14So the bWord became chuman and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his dglory, the dglory of the Father’s eone and only Son.
15John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ ”
16From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.17For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus fChrist.18No one has ever seen God. But the gunique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
Can we possibly appreciate what happened here…what Jesus did or who Jesus was…or rather what Jesus does and who he is? The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one. Yet this God somehow became man and came among us. John the Baptist seemed to be close to understanding and yet he seems almost at a loss for words to describe it all: “greater than I am, for he existed long before me”. Really, ponder it for a while. The Word that created the universe coming to this little planet. Why?
And then John tells us why. Because Jesus, and God, is unfailing love and faithfulness. Jesus’ love will not fail me. Jesus’ will not abandon me. Jesus will be faithful to the Father, and to me, and to you. Jesus is unique, the one and only. He reveals God to us because he is God. He is the center of our lives, or should be. And when he is we are centered around unfailing love and faithfulness. When we are full of Jesus, we are full of unfailing love and faithfulness. Would my family be blessed if I were full of unfailing love and faithfulness? Would my work, my friends, my community and my church be blessed?
Jesus, we are reading about Your coming as a human into this world. Please Lord, fill me, this human, so through me You can come more and more into my world. Jesus, please, my family, my friends, my work; they all need You so bad. Help me to empty myself of everything else and fill myself with You. *obbs*
Chrisanna: I think when John said “someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.” he realised wheat he was ment to do . Be the greatest prophet except for Jesus.