The Word

How many arguments have happened throughout human history based on the definition of a word? How many legal contracts have been nullified, nations have gone to war, or marital spats have escalated unnecessarily? The right word at the right time can make or break a negotiation, a career, a relationship. 

Recently, a pastor asked me, “Do you have a word for us this morning?” He was asking for a message, a bit of hard-earned wisdom. Back in the ‘90s, there was also the common response, “Word up,” when a friend said something you agreed with.” (Did I just date myself?)

All kidding aside, I’ve been thinking about how as Christians, “the Word” has such deeper meaning and significance. It can refer to the entire canon of scripture we know today as the Bible. It can mean the expressed mind and will of God, as in John 1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. From the moment God said, “Let there be light,” his Word has directed and governed everything—from gravity, time, DNA, electromagnetism, biology, the intricacies of human relationships, to life and death.  

But then in John 1:14, the disciple, John, who walked closely with Jesus during his earthly years of ministry takes it further. He says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus was with God before time began, co-equal with God the Father. Jesus is the Word made flesh to save us.

The book of Hebrews, in 1:1-3 adds to this by saying, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” 

This is what is meant when we refer to Jesus as “The Word.” He is how God reaches out to us. In the conversation between God and humanity, Jesus is what God had to say. He is the answer.

Reflect

As you reflect on today’s devotional, listen to the song, “Take You At Your Word” while you answer this question:

If there’s a question you’ve been asking God lately, how can Jesus’ life and ministry guide you to an answer?