All four gospel writers give a different picture of Jesus’ birth, depending on for whom and when the Gospel was written. The writer of Luke – addressing the Gentile community – tried to put down an “orderly” account – facts and documentation – of Christ’s birth.
Matthew – writing for his Jewish community – tried to explain Jesus by starting out with a genealogy that traces Jesus through the line of David and finishes up with prophecies and fulfillment.
Mark doesn’t even bother and goes right to John the Baptist crying out in the desert.
John is different. He seeks to give us a “big picture” look at Jesus. Writing about 100 years after the birth of Christ, he seems to understand the Western mind – our western minds—as he explains the “who” and the “why” of Jesus, because to the writer of John, knowing and believing who Jesus is matters.
The first thing that this writer wants us to understand is that Jesus didn’t start in Bethlehem.
Jesus started much, much earlier. Like in the beginning. Like BEFORE the beginning.
The Gospel of John starts with: “ In the beginning was the word… the word was God.”
Turn to Genesis. “In the beginning, God created…” and spoke the world into existence. Sound familiar?
The writer of John has given Jesus an interesting name. He calls him “word” or in the Greek “logos.” This word “word” means an expression of a thought or reason.
From “logos”, we get the word “logic” as well as the word, “logo,” which means a literal, physical expression. Here’s an example: show anyone a picture of the “Golden Arches,” especially children and immediately, even if they don’t read, they understand hamburgers, French fries, happy meals and toys!
So Jesus is the “logos” – the Word, the literal, physical expression of God, with God in the beginning, the true light that gives light to the world was coming in the world.
God is eternal and so is Jesus.
For the writer of John in particular, knowing and believing who Jesus is matters but there is a problem – a really big problem. The world didn’t know or believe who or what Jesus was.
Over 300 messianic prophecies and the world couldn’t recognize him.
The Israelites, now called the Jews, were looking for a messiah that would save them from all their problems, provide an earthly kingdom and just hand it to them on a platter. Just like Cyrus the Persian did some 600 years before when he released the Israelites from Babylon. The first world leader to be called “great.” He gave them money – a lot of money — to return to Jerusalem, to rebuild the temple, their homes and lives.
In their defense, it was a confusing time. Depending upon what sect you were a member, you either didn’t believe that there would be a messiah, that there would be two or that the messiah would look Cyrus.
In the middle of all this confusion, God tried to come to his own, to redeem them.
They were too occupied with what they wanted to see, they couldn’t hear the words of the prophets nor could they see the signs right before them – from the words of the psalmists, to Micah, to Isaiah to Zechariah.
All those signs. They did not receive God. The world didn’t know or believe who or what Jesus was. They were still in the dark.
Do we have the same problem?
Are we still in the dark? Are we overcome by the noise of the world? Our ears cannot hear, our hearts so occupied with other things, our eyes so taken with this world?
Too self-absorbed and so busy that we don’t have time to know who Jesus is much less believe? What could possibly get our attention? What could have possibly get their attention 2000 years ago?
God had a plan – he always has a plan – and it’s in verse 14 “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
Literally, in the Greek, God pitched his tent and lived with us. God camps out with us.
The one who spoke the world into being is now one of us lying in a manger.
The one who’s voice sounded like thunder from top of Mount Sinai now could not utter an intelligible sound and do nothing more than coo and cry.
The light of the world in all his glory was now a baby full of grace and truth.
God became a human so that you and I can see God in all his glory – the sum of the attributes of God.
God became human so that you and I can see God in all his grace – which are gifts that we receive that are neither deserved or earned.
God became human so that you and I can see God in all his truth – which is unhidden knowledge.
We couldn’t see God before but now we can see God – because Jesus is Emmanuel – which means the “with us God.”
And God didn’t send anyone – God sent himself, God came himself, God has made himself known through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
If you thought that Jesus was just an historical figure, a godly or good man or simply another prophet, then we have a case of mistaken identity. If you think that Jesus came to coerce, avenge and punish, you’ve got the wrong god and the wrong messiah.
God came as a savior that no one could miss to give a gift that no one else could give. For everyone. For the Jews. For the Gentiles. For you. For me.
Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, the perfect example of a God who loves us so much, who wants a relationship with us.
God has come to change our point of view – because knowing and believing who Jesus is…matters!