The Word Made Flesh: John’s Gospel and the Magnitude of Christmas
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” ~ John 1:1, 14
There’s an episode of The Chosen imagining how this introduction came about, and highlights the magnitude of what took place that first Christmas.
The episode is a flash forward. It’s assumed that Matthew is almost done with his writings, and others have started writing, too. Similarly, John is discerning what approach to take for his writings.
The audience is then shown a memory where Jesus invites John to help him pick which Scripture book to read from for his synagogue visit. John suggests the creation story with a little historical context, “you know, the Greeks use ‘Word’ to describe Divine reason, what gives the world form and meaning.” To which Jesus replies, “I like that and it’s a favorite memory.”
The show, through artistic liberty, subtly declares one of Christianity’s central truths: Jesus has always been and is God incarnate.
For comparison, the next scene is Jesus reading Genesis, Chapter one: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light…”
John expands and clarifies the theology within “And God said…” so that we can grasp the magnitude of the events that changed human history.
Today, we remember and celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise to make things anew by choosing to humble himself, dwell among us, and give us a way to meet Him in heaven.
I have taken this miracle for granted throughout most of my life. Today, I commit to meditating on the nativity of our Lord hoping to better grasp the true meaning of Christmas.
In peace,
~Juan
