I love this passage.
There's a play on the word "Word".
Notice that Bibles (other than the Jehovah Witness translation) have capitalized the "W".
I believe that there are three simultaneous meanings to this "Word".
In Genesis, a promise is made to Adam and Eve that there will come a deliverer. God gives them His "Word" on this. God's "Word" is His promise.
Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise. That makes Him the Word.
The Bible is God's word. The Bible describes Jesus relentlessly, figuratively (prophecy) and literally.
Another more modern usage in our culture is "Word!". When this is said it indicates that the speaker recognizes the truth of the statement just uttered.
So the Word in question can be simultaneously: God's Promise, Jesus (the promise fulfilled) and the Bible (Jesus described).
We do not have a physical description of Jesus. We have a "word" picture of Jesus. This appears to be intentional. A thousand words are worth one picture.
And the Bible is an elaboration on the original promise made.
3 comments:
I have been thinking a lot about speech. I know it has to be different for God, because none of his words are idle. If that's true, every time he speaks, it must cause something to happen. Meanwhile, we are told we'll be judged for our idle words.
It occurs to me that prayer in the Spirit could be considered the word of God, since it is God himself speaking.
Lately I've felt a powerful physical sensation of something I identify as faith, coming from the same place within me where prayer in the Spirit originates. I think this may be the spiritual gift of faith.
The other day I was working a service, and we were told to pray in tongues (people were receiving the Holy Spirit baptism), and I went at it. I remembered that Jesus blew on the disciples to imbue them with the Spirit, so I just exhaled toward the crowd, as I felt faith rise up in me.
Don't know if it was right, but it felt like the thing to do.
That's a really great insight.
" I remembered that Jesus blew on the disciples to imbue them with the Spirit, so I just exhaled toward the crowd, as I felt faith rise up in me."
I like that.
Thanks. From now on I'll take breath mints. If people start falling over, I want it to be for the right reason.
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