What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life -
for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us -
what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.
Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say, "We have fellowship with him," while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If we say, "We are without sin," we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.
If we say, "We have not sinned," we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
"What was from the beginning..." The disciples (John, in this instance) heard, saw, looked upon, and touched the Word of life made flesh (Jesus). It is this Word that is being presented to us so that we might have fellowship with the saints and the Father and the Word of life. O, to hear audibly the Word of life! O, to see Him, to look upon Him! O, to touch Him as they did, as Thomas did! O, the more to have Him touch us! To recline upon Him as John did! To be the object of His "look of love"! Lord, so let it be that my joy may be complete, that I might fully fellowship with You as did the apostles!
ReplyDeleteGod is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
ReplyDeleteI remember a time when I was in college, where I was in the beginning stages of returning to Christ and the church. I met with a priest who led me through a visual exercise. I closed my eyes and he asked me to visualize myself standing in front of Jesus. I did, but I distinctly visualized myself standing in the darkness part and Jesus was standing in the light. I didn't "see" this on purpose, I only noted it later in meditating on the experience. The priest told me to visualize myself going to Jesus. I couldn't do it. I began to cry. After a while he said, "Okay, picture Jesus coming to you." Immediately that is what I saw in my mind's eye - Jesus reached out and pulled me from the darkness and brought me into his light. I could literally feel the love of Christ - through this priest and how he was leading me - and how Jesus led me out of the dark and into his light. It's been nearly 20 years since that day, but I remember it like yesterday.
To be able to have actually looked upon Christ with my own eyes, to have touched him with my own hands; what a treasure that would have been. And yet I find myself wondering if I would have recognized him for who he really was. Would I have heard and understood? Would I have had the courage to testify to all I had heard and seen? How often do I fail now to recognize Christ in my life? And how often do my words and actions fail to testify to the truth?
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