveal the Father to us!
Knowing this should change the way that we read through the Gospels. In every teaching and every encounter, we should see Jesus not only as the son of God, but the reflection of the Father.
We should ask not only, "What does this teach me about Jesus?" but also, "If Jesus is a reflection of my Father, what does this reveal to me about who my Father is?"
"Too often, in our own lives, we can live with a false image of our Father. It can keep us from Him when we should be running to Him for help. It can make us push away what we should be bringing close and reject the One whom our hearts truly need. Our “picture” of the Father can be painted by the situations we face in this life, other people’s experiences with Him, and even our experiences with other people.
“This situation isn’t good, so He must not be good.”
“My earthly Father failed me, so my Heavenly Father will, too.”
“I can’t trust any men in my life, so why would I trust God?”
“She said I had to earn His love through my righteous acts, so He must be controlling.”
With every wrong label we apply and wrong voice that we listen to, the image of our Father becomes more and more unrecognizable. Under layers of false labels, the Truth is waiting to be uncovered. "***
I want to encourage you to slowly read through the gospels - take them one story at a time and ask, "What does this teach me about Jesus?" and "Since Jesus is a reflection of my Father, what does this teach me about my Father?"
Write it down. Journal it.
Fill page after page with the truth. "My Father is..."
"He will always be..."
This simple practice CHANGED MY LIFE and I have watched as it has changed the lives of countless women at our Retreats. As we walk through Gospels and allow Jesus to reveal the Father to us - something happens. The lies we have believed about Him are shattered by TRUTH. The "struggle to find Him" that David Guzik writes about is gone. He is FOUND by us as we seek Him.
And I know this - He can be found by you, too.
***Excerpts from Chapter 1 of 'To Know Him As Father' Available on our Resource Page
Comentarios