"We have beheld his glory..."

JOHN 1

DEC 24, 2023

TEXT

Today we celebrate the coming of Jesus.

We begin with the beginning of all time

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God

We come forward the 13.8 billions years of evolution to just 2000 years ago when John wrote

And the word became flesh  and dwelt amongst us full of Grace and truth. We have beheld his glory

We have  beheld his glory is the heart of the coming of Jesus.

WORD THE CATALIST

From Creation to humanity the word was the catalyst for all life.

We have beheld his glory, full of grace and truth, is the central message of this passage.

THE BOOK

The glory implies seeing the essence of his nature.

All through the gospel we get glimpses of this glory.

John displayed a wide range of knowledge, from  understanding the deep dynamics of human life, witnessed in the peoples meeting with Jesus through to probing the deep truths of the universe

Here we find the two coming together to unveil the mystery of life.

Sometimes referred to as an enchanted life.

METAPHORS

Amidst his many encounters he declares 7 metaphors of life, that are known as the 7  I  AM sayings.

They are the crux of the glory we observe in his life

And the Word became flesh … and we beheld his glory.

Let us take a look at these now.

I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE

Following the feeding of the five thousand Jesus concluded I AM the bread of life.

I AM is the essence of his being

His spirit nourishes the partaker in all ways. We feel nourished in body mind and Spirit.

I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Following the healing of the blind man, the long discourse concludes, with his declaration, I AM  the light of the world. Physical light is one thing, but the light of knowledge is another. He enlightens our knowledge in all ways.

I AM THE DOOR TO THE SHEEP FOLD

Next comes as we might say a couplet in two ways.

The door to the sheep fold significies the awakening to the spiritual way of life. We keep coming back and forth, entering and departing. Regularly we are called to come back in to the fold. He welcomes us incessantly.

I am the door to the sheep pen

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD

The second saying in this couplet is a golden truth, where Jesus declares I AM the Good Shepherd.

The shepherd goes with us in all life. He travels with us whether we know it or not, Intimately nourishing and guiding us.

I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.

Following  Jesus comprehensive discussion with the disciples on the way of love , he declares, I AM the way the truth and the life.

This seems like the comprehensive way for the Christian to live, the moral; ethical and compassionate way of living.

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

Following the long discourse with Mary and Martha on the death of Lazarus, Jesus declares I AM the resurrection and the life 

Life and death is one seemless process united in the way of Jesus living and departing

It is the fulness of the vision of life.

I AM THE TRUE WINE

The final sight of glory  is a unique teaching by Jesus because it comes at the end of the I AM sayings, but it is ever so important.

All the sayings up until this point could be applied to our individual journey of life, but this stands  out differently. It depicts that life is not an individual pursuit. It is a collective endeavour. A journey we pursue together.

I AM the true vine

Where one goes, we all go .

BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS I AM

Summarising  these sayings is that they are one. They stand alone as one. Jesus declares Before Abraham was, I AM 

This breaks through the deep reality of the eternal nature of Jesus.

The word was in creation, the word was the archetypal human, the word remains with us to the end of time.

THE LIFE STYLE

Taken together, I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world,  I am  the gate to the sheep fold, I am the good shepherd, I am the way the truth and the life, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the true vine, and before Abraham was  I am, provides a clear and precise summary of the Christian life.

CONCLUSIONS 

I return to the beginning of this sermon, when I quoted.

And the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us full of grace and truth, we have beheld his glory.

Beholding his glory, ‘is a unique type of Knowledge’.

It is a comprehensive knowing that enables one to see with the spiritual reality in the everyday realm of life.

John built his gospel around these I AM sayings.

They are the window of perceiving the glory of Jesus.

The meditating upon these lifts us to a realm that is beyond the normal. It is to see the glory of God in Jesusl

John was a truly unique mind to perceive these truths. We are invited to grow in this same way.