The One Who Knows Us the Most Loves Us the Best

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5 (ESV)

The Gospel of John opens with several statements about “the Word.”  Who is “the Word?”  If there is any doubt or suspense at this point in John chapter 1, a few verses later John declares “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (vs. 14). The “Word” is Jesus Christ the only Son of God.

These first few verses of John are packed with facts about Jesus.  Jesus is God (vs.1), He is eternal (vs.2).  He has life in Him (vs. 4), and He overcomes darkness (vs. 5). I want to focus on the fact that He is the creator of the universe (vs. 3).   

John says that everything that was made through Jesus and without Jesus nothing was made. This is an absolute statement. In short, if it was created it was made by Jesus.  Jesus made the mountains; He made the earth, the sun and everything we know. The next time astronomers discover a planet that we never knew existed before, Jesus made that too. And, yes, Jesus also made you and me.

One of the most mind blowing things is that our Creator subjected Himself to His creation. In Philippians, the Bible says Jesus “⁷ made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

It is hard to imagine that the God who created humanity not only subjected Himself to humanity, but also to death, and death by capital punishment. Jesus subjected Himself to being mocked, beaten, bore the shame of our sin and an agonizing death on the cross. The Creator subjected Himself to His creation to save it. This is true love.

I have heard it said that the One who knows us the most loves us the best. The Lord created us and He knows us inside and out as Psalm 139 states “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!” (vs. 1)  For most of us to be fully known is a scary thing. Yet God who is rich in mercy still loves us fully and seeks a relationship with us. Let this New Year be the year that we determine to draw close to Jesus.