Yesterday we read what John wrote about Jesus being called “the Word.” A few verses later in his Gospel, John said, “the Word [who is Jesus] became human and lived here on earth among us” (John 1:14). John was talking about when the glorious God Jesus was transformed into a baby in Mary’s womb, lived there for nine months, was born, grew up, and lived for about 33 years on the earth as a human being. It was a really big miracle for God to become a man, but nothing is too hard for God!
It’s very important for us to understand that Jesus was a very special person. He was God transformed into a man. He wasn’t one-half human being and one-half God. He was 100% of both. That has not been the case with any other person who has ever lived. Jesus was one-of-a-kind! He wanted us to know that He was both human and divine, calling Himself the Son of God and the Son of Man.
Hundreds of years before Jesus became a man, God told Isaiah the prophet what He was planning to do. He promised that a special baby would be born through a woman who had never been married. People often have special names that they call their babies, such as “sweet pea,” “little guy” or “chubby cheeks.” But the special baby that God told Isaiah about would be called “Immanuel,” a name that means “God is with us” (Isaiah 7:14). That is what Jesus was. He was no longer the God in heaven—He was God living with us.
Through Isaiah, God the Father helped us understand how His Son, who had no beginning, would have a beginning as a human being. He promised, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us” (Isaiah 9:6). It was a human being, a child , who was born in Bethlehem, but the Father’s Son was not born because He always existed. Thus, He was given .
Finally, notice Jesus was born to us and given to us . It was for us that He came because God loves us.
Q. Let’s pretend that you wanted to show the dogs in your neighborhood how much you loved them. What would you do? If you had the power, would you be willing to change yourself into a baby dog inside its mother, live there for nine months, be born as a puppy and live for 33 years as a dog when you could have been enjoying life as a human being? You would really have to love dogs to do that! Jesus becoming a man was a bigger step down than for us to become dogs. Does that give you an idea of how much Jesus loves us?
A. Yup!
Q. Are there any other major religions in the world besides Christianity that can truly say they were begun by a human being who was actually God?
A. Nope!
Application: Since Jesus is God, we should pay careful attention to what Jesus said and obey Him.
