INCARNATION
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14)
Two gospel writers record narratives of the birth of Jesus. Luke’s account is told from the point of view of Mary and Joseph, recounting the circumstances of their journey to Bethlehem and their lodging in a stable. Matthew’s account compares the differing response of wise stargazers and a foolish king to the reported birth of the Messiah.
In contrast to these, Mark dispenses with the preliminaries and begins his action-oriented gospel with the fiery preaching of John the Baptist.
John’s approach is different still. As befits his contemplative nature, he starts his gospel with a philosophical meditation on the incarnation of Christ. John calls Jesus the logos, a Greek term with broader and deeper meaning than the English “word.” John is saying that the rational, ordering principle behind the creation of the universe is none other than Christ Himself.
The universe is not a random jumble; it has form and order because of the work of Christ, who made it. John wants us to remember the account in Genesis chapter 1, in which God creates through His Word, and to appreciate the role of Christ in creation.
John is clear in ascribing divine status to Christ. Christ is uncreated and eternal, in union with God from the very beginning. He is not a part of creation, but the agent of all creation. He is God, and yet also “with God.” This only makes sense if we recognize a plurality of Persons in the Godhead. Both Father and Son are God.
Christ brought the light of divine truth and love into the world. The great and tragic irony is that the very world He made had become so dark that it was blind to who He was. The Jewish nation was schooled in the laws and ways of God, and taught to expect the Messiah. Yet He was rejected by the most learned and the most powerful, who failed to recognize Him.
But not all rejected Him! Illuminated by the Holy Spirit, some did recognize the light of God in Christ, and were drawn to it. These He welcomed to Himself, and infused with new life. Reconciled to the Father through the Son, they, too, became children of God.
The divine Light did not explode across the heavens in a dazzling flash, obliterating the sun and stars. No, the Light was concentrated into a tiny human embryo, implanted within a virgin’s womb!
The divine Word was not sung by an angelic chorus, echoed and amplified through the corridors of the cosmos. No, the Word was made flesh, of all things!
Why? The Light and the Word were sent to redeem and illumine fallen humanity. Therefore, they were put into a form familiar to us, a form we could relate to, a form like us. Because of Christ, the love of God is no longer just an abstract concept to contemplate; it is a Person to trust and adore.
The incarnation is truly a staggering doctrine. Muslims and Jews stumble at the thought of God becoming human, because they more than others understand the power, majesty and transcendence of the Sovereign Lord. But as Christians realize, the miracle of the incarnation reveals also the grace, love and humility of God, and only adds to His glory.
Take a close look at the babe wrapped in those swaddling clothes. Take time to consider anew who He is, and what He has done. And marvel.
PRAYER
Lord, my mind cannot grasp the concept of you as a baby! I have only the barest understanding of the incarnation, but I know enough to marvel at this greatest of all miracles. Glory to the newborn King!