Scriptures: John 1:1-18, John 5:19-40, John 17:1-8, 20-26
This is the first in a series of devotions designed to draw you closer to Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy during the season of Advent, but can be used anytime as an “Emmaus Encounter with Jesus.” It was on the road to Emmaus that Jesus revealed how he fulfilled the law, writings of the prophets, and the psalms. I encourage you to read the scriptures passages before each post so you can make the connections yourself by simply clicking on each reference which will take you to that passage. Each devotional ends with a worship response because the goal of these devotions is to lead you to draw near to Jesus and encounter him on a deeper, more personal level.
John 1:12 tells us that to all who receive Jesus and believe in his name, he gave the right to become sons of God. Who is Jesus? What exactly is it about him that we need to receive to become sons of God? Just as God revealed himself through many names in the Old Testament, Jesus has many names that were first revealed in the Old Testament. Names in the Bible are linked to a person’s identity, so believing in Jesus’ name means receiving his full identity as revealed through his many names in scripture. In this study we will explore how the Old Testament scriptures point to Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. Today we begin by examining the most ancient name and attribute of Jesus: the Word.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-3, NIV).
The Creator of Genesis 1 is revealed through Jesus, the Word. Just as the Spirit hovered over the water at creation, Jesus walks over the water and the wind and waves obey his commands. Just as God created the seed-bearing plants and fish to feed us and blessed them to multiply, Jesus blessed the fish and bread and made them multiply to feed over 5000 people. Just as God breathed into Adam and gave him life, Jesus breathed on the disciples to fill them with his Spirit. Just as God gave Adam and Eve authority over the earth, Jesus gave his disciples authority over the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Every word God spoke in the Old Testament is fulfilled and demonstrated through the living Word, Jesus.
The Word is the revelation of God. We were created for relationship with God, so the Word is God’s relational nature present at creation. When I speak, I reveal who I am to others because words build relationships. Jesus was present in the Old Testament as the Word of God because God first created the world and made himself known through speaking. While the Spirit of God hovered over the waters, God’s first act of creation was to speak the Word, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). Before the sun was created, God spoke the Word who is the light of all mankind, the one who would reveal the Father. John 1:4 says, “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” God’s Word is life-giving.
We often refer to the Bible as “the Word,” which is also accurate because the One who is the Word spoke those words to its recipients. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The scriptures Paul speaks of are the Old Testament scriptures which were first spoken by Jesus, the Word. This is why Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).
Some of what has been written in the Law and Prophets has been fulfilled by Jesus, and some of it will be fulfilled when he comes again, but all of it points to Jesus. When Jesus was talking to the religious leaders he said, “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39). We don’t study the Bible for intellectual ascent or to check off a religious check box. The scriptures are meant to lead us into an encounter with the person of Jesus, the Word. When we read the Bible expecting an encounter, Jesus meets us there and breathes life into us through his Word.
Jesus is the Word who was made visible so we could not only hear God’s words but see and experience God in a relatable way. To make us his sons and daughters, God had to reveal himself to us as a Father through the Word who became human as God’s only Son. God who is Spirit occasionally appeared in human form in the Old Testament, just like angelic spirits can appear in human form (see Genesis 18). But after thousands of years of mostly hearing God speak through a few select prophets and leaders, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). God chose to reveal himself through the Word, Jesus, as the One who makes his dwelling among man. The Word came to abide with us. God always makes the first move toward relationship with us. We simply respond.
Jesus revealed the Father to us in human form, obediently doing whatever the Father told him to do as a demonstration of what it also looks like to be a child of God. In his love for us, the Word was born as a human who would have to learn obedience as a Son, just like the rest of us. Speaking of God’s appointed King over Zion (Israel), Psalm 2:7 says, “I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’” God announced who this son is at Jesus’ baptism, when a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
The spoken word of God is powerful and has authority to reveal our true identity. When you come to the Father through belief in Jesus as the revelation of God’s love for you, the very same words God spoke over Jesus are spoken over you. You are God’s beloved child, and by simply believing in Jesus, God is pleased with you! How do I know this? When Jesus prayed for all who would believe in him, he said, “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John 17:26).
Jesus revealed the Father so you could be his child, assured that you are loved by the Father the same way Jesus is loved by him. That’s the power of the Word. What God speaks is truth. His Word has all authority. “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11). Jesus, the Word, was sent from the mouth of the Father to accomplish God’s purpose of revealing himself to the world as the God who loves everyone and wants no one to perish in sin but have eternal life with him (John 3:16). He came down to dwell with us so he could one day take us to dwell with him forever.
Jesus, the Word, has all authority. What Jesus says about you breaks the power of every harmful word ever spoken over you. When Jesus says you’re chosen, insecurity is broken. When Jesus says you’re beloved, rejection is silenced. When Jesus says you’re healed, sickness vanishes. He is the Word, and his Word is truth. When we encounter the Word in scripture and believe his authority over whatever our circumstances may tell us, faith becomes the fertile soil of miracles. God’s Word is light and life. His Word is unfailing, self-giving love. You don’t have to earn God’s love and favor, simply believe his Word and receive him. O come, let us worship Jesus, the living Word who was and is and is to come!
Response:
Jesus, thank you for revealing the love of the Father and making a way for us to enjoy relationship with you forever. I praise you because you faithfully spoke every word the Father gave you to speak and demonstrated God’s holy love through your sacrifice on the cross. Your Word endures forever. Let every word you speak over my life take authority and supplant every lie of the devil, for your Word is truth. I believe you are God’s Son and receive you as my Savior and King. Abide in me today by your Spirit in me.
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(Pictured above is the scroll of Isaiah in Jerusalem.)
