The Word Became Flesh

The Word became flesh and made His home among us, and we saw His glory, such glory as befits the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth ...No one has ever seen God; God's only Son, he who is nearest to the Father's heart, He has made Him known (Jn. 1: 14 & 18).

 

God is love, and one who loves is born of God....but how were we to apprehend this truth, unless He would become flesh and dwell among us?  How were we to suspect that the Divine wanted to put His arms around us and comfort us, but that He would take on our flesh and our arms?

 

The poor, the sinful, the weak, the outcast, the leper, the one without hope in a darkened world --- how were we all to dare to believe that God could love us and not condemn us for what we had done and for what we had become?  He had to take on human flesh and "dwell among us" to make known the Father's heart toward us.

 

Nothing else would do but the warmth of an embrace.  For centuries, He had tried to approach mankind, but only a very few dared a relationship with Him -- the saints, the prophets, the humble.  The rest satisfied themselves by obeying the Law and by believing that external observance was sufficient -- that that was all God demanded of them.  But the prophets spurned the sacrifices; in God's Name, they spoke:  What need have I of your burnt offerings?  The cattle on a thousand hills are mine....your hearts are far from Me.

 

If He had not come in Person to gather the lost sheep -- the Samaritan woman with 5 husbands and a lover, the lame, the blind, the extremely poor and helpless, those on the fringes of respect---if He had not come Himself to wrap His arms around us in our weakness, we could not dare to believe that He had accepted us.  But to those who received Him, He gave the power to become [His own children].  Those who allowed themselves to be wrapped in Divine Love and comforted, He called His own.  Those who stood outside and would not allow themselves to be embraced remained on the outside.

 

Peter's words are telling:  Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.  But God in Christ did not depart from Peter; He came even closer because of Peter's confession -- Jesus said that He had prayed for Peter that He not be sifted as wheat, and He said, When you have been strengthened, turn and strengthen your brothers.

 

Having received the comfort and strength ourselves, we too must do what He did--we must become the arms of the God who loves the outcast.  Our flesh must express the love of God for those the world does not love.  We cannot be afraid to love and to love freely.  If we have received the "power to become children of God," we must act as He acts and love those He loves.

 

No one is excluded from the love of the Father, given to us in the Son made flesh.  He stands at the door and knocks; who would be so cold as to refuse to open and allow Him to come in and make His home with us?