Day 19: The Word Became Flesh

It may seem odd that the author John uses “the Word” as a name for Jesus. But I assure you, it was very intentional. It speaks to the fact that Jesus is God from the beginning. Let that sink in for a second. God, the infinite and powerful Creator, who always has been and always will be, spoke and created the universe with His voice. The words that came out of His mouth formed the stars and the planets. He set the earth in motion and created every living being on earth. He formed atoms and molecules and gravity and ecosystems and tendons and structures and anatomy—all in a few words. This is because He is the living, breathing Word. And as mind-blowing as it is, He is also three distinct persons in one—known as the Trinity.

Jesus, the Word, did not just show up around 4 B.C. for the first time as a baby in a manger. He is the same infinite and eternal God that was there in the beginning of time and before the beginning of time and will always be. Look with me in Genesis 1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2).

As the chapter continues, the book of Genesis records how God created everything. He spoke, and light came into existence. He spoke, and land and water were formed. He spoke, and every animal came into being.In the whole history of the human race, we have been fascinated studying what God has created. His creation is so intricate and vast!

And then, on the sixth day when God makes man, the Scriptures say something monumental, “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

This is the first passage in the Bible that shows the Trinity—God three in one. And as you read through the Bible, you see Jesus throughout the Old Testament.

He is often named as “the Angel (or messenger) of the Lord” rather than “an angel of the Lord” (one of many created angels). Here are a few instances Jesus is seen in the Old Testament:

The Angel of the Lord who speaks to Hagar in the desert (Genesis 16)

The Lord who was one of the three strangers who promised Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son (Genesis 18:1)

The Angel of the Lord who stops Abraham from slaying Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19)

The Man who wrestled with Jacob (Genesis 32, later noted to be Jesus in Hosea 12:4-5)

The Angel of the Lord who speaks to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3)

The Angel of the Lord who led and protected the Israelites as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night through the desert (Exodus 13)

The Angel of the Lord who spoke to Gideon and called him a mighty warrior (Judges 6)

The Angel of the Lord who told Samson’s mother that she would have a son that would save Israel from the Philistines (Judges 13)

The majestic Christ that Isaiah saw sitting on the throne of Heaven (Isaiah 6)

The fourth man in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:25)

Our glorious, eternal, all-powerful, almighty Creator God came to earth as a baby; and it was all out of His love for us. He walked with us, taught us, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Let us praise Him today for His amazing plan and His great love. Let us marvel at the beauty of His creation. Let us celebrate His coming as we near Christmas.

“The Word made flesh has dwelt among us,
Full of grace and full of truth.
We beheld His wondrous glory
Of the only Son of God.”
- John Purifoy
The Word Made Flesh