"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...." are the familiar words in John 1:14. Lately the full impact of the humanity of Jesus has really hit me. I have always thought so much about His divinity I somehow overlooked the full impact of His taking on flesh and blood, His humanness, His becoming like us. And on this Good Friday, this day of days, when we all remember the savage dying that He experienced.....a slow, excruciating, painful, humiliating, intolerable death on a cross.....we begin, yes..only begin to comprehend what Jesus Christ did for us.
I have read detailed descriptions of what dying on a cross does to a physical body.......the pain of nails being driven into wrists and ankles, the utter helplessness of arms outstretched with a body exposed to jeering mobs, the agony of the desperate struggle to breathe while gravity pulls the body downward......truly a slow, torturous, agonizing dying.
Then to imagine the emotional torture.....knowing He was God and letting sinful men blaspheme Him. Looking out on family and devoted followers who cried in agony as He suffered, and they did not, could not understand what was going on. Hanging there, yet loving every soldier, Jewish leader, mocker, enemy......because God loves us all. Yes, His taking on flesh means He felt what I feel, He suffers when I suffer, He hurts when I hurt...because He understands. But I never suffered the way He suffered on that cross.
And then the truth hits me. Jesus willingly took on Himself that horrible agony. He chose to let the people whip Him, torture Him, laugh at Him, jeer Him, nail Him, thrust the spear in Him......because He wanted to be the ultimate blood sacrifice......willingly. As we read and know, He could have called "10 thousand angels" in the Garden to save Him, but He did not.
As we read further in John 1:18......"No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known." I can't help but think.....isn't it true......we tend not to believe something unless we see it. In our technological, scientific age we think that we must have tangible evidence for believing. And no one has seen God.
So God sent His Son......."And the Word became flesh". John MacArthur, in his notes in the MacArthur Study Bible, states that the disciple, John, refers to the "Word" as found in the Old Testament and "made it refer to a person, Jesus Christ". The notes continue......"The Word, as the Second Person of the Trinity, was in intimate fellowship with God the Father throughout all eternity. Yet, although the Word enjoyed the splendors of heaven and eternity with the Father, He willingly gave up His heavenly status, taking the form of a man, and became subject to the death of a cross." (My emphasis added.)
Yes, God sent His only Son, so that live humans...in AD 30 - 33...like us....could see Him, touch Him, hear Him and thus know God and know God is REAL.....evidence proved! And what is more incredible in our human weak mindset.... the only Son, Jesus Christ, did not hesitate.....but willingly endured death on a cross so we could be given eternal life with God the Father. Oh, that all would believe in this magnificent sacrifice, this loving God, this Savior and Redeemer. I pray that would be!
